Do cats understand "themselves"? Differences in self-recognition between humans and cats from a developmental psychology perspective

At 36, I’ve become a university student, pouring myself into the study of psychology. Balancing work and school is tough, but as I learn, I’m finding the depths of the human mind truly fascinating.

Lately, I’ve been focusing specifically on developmental psychology. Learning about human development has also led to some surprising comparisons with the development of cats.

For instance, a cat's self-awareness is mysterious. Studying developmental psychology makes me wonder if there might be a difference in how humans and cats form the self-awareness that "I am different from others."

The "Mirror Test": An Experiment in Human Self-Recognition

Human infants begin to recognize that others reflected in a mirror are not the real person once they pass the age of one. By around age two, it is said that over 60% can recognize their own reflection as "themselves."

This developmental stage has been proven by an experiment called the "mirror test." In this test, a mark is placed on an infant's nose with lipstick, and they are brought in front of a mirror to see if they recognize the reflection as themselves and attempt to wipe the lipstick off.

This experiment revealed that infants around one year old or younger cannot recognize their reflection as "themselves." They reportedly exhibit behaviors such as going behind the mirror or tapping on it.

When I learned of this interesting experimental result, a simple question popped into my mind: "Wait, what about self-awareness in cats?"

Are cats incapable of self-recognition?

Of course, there are individual differences, but it seems to me that many cats do not recognize their reflection as "me." On YouTube, you can find videos of cats displaying unique behaviors, such as acting aggressively toward their own reflection.

If we apply such behavior to human developmental psychology, the conclusion would be "cannot recognize their reflection = lacks self-awareness." However, that cannot be said for cats. This is because, in daily life, we observe many behaviors that suggest they understand they are themselves.

For example, their response to their names. Research by a team at Sophia University has revealed that cats can distinguish their own names from other words with the same intonation.

Furthermore, according to a paper published by Kyoto University in 2022, it seems that cats likely recognize the names of other cats they live with, as well as the names of their owners. Given these research findings, it is highly likely that cats live their lives while distinguishing themselves from others to a certain extent.

Incidentally, in the case of human infants, it is said that they become able to distinguish between their own name and others' names around the age of 1 year and 5 months. By around one year old, their own name begins to carry meaning, but at this stage, they still react to other children's names.

It is said that children begin to be able to refer to themselves using the nicknames their family or those around them call them (e.g., "Yuka-chan") from around the age of 1 year and 8 months.

While it is difficult for cats to understand that their mirror reflection is themselves, they do understand their own names. Looking at cats through the lens of human development reveals just how biologically profound they are.

Is mirror-based self-recognition an exclusively human standard?

"Whether or not they can identify themselves in a mirror reflection" is an important indicator for humans in gauging the acquisition of self-awareness. However, this may not be the case for cats, as they might be acquiring self-awareness through a different process.

I believe such differences arise because humans and cats are different species. For example, humans gain a great deal of information from our five senses, particularly vision, whereas cats have lower visual acuity and difficulty distinguishing certain colors.

Because of these differences, humans—who prioritize vision—can measure the acquisition of self-awareness via a "mirror reflection," but for cats, "whether or not they can identify themselves in a mirror" may not be an appropriate metric.

While they rely less on visual information than humans do, cats gain a wealth of information through their keen sense of smell. Perhaps cats form their sense of self by fully utilizing the sense of smell that is so vital to them.

"Self-awareness" felt while living with a cat

In fact, when living with a cat, there are many moments where I feel that "this creature has self-awareness." Not only do they respond when called, but they get sulky when scolded, and they have the decisiveness to do exactly what they want to do in the moment.

It’s also classic cat behavior to approach you when they want affection, but to be surprisingly aloof when they don't want to be bothered.

I think that kind of behavior is only possible if you understand that "I am different from others."

It is precisely because humans have self-awareness that we sometimes struggle with how to interact with others who are different from us. How should I interact with others who hold different thoughts and values...? Sometimes, we overthink the situation, reading too much into things, and lose sight of our own true feelings.

On the other hand, cats are skilled at interacting with others while maintaining their sense of self. They are always honest with their feelings. They seem to draw boundaries between themselves and others quite well, living while fulfilling their own needs.

There is much to learn from such a feline way of life. While we tend to align ourselves with those around us in a society where highly cooperative behavior is considered a virtue, I want to cherish the days when I can be honest with my own heart, just like a cat, and live as myself.

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