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What goes on in the cat's brain.
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I was recently hooked on neuroscience and have this urge to find out whether cats have emotion and free will. So, as I researched the Internet, I found this most valuable map of the cat's brain:
www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Cats/Brain.htm
Love it. But anyway, do cats have what we call, "emotion"? Can they be happy, and express sorrow? Do they have prefrontal cortex like their primate companions? How do I know if my cats are content, or if they are just being, hmmm, difficult?
Posted at 3:09PM, 6 April 2008 PST
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I think cats and other animals do have emotions. Some are more expressive than others, just like people. The longer you have cats in your life, the better you understand them. Sometimes you have a different one enter your life, and nothing makes sense anymore, and you have to start over at square one! Our current cat was a feral kitten, and she is very different from all the others we've had in the past. I have learned to understand her better now that she has lived with us for almost 11 years, and she shows many emotions. I have not seen sorrow, though, but that is because she is an only cat and has not experienced a loss. Maybe she shows sorrow when we leave her in the care of a cat sitter when we go on vacation! Other cats I have known did show sorrow when a companion died, and it took them a long time to "get over" the death.
I have not studied neuroscience, but I have loved and lived with many cats over the years. They definitely have emotions. =)
Sabrina
Posted 8 months ago.
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I love that cat brain map!! Our cats are just like little people....that sometimes need medication! Our youngest has the longest, most expressive tail I've ever seen: it's like a monkey's. They both have distinct personalities and I think they have emotions......
Posted 8 months ago.
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emotion and free will??
Certainly! how else do they discover how to avoid being put in a cat carrier? and know where they are going when in it? or work out exact positioning to leg you over on the stairs without causing any harm to themselves? or how to make perfectly clear that the cod cat food you dished out at tea time, is exactly what she had for lunch and just will not do!
and where do they learn the exact amount of annoyingness needed to oik you out of bed at 3 in the morning???
Posted 8 months ago.
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Hahaha yeah my cat short circuited a couple weeks ago. One minute he was upside down sleep purring in my lap. Next minute my arm was destroyed.
Posted 8 months ago.
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Yes,in fact they do,they use the same side of their brain that we usefor memories and emotion. We had two cats many year ago,they were constantlt sleeping together coming in and going out together. We had to put down the younger cat because he had been diagnosed with feline leukemia and it was before they had the vaccine. Butterscotch spent weeks looking for his brother cat and when he couldn't find him he would look up at us and cry. Prior to Camille ,we had two cats who had lived their whole lives together. Grendyl developed renal failure and was gone for a week for hydration and it was the same thing .our other cat spent days in the hallway waiting and watching for Grendyl. We finally brought him home from the vets and Hp saw him on the stairs and ran up to him and starting licking him and head-rubbing him and purring non-stop. Eight months later,when we had to put him down,he spied us coming back, no Grendyl, He was on the window-sill curled in up almost like a fetal position and did not move a muscle for a couple of hours,he knew Grendyl was gone. The last few nights ,though ,they had curled up together and Hp did not leave his side. I would definately say they feel emotion. Aizilyn
Posted 8 months ago.
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i think i my cat's brain he things ehh food,food
next thing is i need attention please cuddle me and let me sleep.
and sometimes buzz off :-) and sometimes he things he's weird.(just look at the photograp's then you know
Posted 8 months ago.
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I thinks cats are very smart when they want too...I can tell when one of my kats, Maxwell, has to go to the bathroom..(box is outside inthe enclosed porch) he just has to give this certain look and I would say you have to go pee.. and boy,, he flies down to the door...I will never win a race with him... and they will meow as thou they are saying HI or Hello,,especially when I come home from work,..My mother would say they havent been around all day and when they hear you they come running... (Katrina is my other cat..) and when Katrina has to go to the bathroom she doesnt meow she grunts... and then I would say you have to pee pee and she flies down to the door... As my mothers says , If they we only able to actual talk..... I talk to them as though they are human too.. so who is crazy now? and believe me sometimes they will answer me back...(of course with a meow..teehee)
Posted 8 months ago.
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Oh yes! Definitely agree with the brain map! Although Errol's short circuit must be especially sensitive sometimes, and he also seems to have an excessively large PURRING GLAND! And, since we feed him dry food (except the occasional treat of fresh meat- ham, turkey, chicken, fish; or the occasional half-can of tuna), he runs to the sound of the food bag. But the diagram's positively hilarious!
Posted 7 months ago.
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felix_kat said "I can tell when one of my kats, Maxwell, has to go to the bathroom ... he just has to give this certain look and I would say you have to go pee"
I can tell when Neffy wants me to clean the litter box. She has this certain look that says "If you don't clean the litter box I'll pee on the floor".
LOL
Posted 7 months ago.
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Hi all, just joined and saw this topic and I had to smile.
Whatever goes on in any cat's brain that has taken me in always comes across as far superior to anything that goes on in mine.
Posted 7 months ago.
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