The cat sits in front of the mirror. Oh, who is this, or what does the cat see in the mirror? According to ancient belief, if a mirror hangs in the bedroom and spouses are reflected in it, such a reflection seems to duplicate them, and this duplication soon leads to infidelity

There are many psychologists in the world who are trying to understand the mysteries of the human psyche and cannot. But man is such a creature that everything is not enough for him, he wants to explain everything in the world. Even why the cat looks in the mirror.

Why does a cat look in the mirror for a long time and meow, scream or yell?

Cats don't recognize themselves in the mirror. The image may frighten them because they cannot smell anything. If your cat starts yelling when looking in the mirror, it is better to hide it away. You never know what she saw there. The mystery of mirrors is not yet fully understood by people; sometimes they reflect something that cannot be seen in the real world.

Why you shouldn't show your cat a mirror

This is one of the superstitions. All prejudices can only harm those who believe in them. It is believed that the mirror is a portal to the other world, from where the souls of dead people and other entities can come to us. If a cat looks in the mirror, an evil entity may enter it and the animal will get sick or become aggressive.

If a cat breaks a mirror, what does it mean and what the danger is, what to do and what it can lead to

Another prejudice that is harmful only to those who believe in it. It is believed that if a mirror is broken in a house, the owners will not see happiness and prosperity for seven years. It doesn’t matter who broke it – a person or a cat.

Why does a cat roll on the floor?

Cats love to play and show off in front of their owners. They love to be the center of attention. They will often lie on their backs, raise their paws and roll around on the floor, showing everyone: “Look how beautiful, soft, fluffy little paw I am!”

This is how cats may ask for a treat or show a desire to play with their owner. Each animal has its own intentions, which are easy for a caring owner to understand. Maybe the cat wants its owner to caress it, stroke it, or just scratch its back.

Why does a cat roll in the dust?

The cat rolls around in the dust because his owner doesn’t like to clean the apartment. Rolling on a clean floor is, of course, more pleasant. Then the cat will have to lick the dust, sneeze and cough. And the owner will treat him for allergies by buying hypoallergenic Royal Canin.

A cat can roll on the floor if fleas bite him, then he doesn’t care where - in the dust or on the carpet, just to relieve the itching from the skin a little. Maybe the cat is just playing with his favorite toy that rolled under the dusty sofa. If the cat is not neutered and is on a spree, he will not only roll around in the dust, but will begin to mark corners and scream heart-rendingly.

Why cats don’t look in the mirror is because they don’t perceive the reflection in it as part of their world. The main senses that a furry pet relies on are touch, smell and hearing. Vision is, of course, necessary for a small home hunter, but he does not rely solely on it when tracking and catching prey. Because of this, even if a cat sees something, but does not smell the object or hear the sounds it makes, it does not notice it. It does not relate to the real world that matters to her.

Having seen a reflection in the mirror, the cat cannot become interested in it due to the lack of smell and sounds produced. Because of this, cats ignore mirrors. Kittens, who are just exploring the world around them, can react when they see a reflection. For them, the object in it may be attractive as a possible comrade or rival, or simply something new. Once they realize that the reflection they see cannot be reached, even some interest in the mirror will be lost.

Dogs, on the contrary, can understand that they themselves are reflected in the mirror, and play, barking cheerfully at their reflection. This is similar to the way small children make faces in front of the mirror. Only individual cats are capable of such behavior and the awareness that they see themselves. They are a rare exception to the rule.

Beliefs associated with mirrors and cats

The cat's unusual eyes and its particular indifference to mirrors have become the reason for many superstitions that are associated with the animal and the fact that it looks in the mirror. Since ancient times, there has been a belief that a mirror is a refuge for the souls of the dead in the house, and a cat, which can see in the dark, is a guide connecting them with the world of the living.

Because of this, it was believed that, in order to prevent the mixing of the two worlds and the dead, returning to the world of the living, not to cause harm, cats should not be looked at in the mirror. People were sure that if a cat looked at it, the souls of the dead would enter the world of the living through its eyes as soon as everyone went to bed.

The cat’s aggressive reaction to the mirror also served as a basis for superstitions. It was believed that the cat in the mirror sees not its reflection, but the world of demons, which frightens it. If the animal sat in front of the mirror for a long time, then the owners could believe that the cat was talking to the dead. This sign still exists today, and each person decides for himself whether to believe in it or not.

How to train a cat to look in the mirror

If you wish, you can teach your cat to recognize itself in the reflection. To do this you need the following:

• taking the cat in your arms, stand in front of the mirror - the animal will definitely recognize the owner in the reflection;
• without leaving the mirror, stroke the cat so that it sees that the movement of the person’s hand and the reflection coincide;
• give the cat a treat in front of the mirror so that he sees that the reflection is eating the same thing.

Cats are unusual creatures that require confirmation of the existence of an object by smell or sound. That which cannot declare its existence to them usually does not receive the interest of a domestic predator. This is the answer to the question why the cat doesn’t look in the mirror. Most pets do not let into their world what cannot be felt and do not look at reflections.

VETERINARIAN CONSULTATION REQUIRED. INFORMATION FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

Cats are one of the most beloved and revered pets. But, despite this, their behavioral characteristics have not been fully studied. For example, many owners of furry pets are interested in the question: Do cats see themselves in the mirror? It is impossible to give an exact and unambiguous answer to this. One can only make assumptions based on behavioral reactions.

Can cats see their reflection?

Of course, cats, like people, see their reflection in the mirror, but they, like small children, do not understand that they are the ones reflected. For them, a mirror image is something intangible and not real. Most often, they do not react to it at all. Vision is not the main source of information for these predators.

All cats rely more on sounds, smells and touch than sight. For this perception, nature has endowed them with unique sensory organs - vibrissae. Vibrissae are sensors in the form of hard and very sensitive hair. They can be found on the face, paws, body and tail. They are very sensitive to any changes in the environment.

It is in the contact feature of the cat’s worldview that the answer to the question lies: Why don’t cats see themselves in the mirror? Even once they become interested in their mirror image, they very quickly lose interest in it, since it does not evoke any sensations in them.

A cat's final reaction to its mirror image also largely depends on age, life experience and even intelligence. Inexperienced kittens are more favorable to their reflection. They try to play with him for a while. But they get tired of such unrequited communication very quickly, and they no longer pay any attention to it.

Also answer to the question: Why don't cats look in the mirror? It may be hidden in the fact that these predators trust their sense of smell and hearing more than their visual sensations. Therefore, an object that has no odor and does not produce noise is of no interest to them.

Aggressive reaction of cats to mirror reflections

According to zoologists, cats do not realize and do not understand at all that it is they who are displayed in the mirror, therefore, in addition to indifference, they can also show signs of aggression. Very often, when they see their reflection, they mistake it for another animal. And the other individual is a rival who must be driven out of his territory.

That is why you can very often observe how a cat, at the sight of its reflection, arches its back, hisses and in every possible way tries to scare and drive away its mirror “enemy”. Usually the animal makes such an attack attempt only once. Later, the cat realizes that this rival is only imaginary and does not pose any threat to it.

The following technique will help prevent aggression and help the cat recognize itself in the mirror. You need to take your pet in your arms and approach a large mirror with him. She will definitely recognize the reflection of her master in him. In this case, the cat needs to be stroked and scratched so that it can see it in the mirror. Most pets easily connect these two events and never show signs of aggression or fear again.

Superstitions associated with cats and mirrors

There are a large number of superstitions and prejudices associated with the domestic cat. Most of them have no logical justification. For example, the mystical connection between a mirror and a cat. As you know, mirrors appeared in the history of mankind a very long time ago. People then were mostly illiterate and superstitious, and therefore any reaction of a pet to its mirror image was perceived as something mystical.

Since ancient times, it was believed that the looking glass is a receptacle for the souls of the dead, and a mysterious predator, not afraid of the dark and walking at night wherever he pleases, can serve as a kind of guide for them to the world of the living. This was the main reason why cats should not look in the mirror.

People were also alarmed by the animal’s aggressive reaction towards the mirror surface. It seemed to them that the cat was not looking at its reflection, but somewhere deep down, where it saw someone that frightened it greatly. The passive reaction of the animal seemed no less strange, when the cat, without looking away for a long time and without blinking, could look deep into the mirror surface. It was believed that in this way she communicated with the dead. And as you know, any contact with the world of the dead does not end well.

Domestic cats are interesting and friendly animals. According to experts, people who keep them in their homes are less susceptible to various stresses, depression and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, you should not complicate the life of your beloved pet with various signs, speculations of illiterate people or superstitions.

Of course, they do have eyes. And what do they see there?

We cannot say what exactly the mirror shows our pets. We can only interpret their reactions. But it seems that the cat sees in the mirror... another cat.

Some see their reflection as a potential friend, especially kittens who are excited to play with their new friend.

Others find a hostile stranger in the mirror. And let the battle begin!

But! But most cats are indifferent to mirrors

I wonder why many cats completely ignore mirrors? Low intelligence? No way!

Don't underestimate a cat's intelligence. Someone joked: If a cat does something, we call it instinct. If we do the same, we call it intelligence

The important thing to understand here is that a cat's brain works differently.

Why?

Vision for cats, unlike people, monkeys and other animals, is not the main organ for receiving information.

Cats live in a world of sounds, smells and other sensations, some of which are inaccessible to us. After all, among other things, nature has provided the cat with additional sensors. This vibrissae- hard, tactile hair that is several times longer and thicker than normal hair. In addition to the whiskers located above the upper lip, there are also whiskers on the cheeks, on the chin and above the eyes, on the ankles of the front paws, on the tail and between the paw pads. Any touch to these whiskers sends information through their nerve endings to the brain, and the cat instantly reacts even to minor changes in the environment and fluctuations in air currents.

And after that, you want her to be interested in some flat image that doesn’t make sounds, doesn’t smell, doesn’t produce tactile changes in the surrounding space?!

Even having initially shown interest in the “mirror animal” (this is especially typical for inexperienced kittens), in the absence of “feedback” the cat quickly loses it, retaining the experience gained.

Thus, the cat is simply “above” to waste time on a dummy reflection. Well, a cat considers it generally inappropriate to simply look at its appearance, because it is perfection itself.

In general, a serious test of the intelligence and consciousness of animals is the so-called

Mirror test

For many years, scientists believed that only humans and apes could recognize themselves in the mirror.

In 1970, American zoologist Gordon Gallup monitored the behavior of primates in front of a mirror. It turned out that great apes - chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans recognize themselves in the mirror. At first they perceive their reflection as another animal, but after a while they begin to search the fur, guided by what they see in the mirror. Gallup conducted a simple experiment: euthanized animals were painted with odorless paint on the brow ridges and tips of their ears. When they woke up, they did not notice these changes. But, looking at themselves in the mirror, they began to actively touch their eyebrows and ears. Without a doubt, the primates understood that they saw themselves in the mirror - they realized that they did not look the same as before.

The mirror test revealed five species of animals that associate themselves with their reflection. These are orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, dolphins, elephants. Also, of course, humans (starting from about 18 months of age) and... European magpies.

An interesting fact is that some animals (for example, pigs), ignoring their own reflection, are able to understand and use other information seen in the mirror, for example, they perceive the mirror projection of food placed behind them.

Cats are not included in this “Smartest” club.

So what does this mean? Why are they stupid? What do they lose in intelligence to magpies?! Well no!

A lack of interest in their reflection is not necessarily a sign that they are not self-aware.

The point is the survival characteristics of a particular species. While primates rely on vision, cats prioritize smells and other tactile sensations.

How a cat reacts to a mirror depends on its age, experience and intellectual potential.

Kittens are always ready to play, even with their own reflection. But they soon discover that the mirror kitten does not give any feedback. As a result, they usually abandon an uninteresting toy that does not respond to their reproduction of the prey drive. And when a reflection fails the "sniff" test, the animal usually decides to ignore it forever.

Let's set up an experiment

To help our pet become aware of himself in the mirror, we can look in the mirror with him. If a cat ignores its reflection, then it must recognize its owner. Perhaps, seeing in the mirror how the owner is stroking her, and feeling this stroking, the cat will connect these two events.