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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Intelligence levels of cats in your household?

55 replies

9GreenBottles · 17/12/2016 21:47

We have 4 cats, and this evening one of them has been ripping up the carpet trying to get out of our bedroom. I could hear him, and thought the bedroom door must have got shut by accident because the door opens outwards. No, he just seemed to have got confused that he didn't have to pull the door towards him with his paw (and he is useless at getting into the room from the hall too).

This follows on from each of the cats getting a microchip cat feeder over the last couple of years. The first cat took about 6 months to use it regularly of her own accord (there was a bit of active resistance as well as genuine confusion and fear of the noises it made). The second cat was up and running in about 48 hours. Cats three and four got theirs in the Black Friday sales this year. Cat three had the hang of it in about 12 hours. Cat four is the boy getting stuck in the open bedroom - still having to be guided to use it!

On another note, cat one is still confused by the cat flap - 4 years after being introduced to the concept. I hear her trying to claw the flap towards her rather than just pushing her head through - on both sides of the door :-D

Do your cats demonstrate different levels of intelligence?

OP posts:

Oldraver · 17/12/2016 22:49

We only have one cat at the moment and I think he is the dimmest I have had.

He cant climb, has only just figured out doors. He doesn't meow for food or to come in just stares at you... he is so funny though.

JennyOnAPlate · 17/12/2016 22:53

Our 2 are thick as mince. We moved house a few months ago. We had a cat flap in the back door of the old house which they both used all the time. When we moved we brought the cat flap with us and had it put in the back door. Neither of them has worked out how to use it

DixieWishbone · 17/12/2016 22:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

YesItsMeIDontCare · 17/12/2016 22:57

Hmmmm... Leroy is both very very clever and ridiculously stupid.

Will stealth ninja with ease (he's the right colour but is a bit lardy), but then make an absolute racket trying to get into a tiny cardboard box.

Fruitcocktail6 · 17/12/2016 23:02

I had three cats growing up, two were quite smart and one was dim, in a gormless sort of way.

I have two ragdolls now, they are thick as shit. The most stupid cats I've ever met, but they were indoor cats at their last home so I guess they're just not street wise.

timelytess · 17/12/2016 23:06

I have no cats. That is testament to the intelligence of those creatures.

YesItsMeIDontCare · 17/12/2016 23:09

Love this! 😂

Intelligence levels of cats in your household?

joangray38 · 17/12/2016 23:10

As far as cat activities go he is crap ignores birds even one that hopped right up to him. Can't roll on his back. Hates exercise/ jumping : climbing. But he is intelligent - he can unbuckle his own collar, runs to get me when sees a car/ can draw up to the house. Pats the iPad when he wants to face time when I am away. Recognises the different treat or food packets. Has been banned for life from the local cattery for bad behaviour - only there 2 nights. Has to be occupied or included in everything or starts playing up. Chases certain dogs and has a hit list of people/cats/dogs that he hates. Loves the smell of lavender and waits while I spray his bed with a sleep spray every night before he will get in his bed.

GriefLeavesItsMark · 17/12/2016 23:13

Dim, very dim. Likes to sit on the window sill, but if the curtains are closed, can't work out how to get there. Shouts until one of us goes to open. the curtains.

He can't work out how to use a treat ball, despite having had many demonstrations, although remarkably proficient with the catflap.

YesItsMeIDontCare · 17/12/2016 23:21

I think your example Grief is a sign of intelligence! Why do it yourself if you can get some other shmuck to do it for you?

fartlek · 17/12/2016 23:32

Complete moron. She's lovely and sweet but frequently meows at the cat flap for us to open it for her. Or she goes out the cat flap (amazingly, she can do it when we're not around) and comes round the front of the house immediately and meows like a banshee to be let in. She's done this 3 times this evening. She also can't figure out an ajar door to save her life.
My cat growing up was a regular houdini and could get in or out of anywhere. But she was also a c**t so on balance I prefer this one.

Original poster

9GreenBottles · 17/12/2016 23:55

Loving your examples. I do think there's a difference between the things they can't do and the things they don't want to do - and I wonder if they get some entertainment pretending they can't do something? :-D

OP posts:

Toddlerteaplease · 18/12/2016 06:25

Both very thick. Persians are not renowned for their brains. If they are in the garden and I shit the door coz it's cold she will sit by the door looking sad. Unfortunately she hasn't learnt that in order to let her in she needs to move. If it's partly open she still hasn't worked out she needs to walk round it or under it to get in.

Toddlerteaplease · 18/12/2016 06:39

shut the door!

HermioneWoozle · 18/12/2016 06:47

I wonder if they get some entertainment pretending they can't do something

It's all part of the human training programme.

ryderandthepups · 18/12/2016 06:48

One of mine used to pretend she couldn't use the cat flap, would sit there in the pouring rain until I let her in. Then one day I was in the room but she couldn't see me, she just popped through. She knew exactly how to use it, it was just beneath her! Not sure if that's clever or dim, as she was the one getting wet...

Allergictoironing · 18/12/2016 06:51

One of each in my house. Girlcat is I suppose average brains for a cat - curious, as adventurous as an indoor cat can be mostly, learned the household routine quickly & can determine the difference between working day schedules & weekend schedules etc. Enjoys playing with toys & very agile. But in comparison to Boycat she's a genius!

Boycat really is thick as. After 7 months he still can't work out how to get up on the windowsill, and sits making pathetic creaking noises when Girlcat is up there & he wants to play. He has finally in the last few weeks got up the nerve to venture to the lowest level of the cat tree so he can use the cave there (Girlcat jumps 4 feet from sofa to the very small top platforms & back happily). I can wave a fishing toy very slowly & gently in front of him, and it takes him about 10 tries to actually touch it let alone catch it. He has been known to fall off the sofa if he wakes up suddenly.

These are brother & sister!

Autumnchill · 18/12/2016 07:21

Henry could knock on the door! We had a low letterbox with a bar on it and he would pull it back and let it go, alerting us to the fact he wanted to come in. Charlie, sat next to him and never figured it out!

Original poster

9GreenBottles · 18/12/2016 10:15

Hermione: very true!

Allergic: Whilst my original two are not brother and sister, I did get them both as kittens and they were brought up together. The girl (who was bigger and the most intelligent of all the cats) managed to do everything first, including getting up onto the top of the freezer. Several weeks later, the boy managed to get up, and I managed to capture a photo showing the look of distain on her face as it was so old hat to her by that stage :-D

OP posts:

Weedsnseeds1 · 18/12/2016 13:29

I've had both ends of the spectrum. Most have been average. Last cat was thick as two short planks. Never worked out a cat flap in 20 years (to be fair I moved house when she was 14 and didn't bother installing one this time as so fed up with all the local cats and foxes popping in for a meal as the flap had to be held open with a peg), fell off things if she went to sleep, "hid" under things with half her body hanging out. Current cat is way too smart for his own good. Can open doors, including cupboards and fridge. We installed a cat flap in an upstairs window (exit via flat roof and shed) he followed me out the back door to supervise hanging out washing, observed cat flap fitting from the garden and immediately it was finished, jumped up and let himself in. He can also open Christmas presents (just discovered this one) and has been clicker trained to sit, roll o ER, up and down off furniture. You can almost see the cogs turning while he works out a problem, such as opening a container or stealing a "toy" from a shelf, then he exicutes the manoeuvre flawlessly. He's a bit disconcerting....

MrsBellefleur · 18/12/2016 13:37

Getting in and out of the box took her over half an hour. She's a numpty.

Branleuse · 18/12/2016 13:39

I love my cats. I think theyre clever enough to get what they want, but they dont appear to have much complex thinking.

Toddlerteaplease · 18/12/2016 15:07

I can't for the life of me decide if my parents cat is very intelligent pretending to be stupid or is genuinely stupid. He has to bed led to his food bowl before he'll eat. Though he knows where his water bowl is and his eyesight is fine. Maybe he's just decided my parents are gullible humans and to milk it for all it's worth.

cozietoesie · 18/12/2016 15:23

Seniorboy lives the life of Riley, electric blanket, lifted around - eg to his food - and treats whenever he lifts an eyebrow. I reckon he has it taped. Who even needs to care about intelligence when you have willing slaves after all.

MycatsaPirate · 18/12/2016 15:31

We also have four. They are all very different personalities and extremely funny.

Boy is the oldest at 14 and we think he is more clever and lazy than stupid. He would refuse to use the cat flap if we were at home and would sit crying pitifully for us to open the door to let him out. If he was out already he would headbutt the cat flap until we again opened the door. If no one was in he had no issues with using it.

We have moved and there's no cat flap. We have a conservatory with glass doors and if the door is very slightly ajar he will sit and look at it, at me, at it again, nudge it very gently to move it a mm and then repeat. Girl cat 2 will then get fed up with this and launches herself at the door with her front paws and opens it properly for him.

Girl cat 2 will also open the door to let boy cat in. However, she is inherently daft and falls off things on a regular basis.

The other two girls are quite quiet and really not prone to doing silly things as much.

Girl cat 2 is probably the most entertaining by a mile. She's had half the decs off the trees in the house, launches herself out of cupboards at passing cats and humans and always licks you better after she's savaged you.

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