Cats are information sponges: be forewarned!

[mvp]

Most of you COs know this already: The slacker lying around with his eyes closed is still registering all information in his vicinity-- sounds, looks, movements and, especially, patterns.

The classic, of course, is the “can opener -> Mmm, wet food!” thing. And it’s not like you had to teach 'em. They just put it together.

What other examples of inadvertent things have you taught your cat? This really will be PSA kind of thread because there is some poor, unsuspecting noob out there with a new cat/blank slate who will need your help. Without realizing it, that person will do some kind of behavior of interest to the cat just a few times and Blammo!–They will have signed some kind of social contract with the cat that they didn’t even know about.

[oliverreed]

I have told this story before, but every single (all 4) cat in my household now believes that if you do not meow loudly you will not get your morning and evening canned food. Oliver started it all, and the susbsequent cats believed that that was the only thing that makes canned food appear.

[KayBee]

[QUOTE=mvp;7698872]
What other examples of inadvertent things have you taught your cat? This really will be PSA kind of thread because there is some poor, unsuspecting noob out there with a new cat/blank slate who will need your help. Without realizing it, that person will do some kind of behavior of interest to the cat just a few times and Blammo!–They will have signed some kind of social contract with the cat that they didn’t even know about.[/QUOTE]

This is an interesting article: researchers believe that humans domesticated dogs, but cats may have more or less domesticated themselves, so as to have better access to the grain storage areas of early humans. Which apparently affects social interactions between humans and cats.

And here’s another article, about the difficulty in studying cat intelligence.

Cats do learn. Our cat has learned that if he wants something, persistence pays off… with my mother. She will actively try to figure out what he’s looking for. Me, however? He knows he can come to me, but if I’m not immediately responsive he won’t bother. Therefore, I am MUCH less likely to be bothered at 6am…

Funny story that shows that cats are smart.

Me: in den, watching TV with door closed
Mom: downstairs, calling me for dinner, repeatedly (I don’t hear)
Cat: goes and sits outside of den door and YOWLS (hey you moron, they’re calling you)

[whiteponie]

Love reading your cat related posts mvp :yes:

Something I have inadvertently taught my cat is that when my alarm goes off, the human gets up! When the human gets up, good things happen like; attention, taps turning on, food dishes being filled etc.

So now when my alarm goes off she will “encourage” me to get up and not hit snooze :lol:

[Kitari]

My cat Tobay learned to hit the snooze button on our alarm to shut it off. :lol:

[Hunter88]

Our cat turns on the roomba when he wants the dog to leave him alone (dog typically goes and hides on the bed when the roomba is running)! Also - he knows that when my husband gets out the loaf of bread, it’s likely that Ham will be coming out of the fridge quite quickly, and he finds his way towards my husband’s ankles as the bread gets taken out so that he can pretend for a second that he isn’t viciously attacking him every other hour of the day.

[SmartAlex]

[QUOTE=mvp;7698872]
What other examples of inadvertent things have you taught your cat? [/QUOTE]

Mine learned to spell. Really, it’s probably not that hard for them to learn since they got hooked on phonics. O-u-t and T-r-e-a-t are to be avoided at all costs. They also learned that any word that comes after “kitty” is about them. Kitty treat. Kitty food. Kitty …bath.

[King_Creole]

Oh I’ve got one. Trying to un-teach it at the moment.

So last November, my kitty Sophie was accidentally shot by my grandpaw. Luckily he was a bad shot and she did not have any internal injuries, but both back legs were broken, one severely enough to require a bone graft.

When she was cleared to be free (and by free, I mean have run of the house again and not have to stay confined in a kennel anymore…she always has and always will be an indoor only cat), she needed help getting in bed w/ me since she was unable to jump anymore. So, I taught her to put her front feet on the baseboard of my bed so (laziness at it’s finest here, folks) I would not have to get up and pick her up each time she wanted up. She puts her feet on the baseboard and I can lean over and grab her under her kitty arm pits and pick her up that way.

Well here we are 8 months later, and she has healed so well and gotten strong enough to be able to jump back on the bed! Yay!!!..right?? Oh no, she does not think that she has to jump up on the bed at night b/c I am supposed to pick her up.

She will walk into my room in the afternoon, all non-chalantly, and hop up on the bed (it’s not exactly a hop, there is a slight scramble, but she can do it! I am very happy that she’s able to again.). She just has it in her mind that at night, she is supposed to wake me up and I will pick her up like I’ve been doing these past months. So I am now trying to un-train this behavior. I pick her up sometimes and other times she has to want it enough to do it herself or she can go lay in her bed on the floor.

It is still pretty cute though when she puts her feet up…except when it’s at 3:00 AM.

[oliverreed]

Oliver knows what “brefuss,” “lunchie,” and “din” mean. They ALL know what “catnip” means!

[sascha]

The word IN in a certain tone of voice means give it TF up, you are not going out today.

The word EVAC means get the hell out of the living room or you will be locked in all night with no food, water, litterbox, and god forbid bed in which is a human with whom you can play the who’s larger game. Cat always wins that one. lol

The one amazing thing my remaining 2 have learned is that snooze means snooze Mind you, they still give it the old college try at 5:55 every day of the week. “You’re alarm is about to go off!!!” but then when it hits 6 and I hit snooze, they lie back down defeatedly

Chester (ChesterTheMolester on FB) has learned that stealing his brother’s food when I’m within eyesight will gain him ear drum blowing shrieks (that his brother can’t hear since he’s old and deaf ) and will lie down on the kitchen floor like a dog that’s been put in a lie down stay.

Opening any of 3 mailboxes on the end of my kitchen counter might mean special treats (Pill Pockets) so the sound will bring them, but they quickly wander off if I’m just getting napkins or place mats out of one of the other 2.

[King_Creole]

Opening any of 3 mailboxes on the end of my kitchen counter might mean special treats (Pill Pockets) so the sound will bring them, but they quickly wander off if I’m just getting napkins or place mats out of one of the other 2.

lol…whenever I bring anything home in a plastic bag Sophie assumes it is for her…b/c sometimes there are treats or cat food in them. That’s how I found out she could jump on the bed again. I dropped a bunch of bags on my bed and was going through them to pick up what I got and she was fussing about wanting me to pick her up. Being that I was in the middle of doing something, I ignored her…and she jumped on the bed! And I was like “OMG! What just happened! I can’t believe you did that!” and she got a treat. Of course. ha! They have us trained just as we have them trained.

[Tab]

Tabitha can open lever style door handles. We had to change handles in our old house because she would invite herself in to any closed room whether she was wanted or not.

[sascha]

I had a smarty pants about 20 something years ago. I had him before I got married. Husband was supposedly allergic to cats. I lost it living without cats so he had to suck it up and get some tolerance going. Which he did. He was fine.

However, he stubbornly refused to back down on one thing - no cat on the bed. I said ok, knowing it wouldn’t last but put a tough front on for a while. And of course I never said anything when I would wake up in the middle of the night and my cat would be curled up with me like he had done for years.

I was curious though. I wanted to know how he got the all clear so I waited until the husband was asleep and then I faked being asleep. When I opened one eye to sneak a peak, I saw my boy get up from his cat bed on the floor and walk around to the other side of the bed.

I didn’t want to blow my cover so I didn’t look to see what he was doing. However, in a moment, he came back to my side and stuck one hand up beside my face and patted the pillow several times. I made sure to make no reaction and he jumped up and curled up beside me. I actually startled him when I put my arm around him

Smart cat.

[King_Creole]

Tabitha can open lever style door handles. We had to change handles in our old house because she would invite herself in to any closed room whether she was wanted or not.

My cat must be a jack of all trades. I have a pocket door for my bathroom. She lets herself in all the time. Most of the time I’m…ummm…busy on the toilet. I really wish she would learn how to close the door behind herself…

[Hunter88]

[QUOTE=sascha;7699325]
I had a smarty pants about 20 something years ago. I had him before I got married. Husband was supposedly allergic to cats. I lost it living without cats so he had to suck it up and get some tolerance going. Which he did. He was fine.

However, he stubbornly refused to back down on one thing - no cat on the bed. I said ok, knowing it wouldn’t last but put a tough front on for a while. And of course I never said anything when I would wake up in the middle of the night and my cat would be curled up with me like he had done for years.

I was curious though. I wanted to know how he got the all clear so I waited until the husband was asleep and then I faked being asleep. When I opened one eye to sneak a peak, I saw my boy get up from his cat bed on the floor and walk around to the other side of the bed.

I didn’t want to blow my cover so I didn’t look to see what he was doing. However, in a moment, he came back to my side and stuck one hand up beside my face and patted the pillow several times. I made sure to make no reaction and he jumped up and curled up beside me. I actually startled him when I put my arm around him

Smart cat.[/QUOTE]

This brings much joy to my life!!

[Tab]

[QUOTE=King Creole;7699347]
My cat must be a jack of all trades. I have a pocket door for my bathroom. She lets herself in all the time. Most of the time I’m…ummm…busy on the toilet. I really wish she would learn how to close the door behind herself…[/QUOTE]

How did she do that? Wedge paws in the handle? Use her weight to slide it open? Im pretty sure mine couldn’t manage that!

[King_Creole]

She sticks her paw under the door in the corner and pulls up until she wiggles it enough to stick her paw through…then she just opens it w/ her paw and squeezes her head in. And she ALWAYS meows to announce her presence. I do have a short video. I need to get it on youtube and post it.

[King_Creole]

Here’s a video…it’s very short…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWAiakmoftY&list=UU48TUKsB8Sv-ndgZ3XEEsqw

[Tab]

Clever girl! She’s very pretty too. Like a cat food model

[sk_pacer]

I think Tippy has been watching some redneck version of HGTV because he made his own swamp cooler - somehow figured out that if he curls around the water dish when the ceiling fan is on, he has a nice cool pocket of air in that corner.

They all know the words breakfast, supper, bedtime, and seem to have some concept of going to the barn, town, church, shopping, and let me know if I am late home…oddly when I say I am going to the field, there is no yowling no matter how long I am gone.

Now if they could just grasp the concept that there is only one way in and out of the bathroom…maybe they are afraid I am gonna sneak out the window that is around 7’ above the basement floor and barely large enough to allow passage of a large cat or very small human