Cat café study reveals feline grasp of physics [View all]

[WhiteTara]

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0615/Cat-cafe-study-reveals-feline-grasp-of-physics


A study performed largely in Japanese cat cafés showed that house cats are highly attuned to the laws of physics while hunting.
By Lucy Schouten, Staff June 15, 2016

Anyone who has seen a cat staring at them intently has probably wondered – does that cat know more than it is letting on?

The answer, according to a Japanese study published online Tuesday, is probably yes.

Researchers tested a house cat’s knowledge of physics and cause-and-effect logic, reporting the feline’s surprisingly high scientific competency in the Springer journal of Animal Cognition.

The team’s previous work with cats showed the felines listen for objects hidden inside or nearby a can, a pipe, or cluster of bushes. Researchers theorized this ability helped make house cats the effective hunters they are because they use their highly attuned hearing to predict the location of hidden prey.