What’s inside your cat’s head? A review of cat (Felis silvestris catus) cognition research past, present and future

Abstract

The domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) has shared an intertwined existence with humans for thousands of years, living on our city streets and in our homes. Yet, little scientific research has focused on the cognition of the domestic cat, especially in comparison with human's other companion, the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris). This review surveys the current status of several areas of cat cognition research including perception, object permanence, memory, physical causality, quantity and time discrimination, cats' sensitivity to human cues, vocal recognition and communication, attachment bonds, personality, and cognitive health. Although interest in cat cognition is growing, we still have a long way to go until we have an inclusive body of research on the subject. Therefore, this review also identifies areas where future research must be conducted. In addition to the scientific value of future work in this area, future research on cat cognition could have an important influence on the management and welfare of pet and free-roaming cats, leading to improved human-cat interactions.

Identification of separation-related problems in domestic cats: A questionnaire survey

“…Regarding the environmental and management traits, the more cats' popularity as a pet grows, the greater the need for better management practices and responsible ownership [68].…”

Does cat attachment have an effect on human health? A comparison between owners and volunteers

“…Friedmann and Thomas 1995, reported cat owners more likely to die of a heart attack than non-cat owners), highlighting the need for more studies on this pet species as human-cat relationship are known to be functional and mutually beneficial. For example, cats behaved sensitively to human depressive moods and engaged in more allorubbing of the head and flank (Rieger and Turner 1999), approached owners who described themselves as feeling numb less often, and approached owners who felt extroverted or agitated more frequently Rieger 2001, review in Vitale Shreve andUdell 2015). Cats can also change their behaviour towards an object in line with the emotional message given by the owner (Merola et al 2015) and show a number of attachment behaviours including physical contact, allorubbing, playing, and vocalising with the owner (Vitale Shreve and Udell 2015).…”

Where’s the cookie? The ability of monkeys to track object transpositions

“…Piaget’s scale is also used to determine the degree of development of cognitive abilities in non-human species. So far, the solving of displacement tasks has come under scrutiny [reviewed in Jaakkola (2014)] in such animals as cats [reviewed in Shreve and Udell (2015)], dogs (Fiset and LeBlanc 2007; Rooijakkers et al 2009), dolphins (Jaakkola et al 2010; Johnson et al 2015), sea lions (Singer and Henderson 2015), dwarf goats (Nawroth et al 2015), parrots (Pepperberg and Funk 1990), and corvids (Pollok et al 2000). Likewise, several species of monkey, such as long-tailed macaques (Schloegl et al 2013), rhesus macaques (Filion et al 1996) and cotton top tamarins (Neiworth et al 2003), have become the subject of similar studies.…”