# Genius cats and, er, "regular" cats?



## katdad (Jun 13, 2013)

We love our cats regardless, but we also know that some of our pals are genius cats and some are, well, not so genius.

My old beloved shorthair white goddess Vanilla (RB) was sharp as you can imagine. She knew several words such as "get your mousie" or "get your squeaky" and she'd run and find the right toy and bring it and play with it.

Vanilla would also summon me for my duties. I'd be sitting watching TV or reading or working on the computer, and she'd come over, stand up on her hind legs, and gently tap me on the leg. Then she'd meow, and start walking away, looking back over her shoulder to verify I was coming. If I didn't obey, she'd repeat the tapping and meows, more forceful, and then out came the claws!

When I followed her, she'd lead me to her empty food dish, low water bowl, or dirty catbox. Then she'd sit and supervise me to ensure I performed suitably. She'd meow loudly if the job wasn't done correctly.

By contrast, my current love-buddy "RJ" is about average. He knows his name and comes when he's called, knows "NO!" about jumping up where he shouldn't, but that's about it. He's of course a loving buddy of 18 and a wonderful companion, but he's never been able to learn much more than to come when called and to behave. Other than that, forget it.

And our new adoptee buddy Bobby is also about average in his smarts, knows his name and "no!" but not much more.

Naturally this has no effect on the love we have for our cats, or the love they have for us.

But --- what are your stories about smart cats vs. mmm... not so smart?

So...


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## jking (Feb 22, 2014)

Misty was very intelligent. She was intuitive too. She hated going anywhere in the pet carrier. We kept the carrier in the garage. 
If one of us said "pet carrier" she would bolt up the stairs and stay under the bed until she was sure it was safe to come out. 
She always knew when we were getting ready to take her to the vet. I would just look at the garage door and she would bolt upstairs. 
Tiger was a smart cookie too. He would want to wake me up to feed him so he would gently bite my ear, then jump back and look all 
innocent when I opened my eyes. He would also stand on his hind legs (so cute) and tap my arm or my husband's arm if we were eating 
something he wanted a bite of. He was such a people cat and more like a dog than a cat in many ways. He would sit for treats and wait 
until I put them down in front of him.


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## Speechie (Dec 2, 2013)

Lol! I believe Pazu is somewhat bright, comes when he's called, seems to have problem solving skills, but is socially stunted and doesn't seem to know he can meow. 

Our old beloved Ponty cat, well, bless him, he was as dumb as a stump. But a lovely boy! 

Skye cat seems smart. Bats at the lamps in the morning to try to get us to turn them on. Plays with my glasses when he wants me to wake up-he knows if I put them on, I get out of bed. He'll show me empty food dishes, and meows for water at the sink...


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Speaking of cat carriers, if I brought one in from the garage most of the cats would yawn and ignore it. Poor Zipper would get all wide eyed and have a terribly scared look on her face as she looked from me to it and back to me. It was almost as if I could read her mind: "you're not going to put ME in that thing, are you??". I miss that old girl. She had the most wonderfully expressive face. You could read her emotions like a book and when she had the look of love on her face there was no denying it. Her eyes got "soft" and dewy is the only way I could explain it.


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## jking (Feb 22, 2014)

Marcia,
Misty had an expressive face like that too.
You could always read her emotions.

Tiger was emotional and he would get
that soft, dewy eyed look. Sometimes he
would look at us and it was as if he was saying
thank you for taking care of me.

I miss them.


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

My Winston is too smart for his own good. He knows how to open certain doors in the house, where the treats and catnip are hidden, knows his name and comes running when called, will growl like a dog at people that look suspicious to him, not shy around strangers, etc.
Nyska is average I would say. She knows her name and comes when called but otherwise she is like any other cat.
Cabbit is not so smart. He knows his name and comes when called but that is it, he rather sleep all day than do anything else. There is just something about him that does not scream "smart" to me. However, he is an excellent hunter. So maybe among cats he may be the smartest!


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I've got tons of examples of how smart Jitzu is, it's truly ridiculous sometimes.

My favorite right now happens at dinner time. I feed her on top of a reptile tank, so it's at about 4 feet. She has to jump to the counter, then step onto the top of the tank. Miss Jitzu is maybe a little chunkier than she should be...due to no fault of mine of course *cough*...so that's part of why I make her jump up for her dinner. 

Every night I put her dinner there and say "Ok Kitten (my favorite nickname for her), there's your dinner." And EVERY night she looks at me, and then lifts her paw as if it's hurt.

So I reply "Your paw is NOT hurt. It's fine." She switches paws. The other one must hurt more.

"No, that one is fine to. You can jump up, you do it all the time." She gives me a very disgruntled look, then jumps up.

EVERY day. The only time I lift her up is if she's been feeling crappy all day.

As for the other cats, Doran is very quick to catch on and be interested in new tricks. Torri would much rather manipulate us than do anything for herself (and she's pretty good at it...we're back to letting her into her room so she can use her own private litter box rather than pee in the one the boys use *eye roll*). 

And then there's Muffin. Muffin is very sweet, and loving...not so clever though. He did teach himself how to open cupboards (we had a mouse, he WANTED it)...but three days of the cupboard tied shut and he forgot how to do it. lol. We caught the mouse in a live trap and set him free in 'the wild' (aka the little strip of forest a little walk from our house).


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

That's Book... bless his little heart. I love him so and he provides endless hours of comic relief but I can't understand how he acts so dumb sometimes and so smart others.

He can sit, lay down, fetch, and do all sorts of things on command.... but that boy can't find his way out of a paper bag (literally, he's been stuck in them before and had to meow for help).

MowMow has this stare that's just for Book's dumb antics. This 'Wow, really?' look that cracks me up every time. I keep explaining to MowMow that as the older and more intellectually blessed cat it's HIS job to bring his little brother up to scratch but... I'm not holding out any hope.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

One of my other favorite Jitzu things is one that just isn't believable (and I'm fully aware of how ridiculous it is). Every time...EVERY time we talk about guinea pigs she looks at Muffin.

EVERY. Single. Time. Like, even the very first day when I was talking to my SO about bringing them home:

Me: "I'm going to get our first guinea pig today."

SO, looking at Jitzu: "Do YOU think we need more pets? Guinea pigs?"

Jitzu: *looks at Muffin*

SO: "Not Muffin, guinea pigs. Big rodents...like meals on wheels of the animal kingdom. Guinea pigs."

Jitzu: *looks back at Muffin*

*me and my SO cracking up*

SO: "Jitzu *she looks at him*, do we need a guinea pig?"

Jitzu: *looks at SO like he's the dumbest thing she's ever seen, slow blinks, then looks at Muffin.*

During this whole thing Muffin was sleeping, so it's not like he moved and caught her attention...he was completely oblivious. And she still does it, everytime I say "I'm feeding the guinea pigs!" She looks at Muffin then at the floor in front of him, like she expects me to put the piggies salad right in front of Muffin. lol!

When the boys were kittens she also used to open the cupboards,then walk away. The boys couldn't open cupboards, and she didn't want anything in there...she opened the cupboards so they could make a mess. I saw her do it once from around the corner. Little jerk, lol.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

librarychick said:


> When the boys were kittens she also used to open the cupboards,then walk away. The boys couldn't open cupboards, and she didn't want anything in there...she opened the cupboards so they could make a mess. I saw her do it once from around the corner. Little jerk, lol.


Not cat related buy my old dog, Mini, was so horrible to puppies. When we'd breed a ltter my dad always insisted they not leave until they were housebroken (or at least well on their way to it). 

I grew up on a 350 acre farm with the house smack dab in the middle so we never had fenced yards. The dogs just went outside when they asked and came in when they asked.

Mom would let the dogs out in the morning and Mini would lead all the puppies up the driveway to the road. They'd start sniffing around and get distracted, then she'd skedaddle back to the house...alone... no puppies. (They weren't ever HER puppies, she was just always in the house so she trained MANY a puppy). Our neighbors were constantly calling to tell us there were puppies up on the road. My dad used to get SO ticked with her.


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## BrittyBear (Feb 4, 2014)

Mystery is too smart for his own good sometimes... he knows how to open pretty much any door. Its a good thing we have a deadbolt and chain on our front door. I went outside once with the kids and forgot to ask him if he wanted to come along... so i'm sitting out there and the front door cracks open and out waltz Mystery. Down the steps and stands in front of me and gives me that 'how dare you' look of his. Nobody else was in the house... and the other two cats cant open doors. They sure were fast to follow him out though. If i so much as mention the word "treats" he comes running- from a different room entirely might i add- and goes to sit right by the cabinet where i hide them at. If i'm too slow to give him his treat he hops up onto the counter and opens the top cabinet to remind me where they are located in case i forgot.

He seems to always know where i'm at. At all times. He can be asleep and i'll be on the other side of the house in a closet looking through stuff and i will hear one of the kids yell 'Here comes your stalker!!!' And he walks right into whatever room i happen to be in, straight to me. Doesnt have to look for me at all. Its horrible trying to play hide and seek with him xD

He always knows when i'm about to go outside, even when i give no clues away. He seems to have learned that 'outside', 'to the car', 'check the mail', 'take a walk', and 'catch some fresh air' all mean i'm going outside and he will wait at the door for me so i dont forget to take him along. 

Shadow is pretty smart in the sneaky way. That cat is absolutely amazing at going undetected xD he is great at hiding where he cant be seen and then sneaking past you to get somewhere else. He has scared me so many times. Especially with the cabinets. He will enter cabinets and exit from the drawers when nobody is looking, so we dont know he left. 

Ashes... he barely even responds to his name... i question his intelligence. He is always doing things repeatedly even though they have the same unwanted outcome. The only thing he is really good at is hunting... which i really wish he wasnt any good at that -.- idt i can handle burying another bird  

Mowmow, those poor pups! Mini must have been a one dog home type of doggy xD I've heard of this happening before! Its crazy. 

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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

MowMow said:


> Not cat related buy my old dog, Mini, was so horrible to puppies. When we'd breed a ltter my dad always insisted they not leave until they were housebroken (or at least well on their way to it).
> 
> I grew up on a 350 acre farm with the house smack dab in the middle so we never had fenced yards. The dogs just went outside when they asked and came in when they asked.
> 
> Mom would let the dogs out in the morning and Mini would lead all the puppies up the driveway to the road. They'd start sniffing around and get distracted, then she'd skedaddle back to the house...alone... no puppies. (They weren't ever HER puppies, she was just always in the house so she trained MANY a puppy). Our neighbors were constantly calling to tell us there were puppies up on the road. My dad used to get SO ticked with her.


OMG! That's hilarious! I could totally see Jitzu doing that if I was silly enough to leave her in charge of kittens, lol. xD


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## bibiak87 (Aug 3, 2013)

All 3 cats let me know when they want something and they are all pretty smart but Coca is a genius! 

If her little paw isn't enough to wake me up, she wakes up one of our dogs (always the same one) and bugs her until SHE wakes us up! :roll:

We had to buy all new round doorknobs because she figured out how to open the other ones but she has realized now how to open those too! She jumps up and wraps her paws around it and TWISTS before she let's go! Too bad they are too slippery! 

She can open all cabinet doors and she demands to be "medicated" with treats at the same time we feed our dog her medication. And it HAS to be from a pill box and done at the same time as the dogs!:mrgreen:


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I wouldn't say this is brilliant or that he does it so I won't be late for work....... but when the alarm goes off, MowMow goes into wake up mode. He starts his nose poking and paw tapping when he hears the alarm.

It's always (well, almost) appreciated. It keeps me from sleeping through the alarm.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

LOL! I loved reading all of these stories. I get very jealous when I read about smart kitties. All of mine were/are super sweet, but on the IQ scale, mmmm, probably not all that high.

My first cat, Olivia, was the sweetest thing and just dumb as a rock. I would turn a cardboard box on its side, with the opening facing her, and stand behind the box and scratch the back of the box with a wand toy. Every single time, she dove inside the box. Every. single. time. We'd repeat this 10 times in one session, and have these sessions a couple of times a day. It never once occurred to her to walk around the outside of the box. 

I've tried this with other cats. Most cats will look outside and/or walk around the box the 3rd or 4th time. 

Margaux is either stupid or supremely patient when it comes to doors. She never meows, never lets me know she wants in or out. She just sits in front of the door and stares at it until it opens - or until she gives up. 

Celia is very smart when it comes to self-protection and has perfected the magic disappearing cat act. For about 2-3 weeks after any vet visit, she suddenly vanishes off the back of the couch when I get ready to leave. She also vanishes any time I leave but don't say goodbye or lock the door behind me, because this means I'm coming back to put someone in the carrier, and any time I start closing all the room doors upstairs, because this invariably means that someone is getting shoved into the carrier.

She has different strategies to let me know she's hungry: 

If I'm awake and in the vicinity of the kitchen, she looks at me and licks her lips. 

If I'm awake and not in the vicinity of the kitchen, she walks on me if I'm sitting, or stares at me until I make eye contact, then leads me to the kitchen and licks her lips. 

If I'm sleeping, she walks on me and sniffs my whole face, as if to make sure I'm still breathing, since the only reasonable explanation for the fact that I am home, but she is out of food, is that I am dead.


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

LOL *sprite*, it IS the ONLY reasonable explanation to a cat! I mean, c'mon! anything else would mean that you weren't considering your princess every waking second of your life! :yikes .. and the horrors of that are devastating LOL


I can't say if my girls are Einstein reincarnate or Captain of the short bus. Truth is they all show hints of both, but most of the time they are just my girls. 
They love their little daily routine, the whole little ritual at feeding time, night time cuddles and of course, cheese LOL
To say they are _just_ kitties is kind of demeaning. They are wonderful, amazing and the best behaved kitties in the world, and they are mine! LOL .. but are they consistently or outstandingly "sharp" or "dull"? No, and I wouldn't have them any other way :heart


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

cat face said:


> I can't say if my girls are Einstein reincarnate or Captain of the short bus.


LOL! I've never heard that expression before! I've heard not the sharpest knife in the drawer, not the sharpest tool in the shed, not the brightest bulb in the box...

I agree - my girls wouldn't be my girls if they were different in any way. One of the things I find most endearing about Margaux is the fact that she'll sit quietly and stare at the door just waiting for it to open. 

And intelligence is, of course, relative, as is the value people place on it. Cats, just like people, are smart about what's important to them. My stray Casper went around the box to the wand toy quickly. Since he's an outdoor kitty, finding the source of an unknown noise was important to him. Margaux isn't running from predators or needing to chase her dinner, so if it takes an hour before the door magically opens, well that's ok.  Though sometimes, I have to say, Casper sits quietly by the door and stares at it too. But he usually starts to yowl after a few minutes.


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## Kneazles (Nov 18, 2013)

Sometimes I am not sure if it is a lack of knowledge or a lack of caring. Zeus will get off of counters or stop doing what he shouldn't be doing when he hears us coming into the room. Athena will continue to do whatever the bad the behavior is. So either she is not smart enough to cease when she knows we are returning or or she just doesn't care if we see her do it. 
We do have to child lock certain things around the house due to the fact that the cats open doors and cabinets. Again, is that intelligence or simply nosiness and determination?


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

Well I would think opening of doors is at least in part due to intelligence, especially when the cat wants into something. We had a cat who, when the bedroom door was open just a crack and she wanted in, would sit there and meow because she couldn't 'fit' through the crack. Her brother would simply push the door open and enter lol.

Then I had a cat who I trained to 'give me 5' in return for a treat. His brother could never get the idea, but I felt sorry for the poor little dim bulb lol and would give him a treat anyway. My friend pointed out that he was actually the smarter cat - he was getting the same treat the other cat was getting and didn't have to do a darn thing for it.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Heather72754 said:


> Well I would think opening of doors is at least in part due to intelligence, especially when the cat wants into something. We had a cat who, when the bedroom door was open just a crack and she wanted in, would sit there and meow because she couldn't 'fit' through the crack. Her brother would simply push the door open and enter lol.
> 
> Then I had a cat who I trained to 'give me 5' in return for a treat. His brother could never get the idea, but I felt sorry for the poor little dim bulb lol and would give him a treat anyway. My friend pointed out that he was actually the smarter cat - he was getting the same treat the other cat was getting and didn't have to do a darn thing for it.


LOL Heather!! So true - who knows if he's just playing the role of the dim bulb and secretly thinking about his brother "ha, sucker!" It's all a matter of perspective.  

If a door's open a crack, my cats always want to open it by pulling towards them, when all they need to do is push. And I've seen Margaux give up if the crack didn't get big enough to stick her head in when she pulled. Ok, in her defense, she is blind. She also has some weird phobia about things touching her head. I could never get her to use the cat door. She didn't like having to push it with her head. 

On the other hand, I would then come and open it for her, so who's the dim one here, me or her?


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## BrittyBear (Feb 4, 2014)

spirite said:


> She also has some weird phobia about things touching her head. I could never get her to use the cat door. She didn't like having to push it with her head.


Mystery has a phobia of closed doors :l i dont know why. If i close my bedroom door at night he'll go open it then jump back in the bed with me. I'll get up to close it again and he goes behind me and opens it. If anyone closes their bedroom doors he will go open them and then come back in the room with me. The only doors he wont do that with is the front door and laundry room door. He dont like bedroom doors shut for some odd reason i cant figure out. My sister got annoyed with him because she wanted to sleep with her door closed so Shadow would stay in the room and Mystery kept going and opening it whenever he heard it shut, then would come back into the living room by me. 

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