The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) are accused of cat cruelty by me over the Peke-face Persian

The flat-face Persian has been described as a piece of the furniture meaning passive and not doing anything. It can't apply to all flat-face Persians and certainly not to the traditional Doll-face Persian which is prettier anyway. 

But this passive and inactive character which might seem charming hides a far more serious reality: the inadvertent dumbing down of the extreme-bred Persian due to decades of misguided selective breeding as directed by the cat fancy particularly the CFA which has consistently promoted the Peke-face Persian.

The CFA's behaviour over decades is an act of animal cruelty; no less because 30% of Peke-face Persians according to the study referred to in the infographic suffer from hydrocephalus because of this cat breed's rounded and shortened (brachycephalic) skull.

There are other enormous health issues with this cat breed. Here is another: click this link: INFOGRAPHIC explains Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) in Persian cats in straightforward terms. There are more 😱 The Peke-face Persian is a disgrace.

Why Peke-face Persian cats can be ‘dummies’ by Michael Broad

And as explained in the infographic above this serious brain condition can cause cognitive deficits. To put that in layperson's language: Peke-face Persians are often as thick as bricks. That is sad. Extremely sad and as I said the CFA are animal abusers.

Strong words. A stark accusation but it must be factually true. The organisation should be prosecuted. In Germany the Peke-face Persian would never exist as it is an example of torture breeding.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Cat takes mighty leap to successfully hit a Ring doorbell to be let inside

Determined and athletic cat leaps from parked car at the Ring doorbell to be let in. Where is the cat flap?!

The picture above comes from the video below which won't last long so enjoy it while you can! I can't find the original Ring.com video and I think this one is a rip-off. But it is okay. 

It shows how domestic cats are amazingly resourceful in getting their way particularly to get inside their home. They learn how to attract attention. 

These must be homes where there is no cat flap. The cats get left outside. I wonder about that and ask why owners don't install cat flaps if they intend to let their cats go outside unsupervised.

Here is another video of a resourceful cat employing the same technique to be let in:

There are many examples on the internet. All are a testament to the intelligence and learning ability of the domestic cat plus there athleticism and resourcefulness. Impressive guys aren't they?

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Are wild cats smarter than domestic cats?

The question is a difficult one to answer because we're not really comparing apples with apples as the intelligence of wild cats has evolved in the wild to deal with the challenges that they face in that specific environment whereas cat domestication over the past 10,000 years has resulted in the domestic cat evolving their own intelligence to deal with living within the human environment. There are difficulties in making a comparison. 

However, have always thought that the wild cats should be smarter than domestic cat because they are challenged every hour of every day of their lives. They must meet these challenges and surmount them to survive. That requires brainpower which means the brain is more exercised and elastic.

They are liable to be smarter than the pampered domestic cat living in a comfortable home where practically everything is done for them. This can detune the brain, make it more passive and less exercised. You know what they say about human dementia. If you exercise the brain when you are elderly you can stave off dementia because the brain needs exercising just like the muscles.

To summarise, it is difficult to compare wild cat intelligence with domestic cat intelligence because they live in two different environments and have different challenges and have evolved in different ways. However, a study recently published asked whether domestic animals in general are more stupid than their wild relatives.

Study

What they did was to look at many previous studies related to this topic. They analysed them and came up with a conclusion. In all, they reviewed 88 studies comparing the intelligence of domesticated and wild animals.

The conclusion was that in 30% of the studies they found that wild animals were indeed smarter than domestic animals. But countering that finding they found that in another 30% of the studies the scientists had concluded that domestic animals were smarter than wild animals. Of the remaining 40% the scientists found that both domestic and wild animals had a similar cognitive performance i.e. intelligence.

This study which is the first of its kind, came up with an inconclusive answer. Neither the domestic cat nor the wild cat is smarter than the other. The obvious conclusion of that is that they have a similar level of intelligence.

I still tend to disagree with it and this study concerned animals in general whereas I am focusing on domestic and wild cats. There may be a difference here because domestic cats are particularly pampered in good homes whereas not all domestic animals are such as livestock.

Therefore, it is probably slightly inaccurate to use this study to conclusively state that domestic cats are of a similar intelligence to their wild cat counterpart.

I'm going to stick with my original thoughts that domestic cats have been dumbed down slightly, in general, over about 10,000 years of domestication.

Living with exotic cats - F1 hybrids and wild cats

Interestingly, when people adopt by which I mean purchase a wild cat hybrid or they purchase a wild cat as a pet, such as a serval or caracal, they say that it is like living with a domestic cat on crack or on steroids. It seems to them that the cat is too hyper, too energetic, to wild and indeed to intelligent.

This is anecdotal evidence but the high filial hybrids such as the F1 Savannah and F1 Bengal cat also behave somewhat like the wild cats as exotic pets. They are very challenging to live with by comparison to the more placid and laid-back regular domestic cat.

And I think this is a reflection of the animals' intelligence. If they are hyperactive and demanding, it means that their brain is working harder. They demand more stimulation. They demand more challenges. This is a brain which seeks challenges and therefore on that basis I conclude the brain is smarter than that of a domestic cat.

The study title: "Are domesticated animals dumber than their wild relatives? A comprehensive review on the domestication effects on animal cognitive performance."

Purebreds

I also have a theory that with the sometimes-heavy inbreeding of purebred cats can affect their intelligence. I'm sure this is a plausible suggestion which can probably be supported with scientific evidence. Inbreeding not only compromises the immune system and the general anatomy and physiology of a domestic cat but can also dumb down the cat I believe. So, it might be arguable to state that some purebred cats are definitely dumber than wild cats. I think that would be quite a firm conclusion.

Domestic cats understand the phonetics of their name

In a study it was conclusively found that domestic cats can tell the difference between the phonetics of their name when spoken by people from the phonetics of general sounds and the phonetics of the name of other cats.

We conclude that cats can discriminate the content of human utterances based on phonemic differences.

They also found that domestic cats living in a cat cafe could do something similar but not quite as good as they could not distinguish the sound of their name from the sound of the name of cohabiting cats at the cafe.

My guess is that domestic cats living in a home have a close connection with their owner and their name is said regularly. They are trained to understand the sound of their name. In contrast cats at cafes don't have this advantage. Different people - one-off visitors - say their name in different ways and perhaps they get their name wrong. The 'training' is less intense and clear cut. It is more confusing.

When people say that cats understand their name, it's true to a large extent. However, they don't understand their name as humans understand their own names. Cats understand the sound of their name. It is only the sound, the phonetics which they detect and respond to.

Study: Domestic cats (Felis catus) discriminate their names from other words. Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40616-4

Cats don't want to gender transition

This is a discussion. The title sounds mad. It might be. But I don't think it is. The point of the title is that there are no signs in behavior to tell us that some domestic cats think they are in the wrong body and want to transition from male to female or female to male. Gender transitioning is big human news. But it is exclusively about humans. It is a human condition. The desire to gender transition can only come from a higher non-instinctive intelligence. 

Cats don't want to gender transition. Image: MikeB

Animals behave instinctively. Instinctive behavior does not provide an avenue in which thoughts about gender transitioning emerge.

Thoughts about gender transitioning requires the intelligence and social pressures that only humans enjoy or submit themselves to.

Instinct is natural. It is a part of nature's way. But we should all respect people's thoughts and desires. If a woman wants to be a man and human society can help, we should help. 

But human society should make damned sure beforehand that the woman genuinely wants to transition because the transitioning process is irreversible in truth and young people pass through phases when their thoughts change frequently.

They are in the process of finding their character and ideas. They can be influenced by others and society's pressures.

I'm not against gender transitioning. I'm just for doing it with extreme care. That means doing it when the person is more mature and emotionally settled. What age might that be? Not sure. Thirty maybe. Yes, much older than is currently the case. And there must be neutral, unbiased advice available.

Bethany

Bethany feels that she was rushed into taking testosterone and having a double mastectomy. She is now in the process of 'detransitioning'. She said:

I do regret the loss of time. I am 26 and think 'what have I done?' I wish someone had advised me to properly explore my feelings when I was 19. I was offered no psychotherapy. It is only now, at the age of 26, that I feel I am a mature adult, and it is no coincidence that it is now I am realising that transitioning is no solution.

She now knows that she is gay and not meant to be a man.

She is one example of a number of individuals who are detransitioning. Not good. Too rushed. Too many societal pressures and 'experts' with their own agenda to push onto others.

Human minds can be fragile and fraught; more so in the 21st century with tons of stuff on the internet.

Humans are more intelligent than cats. They are more vulnerable to misleading thoughts that are not instinctive. Cats rely on nature's instinct. It is rock solid.

Einstein domestic cat BOTH removes door jammer AND uses door handle to get out

He or she is the Einstein of domestic cats and they are very attractive to boot. This is a standard domestic cat but I see Turkish Van markings. The appearance is what I'd call Mediterranean. Lots of white, a ginger tabby tail and blotchy, large inverted 'Vs' over the head. 

Smart domestic cat opens door by removing door jammer and turning handle. Screenshot.

We know that some domestic cats open doors by using their body weight to pull down on the door handle. But this guy realises that the door has been jammed shut as well. So he climbs up to the height of the door jammer and knocks it out and then uses his normal technique to turn the door handle.

Totally awesome and taking the domestic cat trick of opening a door to new heights ✔️💓.

If the video stops working I am sorry but I don't control its presence as it is served by the Reddit.com website.

The cat's caregiver states: "The cat has a very clear logic. I'm shocked".

Yes, I'm shocked too. You can see him thinking about how he is going to remove the door jammer. And he thinks pretty fast. Sometimes cats can be a bit slow on rational thought and super quick on executing instinctive actions but not this guy or girl.

Perhaps the video will help some people to better understand the sentience of domestic cats and as a consequence respect them more.

A university study asked staff whether domestic animals had the capacity to think and had minds. These are the findings. They ranked dogs over cats on intelligence 😒😢.

Faculty, staff, and graduate students in a number of departments, students in an undergraduate course, and some groups outside the university were polled to obtain their perceptions about whether domestic animals have minds, the ability to think, and differing degrees of intelligence (the surveys focused only on horses, cows, sheep, dogs, chickens, pigs, cats, and turkeys).  

A clear majority of all groups surveyed (except the Department of Zoology) said yes, they believe animals have minds, but a substantial number of those in animal sciences and zoology (17 to 25%) said no. A number of others in animal sciences, zoology, and philosophy (11 to 37%) refused to answer the question because the concept of mind was not defined. From 80 to 100% of respondents in other groups said yes to the question of minds. From 67 to 100% of all participants said yes, they perceive that animals have the ability to think, but a substantial number of animal scientists, zoologists, veterinarians, and English faculty said no, animals don't think (6 to 33%). 

On the question Do domestic animals differ in relative intelligence?, the responses varied from 88% in animal sciences to 100%. Surprisingly, when asked to rank different animal species by intelligence, there was a remarkable degree of similarity across all groups regardless of background; the overall ranking from highest intelligence to lowest was dog, cat, pig, horse, cow, sheep, chicken, and turkey. Most of the respondents believed that the possession of minds, thought, and intelligence were relevant factors in how animals should be treated and the prevalent concept was that we should not be cruel to animals, but should treat them humanely.

Study citation: S. L. Davis, P. R. Cheeke, Do domestic animals have minds and the ability to think? A provisional sample of opinions on the question, Journal of Animal Science, Volume 76, Issue 8, August 1998, Pages 2072–2079, https://doi.org/10.2527/1998.7682072x

Can cats pick up on human emotions and respond to them?

Despite there not being much science in the way of studies on this topic, I believe that you will find that anecdotally, from observant cat caretakers, that cats do indeed pick up on human emotions and they do respond to them. 

Can cats pick up human emotions and react to them? Cats can certainly understand emotional warmth through human body language, behavior and vocalisations. Photo: Pixabay.

But I would argue, I think fairly, that this only occurs when there is some physical sign such as a change in human behaviour, a change in body language or through vocalisations, e.g. raising one's voice or a soft voice. I don't believe that we can credit cats with being mind-readers. Although some people will disagree with me.

Certainly, domestic cat will pick up on these changes particularly if the relationship between human and cat is close because their interactions will be a kind of 'dance' in which their paths cross in the same way every day. If this dance, as I have called it, is interrupted as the human is emotionally distressed in some way and has become passive then unquestionably a domestic cat will pick up on this. They might be confused by the change or they might even be able to detect the emotion of the person.

Cats can certainly pick up aggression in people and they can pick up passivity and gentleness, behaviours due to emotions, which are at the other end of the spectrum. Dr. Bradshaw, who wrote the book Cat Sense, believes that domestic cats are very sensitive to human body language. 

Body language is certainly linked to emotions, very directly in point of fact. And the type body language can be quite subtle. But it goes further than that because, as mentioned, emotions drive behaviour patterns as well and they will alter routines which will also be picked up by domestic cats who have a close relationship with the affected person.

The conclusion has to be that domestic cats pick up on human emotions when those emotions are expressed in various ways as mentioned. It is an obligation of cat caretakers to present gentleness and emotional warmth towards their cat companion with the aim of reassuring them at all times.

It does not take a lot for a domestic cat to become anxious in the human world which despite 10,000 years of domestication is somewhat unnatural partly because people are so much larger than domestic cats which is a barrier to successful integration.

My cat instinctively lay down on a book to keep cool

It was quite warm today. It was interesting to see that my cat Gabs lay down on a small book that was on my bed. He could have avoided it. It looks a bit uncomfortable. But he chose deliberately to lie on top of it. The only reason why he did would be because he decided that the book was cooler than the sheet. He just wanted to cool off and he obviously recognises that a hard surface is likely to be cooler than a soft one. It's a very small aspect of feline behaviour and slightly trivial in terms of feline knowledge but I think it is worth mentioning which is why I captured the image. I suppose that if it teaches us one thing it is that cats are probably smarter and more switched on than we give them credit for.

My cat chose to sleep on this small book because he decided that it was cooler than the surrounding sheet. Photo: MikeB.

In addition to finding a cool object to lie on in warmer weather, cats might lie on a book for the purposes of scent exchange. The book has your scent all over it because you have handled it. They want to merge their scent with yours so they lie on it and all over it. Sometimes a cat might rub his cheeks against the book for the same reason. Scent exchange makes a cat feel reassured. It is almost like merging two bodies into one. It is a very cute and loving form of feline behaviour. It is a bonding process. If body scent is merged it becomes one and the sense of smell is vitally important to domestic cats. It's like a signature to them. It is as strong in identifying a person as a visual image.

Are cats more intelligent than dogs?

I would like to take a different angle on the question in the title. I think it's a silly debate. I think it's pointless to ask this sort of question for various reasons. Firstly it is very difficult to measure intelligence of humans because there are various types of intelligence and therefore it is next to impossible to reliably measure the intelligence of companion animals. The test that have been devised generally, as I recall, favoured dogs as being slightly more intelligent than cats but as mentioned there are different types of intelligence and how good are these tests? How reliable are these tests? I suspect they're not very reliable.

I don't think we need to know whether a cat or a dog is more intelligent than the other. We know they are of similar intelligence; let's just say that and focus on more important things which are to do with us not cats and dogs. We should ask questions as to how we can improve animal welfare. We should ask questions as to how we can improve the attitude of a minority of cat owners who are irresponsible. These are far more important question. They are questions which are not being asked sufficiently often.

I don't really wish to say much more than that.....perhaps one or two things...Dogs have bigger brains than cats but that doesn't mean that they're more intelligent. You see what I mean? It's all a little bit silly. I don't think I've read any study about cat and dog intelligence which really stacks up and is rigorously scientific. They are more about entertaining humans than pure science.

In any event it doesn't make any difference how intelligent a cat or dog is really. The most important thing is how good a companion they are and how good we are at bringing the best out of dog and cat companions.

What are the top ten smartest cat breeds?

Casper - he's smart! Very smart.

The smartest cat breed is the Sphynx. So it is said. The full list might be as follows in descending order of smartness:

1. Sphynx
2. Savannah
3. Siamese
4. Oriental Shorthair
5. Balinese
6. Bengal
7. Havana Brown
8. Javanese
9. Egyptian Mau
10. Russian Blue

The list above might be a top ten smartest cat breeds. They are all skinny cats but the Sphynx has a big belly. The list is taken from a page on cat intelligence that was compiled from a cat breed intelligence test. However, you can't really take cat breed intelligence tests that seriously, but they shouldn't be ignored either.

Casper behaving like a monkey!

I have met a Sphynx! At the National Cat Club show in Olympia in London. I was mightily impressed. The cat, named Casper, was very active and he showed clear signs of superior intelligence.

A caveat: we don't debate which nation of people are the smartest. We ask, "which individual, man or women, is smart?" The same applies to cats. Some cats from the Persian cat breed (a breed said to be dumb) might be smart. And some cats from the Sphynx breed might not be smart. It's about individuals.

Please go to this page to begin looking at these smart cats!

Choosing a Pet Cat

Matching a pet with the owner's personality can be quite important in minimizing the risk of abandonment.  Incidentally, I don't like the terms, "pet" and "owner". I prefer "animal companion" and "cat caretaker" or "cat guardian" (if the animal is a cat).

There are too many cats and dogs being abandoned.  Doris Day once said that there were 12 million cats and dogs put to sleep each year in the USA. Whatever the number is, it is high, very high and a shock. I am sure there are similar percentages of domestic animals euthanized in Europe. It is just not spoken about so much.

People need to reflect more on their reasons for adopting a companion animal before proceeding. The reasons should be legitimate meaning not frivolous. You don't get a pet to match the decor of the house or as a Christmas present for the children.

People should also swot up on companion animal care and the costs. There should almost be an obligatory cooling off period between saying, "let's get a pet!" and actually getting it. That simple act would save millions of cats and dogs I suspect.

Choosing a pet cat begs the question whether you would like a purebred cat or a moggie. Purebreds are relatively rare. Moggies are relatively abundant. If you want to help get a moggie. And get a black one as they live longer.

Some individual cats are more passive and more able to cope with being alone. Some are more able to deal with full-time indoor living and living in small spaces. You will find that some breeders say that the Persian must be a full-time indoor cat. The fur is too long to go out in the mud! The Russian Blue is a delicate, reserved cat that likes the security of a home. The Sphynx is without clothes so needs to be in the warm and out of the sun to avoid the risk of skin problems. This is also a smart cat so will interact well if you like that.

The Ragdoll is laid back. More active cats are the wild cat hybrids, Bengal and Savannah. You'll need to be around for these cats and provide input. Actually all cats require input. It is a fallacy to think that cats are independent. They are self-contained but dependent on us for just about everything.

If you don't like noisy cats don't acquire a Siamese or associated cat breed e.g. Oriental SH. They are known for their vocal skills. The British Shorthair has an almost silent voice.

I think, though that you will find some individual cats of any breed or no-breed more cautious and reserved than others. If you want a cat that is fairly static and happy to curl up,  a more cautious cat will oblige. The more confident male cat is more likely to be unhappy with a lack of space and input from us. He is more likely to want to go out and get into trouble.

Associated page: Choosing a cat breed.

Cat Agility

Cat agility is legendary. Of all the domestic cats the standout breed (purebred cat) for agility is the Bengal cat. There are many others and most of the best will be the wild cat hybrids. But that said I can think of a Sphynx cat, behaving like a monkey at a major cat show in London. Sphynx cats are very intelligent and like to behave like monkeys!. They have monkey like toes as well.

Back to the Bengal. A fantastically quick runner (max speed 30 mph in short bursts) and athletic climber. Here is an example:



But the good old moggie (mixed breed or more accurately not a purebred cat) can be pretty darn agile to. And cats can be trained to go around an agility course just like a dog. There is the case of a white cat called Fly, an Australian rescue cat, who has been trained go around a cat agility couse, albeit slowly. But they aren't all slow. I am sure that a lot of cat keepers who train their cats to complete a cat agility course are keepers of Bengal cats. And here is one in action:

Cat Intelligence - a discussion

Cat intelligence has interested people for a considerable time as has the intelligence of dogs. Who is the smarter and are they smarter than a chicken?

Sphynx cat considered smart. Image: copyright Helmi Flick

Recently humankind has gradually become aware of the intelligence of other animals on the planet. Some cats are more intelligent than others it seems, but this is anecdotal evidence. Often cat breeders writing about the cat they breed will understandably promote their chosen cat breed by describing it as more intelligent than others.

RELATED: An interesting infographic which looks at cat intelligence from a different viewpoint. Click the link to read it please.

An interesting article in a newspaper, the Penny Illustrated (UK) dated 1st June 1912 asks the question, "Does your cat or your dog think? If so, do they think in the same way as you do?"

The article refers to published research work at the time by Professor Thorndike of Columbia University, called "Animal Intelligence". The professor approached the question from the standpoint of experimental psychology (experimental testing of actual cats and dogs etc.).

Cats, dogs and chickens were placed in cages and they had to get out without assistance by means of certain devices that they had to manipulate having learned to do so by trial and error. The motivation was food outside the cage.

The professor found that the cats became agitated and calmed down after 10 mins. They worked out how to get out and when out they ran! "By dint of biting and scratching they end by discovering the method of opening the door and release themselves". They were more interested in getting out than eating the food (makes sense to as it's more important to get out and away than remain near people who want to cage you up).

Dogs apparently behaved better. They were calmer and more "attentive to their nourishment". Dogs showed less desire to escape. They succeeded in quickly learning the opening mechanism. They "showed no desire to run away as the cats do" once they had got out and got the food.

As for the chickens they "showed great agitation" when shut up in a cage. "They succeeded much less often than cats and dogs" to escape.

The professor concludes:

"According to these results the dogs appeared most intelligent, the cats near to them, and the chickens far behind"

Are cats really less intelligent than dogs? It would seem that if it is a straight contest as to which can solve problems or learn relatively complex tasks then the dog wins. Dogs are certainly more trainable and yet some cats are dog-like and trainable to (but to a lesser extent). These are usually the wildcat hybrids such as the Bengal and Chausie. But there are different types of intelligence. In any event cats are individuals (less socially aware) while dogs are pack animals and will look up to and learn from the alpha animal (the human normally). That is probably why they are trainable (or at least in part).

Amongst cats some are probably a bit smarter than others. My research indicates that the wildcat hybrids tend to be smarter probably because the brain has been trained to be sharper to survive in the wild.

A ranking has been carried out by Animal Planet which although rather unscientific it seems does give some indications, which I would think cat fanciers would agree with. At the less intelligent end are cats like the Himalayan, Exotic Shorthair (Persian/American Shorthair cross) and Persian. These three are all Persian based cats. These cats are docile and passive. Perhaps they are uninquisitive, which will limit learning by experience. Cat intelligence is hard to measure.

At the smarter end there is the Sphynx. I can agree this. They do behave in more inquisitive, active and interested manner indicating intelligence. Other smart cats are the other skinny cats such as the Oriental Shorthair, Balinese, Javanese, Turkish Angora. The Bengal also falls into this group too.

The full list of the smart cats:

Balinese
* Bengal
* Colorpoint Shorthair
* Havana Brown
* Javanese
* Oriental Shorthair
* Siamese
* Sphynx (top cat)

In the middle ground (average cat intelligence) we have:

* American Shorthair
* Birman
* Bombay
* Abyssinian
* American Curl
* American Wirehair
* British Shorthair
* Cornish Rex
* Cymric
* Maine Coon
* Manx
* Ragdoll
* Scottish Fold
* Snowshoe
* Somali

Just below the Sphynx level (the top rank cat intelligence) we have these cat breeds:

* Burmese
* Chartreux
* Devon Rex
* Egyptian Mau
* Japanese Bobtail
* Korat
* Norwegian Forest Cat
* Ocicat
* Russian Blue
* Siberian
* Singapura
* Tonkinese
* Turkish Angora
* Turkish Van

This list must be taken with a pinch of salt however. As to random bred cats, by far the most common cats, these cats probably vary in intelligence just as humans do. This variation must apply to the individual cats that are purebred too.

I am sure that there are random bred cats that are as intelligent, if not more intelligent, than Sphynx cats. We should be open to variations in character and intelligence amongst individual cats.

Cat Intelligence to Sphynx Cat