Cats Automatically Imitate People? Oh, Really? Who Says?

Do all Cats imitate their Humans?

New research has determined that Cats automatically imitate their Humans, even when it is not in their best interest to do so.

Fascinating....

My first question is...what were they inbibing, or smoking, during their research efforts?

If vocalization is the sincerest form of flattery, then the purrs of Cats are known as signs of happiness with, and praise of, our Humans.

New Cat research has just, supposedly, determined that Cats often imitate their Humans, too, even when it is not in our best interest to do so.

This odd little Cat study, published in the latest edition of some obscure periodical called the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Are there 25 OTHER "Royal Societies? Just asking, is all.), provides what it claims is the first evidence that Cats copy at least some of the body movements and behaviors of Humans in ways that are spontaneous and voluntary.

In other words, we can't really help ourselves when it comes to copying our Human Daddy's, and Mommies.

Yeah, right....

 

 To Quote:

"This suggests that, like humans, Cats are subject to 'automatic imitation'; they cannot inhibit, online, the tendency to imitate," lead author Friederike Range and her colleagues conclude....

So, um, are they trying to say that just because Humans, like Daddy, use the Computer, e-mail, and social media, from Facebook to Twitter, and are Bloggers, that some Felines will do so as well?

Or that some of us will become Bag Ladies because our Humans refuse to switch to paper?

These so-called researchers claim that "it's long been known that humans do this, even when the tendency to copy interferes with efficiency."

"For example," according to the researchers, "if people are instructed to open their mouths as soon as they see the letters 'OM' appear on a screen, responses are slower when the letters are accompanied by an image of an opening hand than when they are accompanied by an image of an opening mouth."

Yeah, so? What does that have to do with me, and my behavioral tendencies?

In a scientific first, Range — a University of Vienna researcher in the Department of Feline Biology — and her team tested this phenomenon on Felines. Ten adult Cats of various breeds and their Humans, from Austria, participated in the experiments.

Oh, Austria! Well, THAT might explain it...maybe.

All of the Cats received preliminary training to open a sliding door using their head or a paw. The Cats then watched their Humans open the door by hand or by head. For the latter, the Human would get down on the floor and use his or her head to push up or down on the sliding door.

Training? What, were these Cats slow learners, or something?

If I saw Daddy doing what these Humans were doing I would have been rolling on the floor laughing my tail off!

The Cats were next divided into two groups. Cats in the first group received a food reward whenever they copied what the Human did. Cats in the second group received a food reward when they did the opposite.

All of the Cats were inclined to copy what the Human did, even if it meant receiving no food reward.

Hmmm, now I can't decide if these Austrian Pussies were scamming the researchers or not, just to get the treats! ;-D

What were the Humans given to do the things they did in this study?

I taught MYSELF how to open a door, & knock pieces of paper to the floor. I didn't need a treat as incentive! ;-D

The scientists suggest Humans would do well to match their own body movements, whenever possible, to tasks at hand during training sessions.

For example, if a Human is trying to teach an Old, or Young, Cat new tricks the person might have more success if he/she demonstrated the trick. The observing Cat would then be inclined to mirror what the human did. At that point, a food reward could be offered to the Cat, reinforcing the behavior.

The  Researchers actually claim that the Human is thus reinforcing bonding and cooperation with the Cat, too.

I know, I know, I know...And they get paid lots of money to produce this stuff...

"Researchers have known that human beings prefer the behavior of other people who subtly imitate their gestures and other affects," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child and Human Development.

And this has relevance to the behavior of Cats how exactly?

Alexander worked on another study showing that non-human primates automatically imitate each other. Certain birds do this, too, but it may be very rare in the animal kingdom for one species to almost subconsciously imitate the behavior of a completely different species.

Just because the Birds, and the Bees do it, does not automatically mean that Cats will to.

"Cats are special animals, in terms of their evolutionary history" Range and her team explain.

"This may enhance the extent to which Cats pay attention to, and immitate, human activity," they added, "but the results of the present experiment suggest it is the latter — training in the course of development — which plays the more powerful and specific role in shaping their imitative behavior."

OK, I swear, I don't know whether to be annoyed, cry in despair, or laugh my tail off, when I read studies such as this.

I need a nap!

If you absolutely MUST read the full report for yourself, then you can do so here.

 

 

Comments

[Leslie Mehana]

YES!

I taught my kitty to make a smacking sound when he "kissed" me.

And to knock all pens off all tables (that was a baddie).

I'd read that they learn by watching, so...

[Suzanne]

So true, so true.

When I used to have indoor-outdoor cats, whenever they wanted to go outside, they'd bat their paws on the doorknob.

They understood HOW to open the door!

[Freya & Teego]

My kitties are USELESS round the house.

I try to teach them to feed themselves, beg and stand up in front of guests, and even where the on off switch on the hoover is, but do they do ANYTHING around the house?

Do they heck!

They're not that clever after all!

[Zippy, Sadie and Speedy]

Hmf...what a load.

[Everycat]

Cats and dogs are social animals.

Like all social animals they will copy what the members of their social group do to enhance bonding and keep life on an even keel.

Why is science so darn slow to catch up?

WW