Learned Behavior

Because cats cannot be trained like dogs, it is sometimes thought that they cannot learn at all. It is possible, however, to train cats to press a button for a food reward.

The key to all cat training is the use of reward; discipline, which works in pack species, such as dogs, does not work with cats, who either hide or leave.

The cat's mind is at its most receptive when it is very young; it loses its ability to absorb new experience earlier than most other species.

Experiments from over a century ago show that cats can learn by watching what other cats do and learn best of all by watching their mothers.

Other work from the same time showed that cats are not good at solving puzzles, and escaping from mazes was due more to luck than to logic.

There are some things, however that a cat may never learn or unlearn. Pet cats must adapt to a sometimes alien lifestyle, especially if kept indoors.

Some use their hunting instincts to stalk and destroy household objects. Others try to remain nocturnal and demand nighttime activity from their diurnal human companions.

Less certain are the cat's repute "psychic" abilities. Most of the evidence for these is anecdotal, but there is scientific confirmation that cats have a sense of direction and can-foresee earthquakes.

Tests in Germany and the United States suggest that cats may have a superior sense of direction, and Professor Benjamin Hart in California recorded increased unusual behavior before earthquakes.