Sunday, March 3, 2013

That cat prioritizes

Better than some colleagues I have had.

Do cats really prioritize?

Before blurting out "yes" or "no", think about it for a minute. Since pets don't leave you a post-it note or a voicemail clarifying their intentions, the answer has to be deduced from their behavior.

We have to take into account that some behaviors are plain old instincts and see if we find examples to the contrary. So, a mother cat moving her kittens out of the way of the neighbors pitbull before she heads for the cat food is disqualified by us. We simply do not know how much "free will" she brings to bear in this situation. What we would want is to see a cat making a choice in a simpler situation, not a life and death context.

Yesterday, we saw just that.

Tigger was preparing to use the litter box, digging hard in the wood pellets when the siblings were given their late afternoon treat of "kittie crack" in the next room.

As soon as Tigger heard the delicious clickety click of the treats hitting the wood floor, he bolted from the litter box and joined the others.

Several minutes after this, he went back to the litter box and finished his business.

Clear prioritization, attention given to the treats, which would be gone if he did not act then and now.

No, it had nothing to do with hunger. Our cats have always been free fed, with as much food and water as they want.

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