How To Measure The Intelligence Of Cats

A measurement of your cat’s intelligence may be unpleasant if the evaluation criteria are not clear. In general it can be said that there is a lack of ambiguity whenever we speak of human intelligence Vs animal intelligence. Do you want to know why?

Generally speaking, it can be said that the concept of intelligence refers to the ability to understand and understand, as well as the ability to solve problems. In turn, all these faculties are related to perception and memory.

This concept of intelligence can be applied to both animals and people. Cats are able to store various types of information that derive both from sensory experiences (which they do through smell, taste, sight and hearing) and from experiences resulting from interaction with other animals or with humans. . It is this wealth of information that affects the behavior of cats. Even if these animals move by instinct, you must know that they use experience to modify their behavior in order to survive the challenges that face them every day.

Human intelligence goes further because language comes into play. Through the use of words, man connects symbols with objects of the external world.

When we talk about animal intelligence we refer only to the first meaning of intelligence, to that which does not include language. Animals are unable to endow reality with meaning. However, the mental processes of which animals are capable allow them to make decisions, to express their mood, to understand some characteristics of our physicality, etc.

It may seem obvious, but there are many people who confuse intellectual and language processes. That said, when we talk about intelligence in felines, we are referring exclusively to the process of manipulating experience and how this process affects their behavior.

A question of race

The peculiarities of each cat breed could lead one to think that some are smarter than others. But this is not the case: intelligence, or the potential to develop it, depends on experience, and this changes a lot from individual to individual.

When ranking smart cats, some well-defined parameters come into play. These criteria all depend on the cat’s ability to relate to humans. The fulcrum of this approach is therefore coexistence. Normally these rankings are headed by the most docile breeds that are best suited to family life, such as the Scottish fold or the Russian blue cat or the ragdoll.  The last places of this  feline intelligence hit-parade are usually occupied by those breeds that have been domesticated more recently and consequently have more spirit of independence.

The behavioral models that evaluate such an approach are:

Docility

It is a characteristic of recent breeds that are the result of crossbreeding of very ancient races that have coexisted with humans for hundreds of years. Modern cat breeding aims to enhance those aspects that facilitate family life. The fact that cats have been domesticated much more recently than dogs means that some characteristics of the wild state still persist in them today.

Learning speed

Ease of learning is inversely proportional to cats’ spirit of independence. Freer cats find it hard to learn the basic rules of coexistence, not to mention games. This happens because they duel continuously with the master to maintain a dominant role.

Ability to respond to orders

It is also important to consider how long it takes the cat to respond to an order. It is assumed that the smartest cats are those who can understand the most orders and words. This understanding shows that they have a greater interest in what is being said to them and a good disposition to obey.

Sociability

Do not forget that cats are predators that live in small groups, or even alone, and that they are very dominant. A cat’s sociability is filtered by its instinct. A non-suspicious and sociable cat is a submissive cat. A feature that will allow him to accept other animals without getting angry.