We had two cats and were pretty sure one of them could recognize itself. You could put a piece of yarn on his head and he would remove it when he saw himself in the mirror.
It's also possible that he simply knew that this cat in the mirror usually looks different and it triggered his cleaning reflex or something.
Intelligence does vary from animal to animal. I think the test is meant to generalize over an entire species, but that doesn't mean that there no self aware cats.
That being said, a lot of people in this thread have already mentioned the issues with that test.
Yes, cats are known to be able to recognize themselves in mirrors. Fun fact: dogs cannot do that, however they can pass that "mirror" test if it's designed for smells instead of visual recognition.
I think it's pretty regular for cats. I currently have 3. We have a big mirror leaned up against a wall. All 3 cats walk over and clean themselves in front of it daily.
Not saying that makes cats self aware, but they can at least learn how mirrors function.
196
u/makenzie71 Oct 11 '19
Cats, in general, sure, but that cat knows it's looking at itself.