Are cats smarter than babies? We can't say for sure without a direct comparison, but cats do beat babies in a word association test. Saho Takagi, a comparative cognitive scientist at Azabu University, set up 31 cats for a test designed for 14-month-old humans.
The scientists propped each kitty in front of a laptop and showed the animals two 9-second animated cartoon images while broadcasting audio tracks of their caregivers saying a made-up word four times. The researchers played the nonsense word "keraru" while a growing and shrinking blue-and-white unicorn appeared on the screen, or "parumo" while a red-faced cartoon Sun grew and shrank. The cats watched and heard these sequences until they got bored—signaled by a 50% drop in eye contact with the screen.
When the images were later switched up and paired with the "wrong" word, the cats spent 33% more time looking at it, often dilating their pupils, indicating they were aware of the mismatch. The cats took less time and fewer repetitions to learn than human babies. The exact parameters of the tests were different, so it doesn't necessarily prove that cats are more intelligent than babies, but cat people know the truth.
Tagaki points out that the cats are learning passively, without training or a promise of reward, the same way babies do.
"Cats pay attention to what we say in everyday life—and try to understand us—more than we realize," Takagi says.
So, your cat definitely understands when you say "no" just before they push something off a shelf. They are just ignoring you.
Previously: A missed jump causes anarchy in a room full of cats
