Are your pets self-aware?

[KPKicker]

The "Do Your Pets Talk To You" inspired me to ask the question; do you think your pet is self-aware.

Dogs and cats usually don't pass the mirror-test. However, there are many pet lovers like myself that firmly believe that they are indeed self-aware. It is a generally accepted belief that while the mirror test is one way to determine self-awareness, it is not the only way nor is it 100% accurate.

So, what do you think?

I strongly believe cats are self-aware because you can see their attempt regain their "dignity" after doing something stupid or clumsy.

I strongly believe that dogs are self-aware because of "the look". Anyone who has ever had a dog knows "the look". Head pointed down, eyes looking up at you, tail tucked firmly between legs. It's the look that says "I'm sorry, I know I made a mistake, but if I look at you with enough cuteness maybe you'll forget I just peed on the cat".

Granted, given the unconditional love and immeasurable joy these beings bring into our lives, it doesn't really matter. They are what they are and thank God they are.

 

[LadyPhoenix]

Well let's see, if I can say that my cat is self-aware when he knows he's done something 'wrong', then heck yeah, my cats are self-aware.

My cat Taz knows he's not supposed to eat my eldery cat's special food. So he will hide nearby behind a piece of furniture where he thinks I can't see him. As soon as I leave the area he gets in her food. If he hears me walking back he runs and hides OR, I swear this is true, nonchalantly walks away from her food dish as if he was not eating from it, hoping I didn't see him.

As for as self-awareness being described as holding themselves to a personal standard, well, they are animals. They don't have the same societal, moral, and religious rules and guidelines as humans so what kind of inner-standard would we be expecting them to hold themselves to before we consider them self-aware?

 

[Kate51]

Oh yes, and I've seen it many many times.
We had a weimaraner who used to go on 3 day binges when the 'time' was right it the neighborhood. Nobody could ever find him, he was so good at hiding.
When he came home, he snuck into the house on tip-toes! I swear he did. Kinda hugged all the walls all bent over, he was actually sneaking.
He also ate a 3 layer chocolate cake. He did, was in the corner shivering when I came in. He didn't feel so good either.
I've had experiences with cats too, a couple times was very soul-wrenching, end of life thing, can't talk about it.
We have a cat now (Grace) that once in awhile goes behind the couch in a hurry, she has a spine deformity and sometimes can't control herself. But she'll come out and give me that 'look', come 'help', then goes back there with me to 'help' clean it up. Then she's on my trail the rest of the day after the clean-up, an apology? She looks so pitiful and sad, no way could you be mad. She is very self aware. She was near death when we found her along the road, totally wild. She'd been left behind and was starving, about 5 weeks old. Our other cats always know when they screw up, but that's because they've been reprimanded. Gracie though seems to never want you to be mad or sad, for any reason. Her eyes always reflect your feelings somehow, and she can look straight into your heart. Those are rare! She can also give you a dirty look, when she needs a combing, for example.

 

[KPKicker]

O
I've had experiences with cats too, a couple times was very soul-wrenching, end of life thing, can't talk about it.

You don't have to. I know exactly what you are referring to.

 

[KPKicker]

As for as self-awareness being described as holding themselves to a personal standard, well, they are animals. They don't have the same societal, moral, and religious rules and guidelines as humans so what kind of inner-standard would we be expecting them to hold themselves to before we consider them self-aware?

Excellent point!

 

[Kate51]

They don't have the same societal, moral, and religious rules and guidelines as humans so what kind of inner-standard would we be expecting them to hold themselves to before we consider them self-aware?

Kids are that way too! And husbands, occasionally.

 

[BiffRocko]

How are we defining self awareness? I've always defined it as a cognition that "I" as an (arguably) separate entity and/or consciousness exist. If that's the definition, as much as I'd like to anthropomorphize my cats, no I don't think they're self aware.

But I love them anyway.

 

[LadyPhoenix]

Actually I was going by Wikipedia's definition:

A modern scientific view
Self-Awareness Theory
Self-Awareness Theory states that when we focus our attention on ourselves, we evaluate and compare our current behavior to our internal standards and values. We become self-conscious as objective evaluators of ourselves. Various emotional states are intensified by self-awareness, and people sometimes try to reduce or escape it through things like television, video games, drugs, etc. However, some people may seek to increase their self awareness through these outlets. People are more likely to align their behavior with their standards when made self-aware. People will be negatively affected if they don’t live up to their personal standards. Various environmental cues and situations induce awareness of the self, such as mirrors, an audience, or being videotaped or recorded. These cues also increase accuracy of personal memory.[10]. In Demetriou´s theory, one of the neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development, self-awareness develops systematically from birth through the life span and it is a major factor for the development of general inferential processes.[11] Moreover, a series of recent studies showed that self-awareness about cognitive processes participates in general intelligence on a par with processing efficiency functions, such as working memory, processing speed, and reasoning [12]

 

[trukinlady]

When my lab mix sees herself in the mirror, she is very intent on her reflection. She will .... her head, look closer, and watch herself make movements. I wonder if she realizes its her own reflection. She doesn't act like that with other dogs at all.

She is also very smart! For instance, if my Dacshund is sitting next to me, and she wants to be there instead of him, she will go find his favorite toy ball and actually roll it across the floor. Of course he can't resist chasing it, and as soon as he jumps down, she jumps up and steals his spot! She's done this on many occasions, so I know it isn't just chance.

Several years ago, she also saved my husband from getting bitten by a snake! He was walking with her in the back yard when she suddenly grabbed his hand in her mouth, and made him stop walking. He didn't think anything of it, and started walking again. She did it again more firmly. He finally stopped. That's when my husband realized if he'd taken just 3 more steps, he would have stepped right on top of a copperhead! She knew that snake was there!! And she stopped him! When he told me, I was stunned! I know she's smart, but this is amazing! She will always be my hero!