From your cat cute little toe beans arrive the folds of their adorable ears – there’s a lot of intelligence packed into that compact body. But how smart are cats? While many animal cognition experts have spent time studying dogs, we don’t know much about the minds of our feline friends. Maybe it’s because cats are less interested in helping us with science experiments and more interested in napping?
The good news, however, is that with each scientific study, our understanding of cats’ cognition is improving. From learning how cats communicate with us, to whether they dream and how long their memories can last, all the information helps us find our furry friends better. a little. We’ve rounded up what we know so far about cat brains.
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Cat brain is much smaller than human brain
They may have smaller brains than ours, but just how big is a cat’s brain, exactly? “The brain of a domesticated cat is about 2 inches long and weighs 25-30 grams,” Dr. Bruce Kornreich, director of the Cornell Feline Medical Center, told Rover. This is equivalent to the size of a human’s little finger, or 0.91% of their body mass. For comparison, the human brain makes up about 2.3% of our body mass.
Domestication also seems to make their brains smaller, a phenomenon that has been observed in many species of domestic mammals. Research found that African wildcat (Felis lybica), the ancestor of the domestic cat, has a larger cranial volume.
Cats have better short-term memory than dogs
Cats can store three main types of memories: spatial (where things are), plus short- and long-term memories. Space memories help your cat remember things like where the litter box is kept, their favorite sunny spot to take a nap, or even where you hid their stuff! Short-term memory helps cats solve problems. But these short-term memories only last for about 24 hours, says Dr. Kornreich.
“Cats also have excellent long-term memories, which can last for years,” says Dr. Kornreich. These may involve particularly positive or negative experiences. As for whether cats or dogs have better memories, it’s hard to know for sure. Dogs often outperform cats when it comes to short term memorybut it doesn’t necessarily follow that this means they also have better long-term memories.
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Cats have similar brain anatomy to ours
Although the overall anatomical structure of a cat’s brain is similar to ours, the orientation is slightly different. Like humans, cats also have a cerebral cortex (which controls perception, emotions, motor function, memory, planning, etc.) a cerebellum (responsible for regulating movement and controlling balance). and the brain stem (which regulates essential functions including heart rate and temperature). While our brains are oriented from the top, cats’ brains front-to-back orientation.
“Previously, we thought that a cat’s brain could be fully mature in about six months,” said Dr. “While it is true that there may have been parts of a cat’s brain that were fully developed before, we now know that the cat brain should be considered fully mature between 12-18 months.”
Cats have about 250 million brain cells
Now that we’ve looked at the anatomy, what about brain cells? The cat’s brain consists of two basic types of cells – neurons (neurons) and glial cells. Neurons are responsible for sending messages throughout the body while glial cells protect neurons and their surroundings. Cats are around 250 million brain cells – similar to brown bear.
Meanwhile, dogs have a more dense cerebral cortex, and about 400 to 600 million brain cells. And human? We have a whopping 21 to 26 billion brain cells!
While cats may have fewer brain cells, that doesn’t mean they aren’t intelligent. “Despite having fewer brain cells, cats are more likely to be more acute than humans in terms of spatial-temporal perception, balance, and innate abilities that make them predators,” says Dr. Kornreich. hunt”. “It’s important to remember that cats’ brains are perfectly developed for their unique ecological niche – they are really delicate little hunters whose central nervous systems are finely tuned to match. with their environment.”
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Cats can recognize their own names and pet parents’ voices
Any pet parent will tell you their cat can recognize their names… Whether they choose to answer it is another matter entirely! But cats also recognize the voices of their pet parents. They do this by using vocal cues to tell the difference between human voices. You may not even notice your cat’s ability to do this, because instead of responding with clearly communicative behavior (like tail movements or voice), cats use subtle directional behavior (including head and ear movements) when they are distinguishing whether they recognize the voice of the person calling them.
Cats make dreams
Although we can’t ask our cats, science shows that they dream like us. Their sleep cycles include periods of rapid eye movement (REM) Sleep, the phase of the sleep cycle when our dreams tend to occur most often. In REM sleep you can see moving cat eyes under their eyelids, their legs twitch, or they even chirp and chat! During the day, your cat may have plenty of cat naps, but deep sleep stage where they are more likely to dream usually occurs at night, usually after your cat is active during dusk (ideal time for a short play session). with some toys).
Cats can have brain freeze
You’ve probably watched a video of cats freezing their brains when they lick or eat something cold – and if you’ve experienced it yourself, you know it’s not pleasant at all. “The scientific term for brain freeze is ‘globular neuralgia’ which refers to the dilation of blood vessels in the mouth or throat,” says Dr. Kornreich. considered painful, which is why cats can wince when they eat something cold.Dr. adjust their own speed and decide if they want to eat or not.”
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Cats lose brain function over time
Just like us, age can cause degenerative changes in a cat’s brain. Known as feline cognitive dysfunction (FCD) You may notice changes in your cat’s behavior as they get older. These may include disorientation, decreased social interactions, changes in sleeping patterns, and increased voice. Sometimes, a neurological problem can also cause a cat’s brain function to decline. If you notice a change in your cat’s behavior or any signs such as seizures or shook his headIt is important to talk to your veterinarian as soon as possible.
Diet can boost cat brain function
A cat’s diet can affect their cognitive function, and this is especially true for kittens whose brains are still developing rapidly (until they’re 18 months old, remember? ?). “Always choose a complete and balanced diet designed for growth and development,” says Dr. Kornreich.
As cats get older, make sure their diet is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, taurine, and other essential nutrients. If you want to check if your cat’s diet is right for you or are thinking of making any changes, always talk to your veterinarian first.
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Cat brains have impermanent objects and other intelligence
Object permanence involves understanding that an object still exists even when we cannot see it. Newborns learn this at about eight months of age, and research to show that Adult cats also possess this skill. If you’ve ever seen your cat chasing a toy under the couch and waiting to look at the same spot, it’s an eternal object. Dogs also have this skill, although it is not present in all mammals.
Although it is difficult to directly compare the intelligence of cats and humans, studies show that cats around as smart as a two-year-old. Maybe they’re even smarter – they just chose not to fascinate the scientists trying to test them!
Cats have some concept of time
Cats have a limited concept of time, with from research that some cats can distinguish between different time periods. These abilities can be quite detailed, with some cats being able to tell the difference between 8 seconds elapsed and 10 seconds passed. It is not known when this skill developed as studies have only been done on adult cats.
To a larger extent, cats also have a general notion of the passage of time – as evidenced by any pet parent who has left the cat home alone. a little longer than usual and miss their cat’s dinner time!
We’ve always known cats to be amazing
Any cat parent knows how smart their pets are — but there’s still a lot we don’t know about the brains of our feline friends. We may have found out What does their tail language mean?and why do they blink slowly at us, but there’s still a lot to discover about exactly what’s going on between our cats’ ears.
