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Can your cat see him/herself in mirror?

post #1 of 10
12/23/09 at 12:50pm
Thread Starter 
I've always wondered about this... one of my cats can obviously see his reflection in the mirror, and his eyes follow any movement going on behind him while looking in the mirror. My other two cats, as well as my much loved late kitty, did not react to or follow ANY movement in the mirror. They just turn their heads away when I hold them in front of one, as if they don't see the reflection. I would think there would be interest in 'that strange cat' in front of them if they were actually seeing it, even if only the first time. Do your cats see in the mirror? Do you think they can all see the reflection, but just react differently? Hmmm.

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post #2 of 10
12/23/09 at 12:57pm
when i hold my cats up to the mirror (and it's a big mirror), their facial expression is

okay, whatever. this mirror doesn't do me justice.

mine don't stare at their own reflection. they tend to look away. i don't know why . the family cat we had years ago was the same way. you know how you look at yourself in a so-so pic and say Ughh, that's how I look in real life?? Well, it's sorta like that i guess i really don't know.
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post #3 of 10
12/23/09 at 1:15pm
My cats can see the reflection.. I'm sure all cats can, but they just react differently. My cats don't respond I think because they know its a reflection so they don't care. I remember the first time Monster saw his reflection, he arched up, poofed out and hissed.. I thought it was so funny!
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post #4 of 10
12/23/09 at 3:06pm
Ellie is the only one of mine that reacts to a mirror. But I don't think she sees it as herself, as she tries to attack it, but only if she comes upon a mirror suddenly. I somehow think that most cats do not 'see' things in a mirror. Again, some react to a TV or computer screen and others do not.
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post #5 of 10
12/23/09 at 3:38pm
Peaches definitely notices herself in a mirror and stops to look, but she doesn't seem to think a lot about it and moves on.
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post #6 of 10
12/23/09 at 5:04pm
This is great! I actually have pictures of Maia's first mirror experience! She definitely sees herself, and figured it out with in minutes! She looked at herself, pawed a little, then went around the back of it, back to the front, from then on could care less!



The most attention a mirror gets these days is to watch me either from the mirror or in the mirror!
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post #7 of 10
12/23/09 at 5:46pm
awwh, cute pics! I think they can see the reflection. The first time I brought Neko home she also arched up and got all poofy to the "cat" in the mirror! It's actually a sliding closet door/mirror. She was staring at herself while she was walking by one day and eventually went pass the mirror and into the bedroom - "Hey, Where did that cat go!" She turned around to find herself again! Double take
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post #8 of 10
12/23/09 at 10:37pm
I've seen Aya stretch up to look at herself in the mirror.

She also looks and talks at mee through the mirror.

Me putting on my makeup in the bathroom mirror is her clue that I'm leaving in the morning (she gets lonely, poor thing). She stretches up to the medicine cabinet mirror, puts her front paws on the rim and meows at me mournfully through the mirror. I just know she's saying "Meowmy, you're leaving me!...No!"
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post #9 of 10
12/24/09 at 1:05am
First time we brought Dexter home, he walked into our bedroom, saw the cat in the mirror and ran away.... He was very cautious for a while but I think he has worked it out now. Mind you when he is in super playful mood he might play peekaboo around the bed by himself, very cute...
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post #10 of 10
12/24/09 at 2:39am
jamie uses a full-length mirror in our bedroom to spy on the neighbors he cant watch out the balcony door because of the angle. he also makes eye contact with you if you stand behind him while hes looking in a mirror. hes never reacted as if theres a strange cat in the mirror, so who knows what he thinks!
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