Slurms Makenzie
- My barnyard cat is an indoor cat and he is very smart. He walks around my house and opens all my cabinets. He also knows his name and understands me when I talk to him. Just the other day, he was in the other room and I said, "Slurms come here. I have an egg roll for you." And he came running and jumped on my lap and he started he part of the egg roll (which is one of his favorite things).
- —Guest Doug
clean cat
- my cat has always been fascinated with the vacuum cleaner so one day while vacuuming, I decided to use the hose attachment to remove her stray hair. To my amazement ,she rolled over to the other side to be vacuumed. Now, every time she hears the vacuum she comes running to be groomed in this manner. So-o-o- cute!
- —Guest marilyn
Calypso, my little Houdini
- I adopted a very tiny fluffy adult cat, Calypso, in February 2010. Since my other cat is much older and Calypso is kind of overpowering, there are times when I put Calypso in a closed room for short times out, and overnight. First, she managed to get the bifold door open. Then, she got the bifold door open even with a dining room chair propped against it. Then, she managed to get the plastic child-proof door lock off the top of the door. I made it tighter, and she broke it. Finally a metal bracket seems to have her stymied, but probably not for long. I call her my Houdini cat.
- —HOSTPat
Where did those eggs come from?
- One moment which stands out for us as being an indication of some intelligence in our tabby Max, was one summer 3 years ago when Max was finding these eggs somewhere on our property, and leaving them 'in tact' at our front door. My husband was outside with Max one day after he left yet another, when my husband just for the heck of it said to Max, 'show me' where you are getting these eggs from. Well, Max started to walk away and to an area at the back of our property and led my husband to a spot at our fenceline. To my husband's surprise, on the other side of this behind some scrap wood, was a nest with the very eggs that Max had been leaving at our door! We were very concerned that the mother bird had left the nest and these eggs on account of Max. Thankfully it's not happened again. Still, we had to marvel at Max's sense of delicacy in taking these eggs in his mouth and leaving them without a scratch at our door, and for showing my husband the source of this gift upon request.
- —Guest maggiesmom60
Coming to a Friends Rescue
- My Manx (adopted shelter cat) named Piper was prone to upper respiratory infections. The veterinarian suggested that I put her in a steam filled bathroom for timed intervals to help open up her nasal passages. Once placed in the bathroom, Piper was not very happy about being confined and started meowing and sticking her paws out under the door and scratching the carpet. I retreated to my bedroom to wait until the assigned time was over. Imagine my surprise when a few seconds later a very happy and purring Piper jumped onto my chest. My first thought was that the door must have been slightly ajar so I took my by then less than happy kitty, and placed her back in the bathroom to get some much needed steam. I headed back to bed, and as soon as I settled in, I was shocked to find that Piper was once again jumping on my chest. As we headed back to the bathroom I was determined to find out what was going on so after I placed Piper back in the bathroom, I hid behind a wall and waited. Pi- - - - - Franny's Note: We're all still waiting breathlessly to read the remainder of this story. Andorsu, if you had problems completing it, please email me the balance to cats.guide(at)about.com and I will add it so your story is complete.
- —andorsu
object permanence? my cat gets it!
- My cats are always "in" on our activities -- whatever we (humans) are doing, they're right up front, taking part. I was home from school for a break, when I was typing a paper. My cat and laptop were both perched on my desk (my lap must have been taken?!), and at one point she became very concentrated on the screen so I decided to play with my cursor for a bit. My laptop screen was such that if I took the cursor to the side, the arrow would disappear from our view (unlike those that stay at the edge of the screen, no matter how far you move your mouse). I noticed her interest so I did that a couple of times. And at one point, I found her walking to the backside of the laptop screen in search of the arrow!! While some say not animals understand the concept of object permanence, my cat supported otherwise! (She was such a smart, caring, loving, considerate cat; the bestest cat to ever share my life!) =^..^=
- —Guest talkativecatmom
Sissygirl
- Since 2002, when my very feral, but loving tortoiseshell came into my life, She would know when I was in a diabetic condition. Five times, since 2003, she brought me out of five diabetic comas. My blood sugars were below 50. She jumped on me, bit and clawed my face, and knocked over, anything she could, This tiny little 8 pound cat, also knew, when someone was about to die. In 2007, when I moved into housing for handicapped people, she went over to this retired opera singer. She her face. My friend loved having her for company. Sadly, my friend crossed over in December 2007. My little cat, still can tell when someone is sick, even though she is now 16. How I love her.
- —Guest Betty
Thief Cat
- My cat has always demonstrated intelligence. She even figured out how to open and unlock doors. Just to keep her inside we have to put something inside the door to keep it from being pushed open.
- —Guest catlover
Manipulator
- Kali nudges a leg and makes a u-turn which means "follow me, I want to go out". One day, while I was at the computer, I got "the nudge" and followed her to the door, letting her out. I then went into the room where my husband was. He asked "did you let Kali out?" I said "yes". He laughed and told me "I told her 'No'". Without even a protest, she just came and got me: "That's okay, I know where mom is". Too funny. I don't know where she learned it because she's never done anything like that in her 5 years of life. Learned behavior is one thing, but this was just downright creative. ritzymitzi
- —ritzymitzi
Colourful Beige
- Hi! We've got a 10 year old Siamese named Beige. I'm a type one diabetic, on a number of occasions, Beige has alerted my partner if I'm having a hypoglycemic attack. She can also tell the time. The partner works various shifts. Puss is nearly always at the front door when he gets home, no matter what day/time it is. How does she know?
- —Robster1
Sushi and his cute little habit
- Hi - my Sushi - a black/sable long-haired domestic (looks very much like a Maine Coone) has just the cutest habit. Apart from being his "Mommy's Boy" - he heralds my arrival wherever I go by walking in front of me - talks to me all day and all night (sometimes to my annoyance - especially when I'm trying to sleep - *smile*, but the cutest thing he does is this. He's one of two indoor cats. We keep the litter trays in the small guest bathroom on the first floor. Sometimes I use that toilet. When I do, they both follow me in there, the other cat, Abba, uses the litter at the same time, but Sushi waits until I've used the toilet. The minute I'm finished and select paper from the toilet roll, he begins to cover the "non-existent" mess in the litter tray, i.e., covering my "mess" so I don't get "discovered by my enemies"! It is such a precious thing to see. Then promptly stalks out of the bathroom ahead of me, chirping out how clever he is!
- —Guest Barbara
Intelligent Cat or Wacky Cat-you decide!
- We have a sweet loveable, NON-MEOWING "Calico" named "Furrball"; (a name my son APPROPRIATELY picked for her, due to the endless number of "furrballs" she lovingly "decorates" our home with each day). As soon as my husband's feet hit the floor in the morning, "Furrball" heads to the door, ready to be "walked". If my husband gets "delayed" in any way, she starts to butt her head against the screen-door, and the "longer" he is to get to her, the "longer and louder" the "head-butts" are. Our neighbours laugh, as they she her out there each morning, on "harness and leash", all 4 seasons long, strutin' her stuff, like "top dog"! Oops . . . did I say the "enemy name"? "Furrball" will continue this "daily ritual" up to 3 times each morning. My husband may no sooner take off her harness, and 5 minutes later she's back at the door rarin' to do it all over again. But he better BEWARE! If he's not there when SHE IS . . . let the "head-butting" begin!
- —Guest "Furrball"
A True Mother Cat
- About a month ago my friends cat had a litter of kittens in her band, but nobody knew where they were. A week or so later one of the workers that was moving some hay around in the loft for the horses move a big square of hay and found Catcat (the mother) and six little kittens. He left them to go and spread the news of the found kittens. By the time he and others returned with a camera, Catcat had already moved her kittens to a safer location within the hayloft of the barn. Every time they find them and return with a camera Catcat moves them to a safer location within the hayloft of the barn. The kittens are are about a month now and they expect to start seeing and hearing them more now that they are getting older. Catcat truly is a good mother because she wwill not let any one take her kittens untill she thinks that they are old enough to survive on their own.
- —Guest Purple45
My smart Therapy Cat
- my kitty is 4 and a house cat, she always meows when I'm having a migraine and won't leave me. She kisses my forehead.
- —Guest bea barentt
Strange, Ninja-Like Cat...
- My cat Mittens displays unusual intelligence for a cat. Every night she sleeps next to my head or sits on the floor and stares at me. She is blind in one eye, but her depth perception and sense of balance are faultless. When she was a little more spry, she would latch onto the doors and windows with her legs splayed out to signify that she wanted to come in. She is unusually calm for a cat and it appears that she is not calm because that is her nature, but rather that she is calm because she has no reason to fear. She will not move at all while being held. She follows me on walks I take and usually walks right next to me, no matter the distance. She understands even the smallest command gestures I make, such as a nod of the head, and obeys unfailingly, which is strange for a cat. She will wedge doors that she wants open with various items and even pats them into the door jamb. I have actually seen her trap a bird using a piece of cardboard I had lying against my shed.
- —Guest Crey
