Certain Cat Characteristics 



instances are all such precise repetitions of one an 

 other that I conclude the fact to be one of tolerably 

 ordinary occurrence among cats, while it is certainly 

 very rare among dogs. Of course in all such cases 

 the cats must have previously observed that the doors 

 are opened by persons placing their hands upon the 

 handles ; and having observed this, the animals act 

 by what may be strictly termed rational imitation. 

 But it should be observed that the process as a whole 

 is something more than imitative : for not only would 

 observation alone be scarcely enough (within my 

 limits of thoughtful reflection that it would be reason- 

 able to ascribe to an animal) to enable a cat upon the 

 ground to distinguish that the essential part of the 

 process as performed by the human hand consists, 

 not in grasping the handles, but in depressing the latch; 

 but the cat certainly never saw any one after having 

 depressed the latch pushing the door-posts with his 

 legs. We can only conclude that the cats in such 

 cases have a very definite idea as to the mechanical 

 properties of a door ; they know that to make it open, 

 even when unlatched, it requires to be pushed — a 

 very different thing from trying to imitate any partic- 

 ular action which they see performed for the same 

 purpose by man. The whole psychological process, 

 therefore, implied by the fact of a cat opening a door, 

 is really most complex. First, the animal must have 

 observed that the door is opened by the hand grasp- 

 ing the handle and moving the latch. Next, she 



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