The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #142445 Message #3284316
Posted By: Jim Dixon
03-Jan-12 - 04:44 PM
Thread Name: BS: Does Your Dog Watch Television?
Subject: RE: BS: Does Your Dog Watch Television?
When I was a college student I lived with several other guys and a kitten. One day someone had the idea to try to trick the kitten with a mirror. He took a full-length mirror that normally hung on the wall, turned it sideways, and placed it across a doorway. Several of us witnessed the cat's reaction when he saw his reflection for the first time (I presume). He hissed. His back arched. The hair on his back stood up. His tail bristled out like a bottle brush. He turned his body sideways to the mirror to create the largest possible profile. He did a sideways dancing hop toward the mirror. As soon as he got close enough, he lashed out with his paw to slash at the intruder.
As soon as his paw touched the mirror, he seemed to realize he'd been tricked. His hair and posture quickly returned to normal. You might imagine he was trying to act nonchalant—"I knew it all the time"—but I don't want to be that anthropomorphic.
Everyone who saw this thought it was hilarious and we desperately wanted a repeat performance, so we tried various ways of tricking him again, both that day and long afterward, but nothing ever worked. From that day forward he never showed the slightest interest in his own reflection in a mirror. I think I once saw him look past his own image at something he saw in the background, but even that didn't last long.
So I disagree that looking at a reflection in a mirror is necessarily an indicator of intelligence. Obviously this cat had the ability to see himself; he just didn't care anymore, once he realized it wasn't another cat.