Have your cat ever seen their reflexes? How did they respond? Some cats may be worried and blowing away their fur, while others may not respond at all.
So does the cat recognize itself in the mirror? Let’s take a look at what science is saying.
Can cats recognize themselves in the mirror?
It may seem obvious to understand that you are the one staring at you in the mirror, but that is a feat of mental gymnastics that you probably didn’t develop until you were. 18-24 months old. Scientists have been using specular recognition tests (also known as MSR or mark tests) to assess human and animal self-awareness for decades.
Although the method of running the test varies slightly from study to study, MSR works by exposing the animal to a mirror. When an animal is used for the presence of a mirror, researchers place markers such as stickers or dye patches on parts of the animal’s body (for example, face or neck).
If an animal examines visible marks on its body while looking at it in the mirror, it is said to pass the MSR test. In other words, they saw something unusual in their bodies when they looked in the mirror and reacted in a way that understood their reflections were images of themselves.
Some animals such as Amazing apes, elephants, dolphins, magpiespassed the MSR test, but many others are not. There are no strict mark tests involving cats, but no recent tests study Using YouTube videos, I concluded that cats cannot recognize themselves in the mirror.
What do cats think when they look at themselves in the mirror?
When you see Video of a cat looking at herself in the mirrorit’s clear they know that something important is going on. Cat body language falls into two categories.
It is impossible to know exactly how they are passing through the cat’s mind when they see a reflection in the mirror, but their reaction is that when the cat faces another cat unexpectedly It’s similar to how it reacts.
Their extra layer of confusion is easy to explain. Because they can see another cat, but they cannot smell, hear, or touch them.
Is cats self-aware?
However, it is important to be aware that these types of tests have limit. Just because a cat doesn’t understand that his reflection is an image of himself doesn’t necessarily mean he is completely lacking self-awareness.
the study Because rhesus monkeys, a species that failed MSR tests in previous experiments, training reveals that some monkeys tried to quickly remove marks from their faces when they saw themselves in the mirror I did.
The biggest advantage of the MSR test is that it can be easily tried at home with your own cat. Here’s how:
