Goes to show: cats ARE smart!!

I have several "Whisker City" cat scratchers here and there in the house. You know...the block of corrugated cardboard in a box. I was tossing around treats for the kitties to chase and apparently one treat landed just right and fell inside the box between the edge and the cardboard block. I didn't know it at the time...I just saw Mellie head over that way, so I figured she got the treat, and I tossed out another for her to chase.

So, game over and I put the boys in their room for the night. I heard some noises from the living room and went in there to find Mellie doing something to the scratcher. I was surprised to find her well along on lifting the block out of the box with her teeth in order to get at the treat underneath!! Not only did she remember it was there and come back for it later, she figured out it was in the box, under the block, and what she had to do to get it. Think of what's involved in recognizing that the scratcher consisted of two pieces and one piece had to be lifted and removed from the other piece to accomplish her goal!!

I shudder to think of cats with opposable thumbs.

Cats with opposable thumbs would be pretty scary... although they sort of do have them. Zissou can use her dewclaw like an opposable thumb for light things (bits of paper, cat toys, etc). Cats are smart! Too bad you didn't get a video of Mellie trying to get the treat. That would be fun to watch!

I see lots of things happen I'd love to have on video, but by the time I get the camera out, it's all over.

Yes, I've seen my cats use their paws to manipulate objects, too. They're actually pretty "handy" with what they've got to work with.

Very cool.

Isn't being poly kind of like having an opposable thumb?

My friend's polydactyl has opposable thumbs. He was able to turn the latch on the cat door and let himself out. You had to grip both sides and turn to do this. My friend had to bolt it shut as he isn't let out unsupervised.

Cats are so much smarter than what people give them credit for!!!!!

Originally Posted by coaster

I shudder to think of cats with opposable thumbs.

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Oliver's just about figured out how to open my round bedroom doorknob by sitting on my dresser - that's without thumbs!

Originally Posted by BuzbyJLC10

Oliver's just about figured out how to open my round bedroom doorknob by sitting on my dresser - that's without thumbs!

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Way to go, Ollie! How is he feeling today?

Slayer (who we've always thought of as our 'sweet but dumb' child) has figured out that if the back door is unlocked, that if she jumps on the breakfast table, that she can paw it open and head out.

We make sure to keep it locked now.

My Liberty can take the chain off the front door . This is not an easy task becaue it is old and stiff. Liberty is no dumb cat though. She never forgets who people are. This means she knows who will pay attention to her and who will not -even months after she saw them last. -kd

My cats have figured out how to open the screen door if it isn't locked and one can almost get the deadbolt open by jumping from the floor. They both figured out how to open drawers and cupboards in order to get at food or a nice pile of clean clothes to sleep on. Had to childproof the cupboards and get an extra lint brush for the new cat beds in my desser.