“I am really interested in cats and whenever there is a possibility to do cat research, I am on it,” Pongrácz says. “I always have good ideas, of course, but I am always waiting for students who would like to work with cats.”
They asked owners of cats a bunch of questions—do their pets imitate the vocalizations of other cats? Do they consider their cats to be empathetic and communicative? How much did they believe their cats understood?
It turns out that cats are surprisingly adept at following a person’s gaze and making inferences about their intentions.
And the difference in lifestyles of indoor and outdoor cats has a big effect on their cognitive habits: indoor cats are far more interested in playing with balls and artificial objects than outdoor cats, which are more discerning.
The work is one example of a spate of research to emerge over the last five years in the field of cat cognition, a long-neglected field of animal study that, despite the obstacles posed by the often imperious and mercurial behavior of the animals it aims to study.
Cats, this evidence suggests, don’t just like us. They really do love us. They’re just more subtle than dogs in the way they express themselves.
Read More Here: You Believe Your Cat Loves You. Now Science Has Proof.
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