Test your cat's IQ

Just how smart is your cat? One informal way to test your cat's intelligence is to evaluate his ability to discern object permanence. Originally designed to study cognitive development in children, this test can be applied to cats.

Show your cat an object in plain view, such as a toy mouse. Then hide the mouse by placing a file folder or other solid object in front of it. To be ranked with an 18-month-old child, your cat should know to look behind the object for the mouse, rather than thinking it has disappeared entirely once out of sight.

Super-smart cats, capable of thinking like a two-year-old child, will also be able to follow the trajectory of an object that moves out of view. In other words, these cats should be able to predict where a live mouse that scoots out of sight under a sofa will reappear and use that knowledge to pounce as the mouse reappears.

*This information was gathered from "The Cat Behaviour Answer Book" by Arden Moore.
 

Billy