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Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

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“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

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Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Books are my comfort food!

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

I was confident that someone would point it out and thought why not me.

Russia bombs Ukraine’s maternity hospitals; Republicans in the House can’t sort out supporting Ukraine.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / If My Brain Interprets It As Something Where I Fits, I Sits (Open Thread)

If My Brain Interprets It As Something Where I Fits, I Sits (Open Thread)

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It’s no secret that cats of all sorts love boxes.

If My Brain Interprets It As Something Where I Fits, I Sits (Open Thread)
(via imgur user theportraitssecretinattackmode)

Why, I cannot say, since I don’t have a very good handle on what it’s like to be a cat. But we do know that they love sitting in boxes so much, they’ll happily sit in a square you tape on the floor.

If My Brain Interprets It As Something Where I Fits, I Sits (Open Thread) 1
(via twitter user @MarleyDee1)

A new paper demonstrates that they will also plop themselves down inside a Kanizsa illusion ‘square’ you tape on the floor.

Recent trials have found cats to be much more cooperative research subjects if they’re studied at home, and that’s what this researcher, Gabriella Smith, did.

With paper, scissors, and some tape, the owners were instructed to create several different shapes for the cats. This included the typical square, but it also included the Kanizsa square illusion, a pattern of Pacman-like shapes that fool the human brain into seeing a fully outlined square. For their control, they created a similar Kanizsa shape, but one where the illusion isn’t possible.

Once the shapes were put down on the floor, in various arrangements, the cats would enter the room. If they chose a shape to sit or stand inside for at least three seconds, the trial would be considered a success and their choice would be marked down. To monitor the trials remotely, the owners were asked to record the cats via a camera and smartphone. And to avoid influencing the cats in any way, they were told not to interact with them and to wear dark sunglasses so no eye contact could be made.

Ultimately, 30 owners completed the experiment in full, which involved six days of trials. Of these, nine cats were cooperative, meaning that they actually made a choice at least once during the trials. And out of the 16 times a choice was made, cats sat on the square eight times, the square-like illusion seven times, and the control illusion once.

The actual finding here is that cats are susceptible to Kanizsa illusions, but gosh if they didn’t test it in the most adorable way. I think I’ll have to test this out on Samwise…

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

60Comments

  4. 4.

    RobertDSC-Work

    I have a picture of KC our beloved office cat sleeping comfortably on my backpack set down on the floor.

     

    I just looked over my camera roll and have several pictures of her resting comfortably in all kinds of tight spaces. Such a good cat. I miss her sometimes.

  8. 8.

    Gravenstone

    They’ll also sit on throw rugs on hard surfaces for the same illusory boundaries. My  tabby female loves the one outside my shower as an example.

  9. 9.

    CaseyL

    Based on what I’ve observed with my own kitties, I think there are a couple of reasons cats do this:

    One, they like marked spaces, marked off spaces, spaces that are separated from surroundings in any way whatsoever. Cats will sit on a sheet of paper in the middle of a rug.  They like demarcations, because demarcations denote territory.  “If I sits, it’s mine!”

    Two, I think they like smallish spaces (cardboard boxes, paper bags) because they can touch all the sides all at once, and that’s a means of control.  They’ll know instantly if anyone or anything else enters that space.  So I think it’s a control and security thing.

    …

    …

    …

    Three, they like to mess with us.

  15. 15.

    zhena gogolia

    Amusing Meghan McCain clip, and I know that sounds like an oxymoron

    "Let's cut the crap." Meghan McCain accused House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of "intentionally" trashing Rep. Liz Cheney on a hot mic. "They're shivving her for her … saying that the election wasn't stolen and for refusing to debase herself to Cheeto Jesus." pic.twitter.com/ys8nObzEuh— Mediaite (@Mediaite) May 5, 2021

  16. 16.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    Cats are originally den dwellers in the wild, so yes, they quite naturally like small enclosed places (boxes, paper bags). But the thing where they will choose any demarked area to sit in is hilarious (and also very cute). My cats will also choose to sleep on any piece of clothing I leave on the bed, but that I think is all about my smell and comfort. Although you could argue all of these behaviors are about security.

    ETA: I love the picture of the tiger in the box!

  19. 19.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @zhena gogolia: “Cheeto Jesus”… most of what I see from America’s most famous middle-aged spoiled brat is whining that she, and all Republicans, but mostly her, are being picked on, so I had sorta kinda forgotten how much she hates trump.

  20. 20.

    RSA

    Pretty cool!  The abstract of the journal article, with highlights:

    Domestic cats treat the Kanizsa contour illusion as they do real square contours by spontaneously sitting or standing inside.

    Utilizing cats’ natural behaviors is effective for the study of cat behavior and cognition.

    The citizen science paradigm is successful at conducting ecologically valid research into the cognition of domestic cats.

  21. 21.

    TaMara (HFG)

    I got home in time to rewind the Biden speech on MSNBC and am listening – the Q&A is killer, off the top of his head topics/responses are amazing. Better than the prepared speech.  I don’t see any video yet for it.

  22. 22.

    BruceFromOhio

    I am associated with several potential test subjects, and this will be interesting to compare them to other subjects as well as each other.

    @zhena gogolia:

    “They’re shivving her for her … saying that the election wasn’t stolen and for refusing to debase herself to Cheeto Jesus.”

    Outstanding! The GQP fractures are getting closer to the surface as it tears itself into factions. Going to be very interesting to see where the big money falls. “We plunged the country into racist fascism, but our taxes are still low!”

  30. 30.

    Benw

    According to my cat, laptop keyboards check all the, uh, boxes for sitting on:

    1. square
    2. warm
    3. incredibly irritating (to me)!
  32. 32.

    Just One More Canuck

    Will there be a follow up study on, if given a choice, will a cat barf on a carpet or a hard surface?

  35. 35.

    gvg

    @Benw: When I was working from home, my shy cat wanted my attention and was getting in front of the monitor. On line suggestions were to get a box with some paper in it and put it a little to the side. After the cat started sitting in it, shift it gradually to be less in your way. It worked, the box got moved to behind the monitor, and she slept in it for months even after I was back at work.

    There were also suggestions to put up an old keyboard as a decoy, with the working one below in a keyboard tray. I didn’t have to use that trick, but it seemed like it would work to me.

  37. 37.

    Martin

    @zhena gogolia: Fascism’s a bitch Megan. Your dad spends half a century in service to this country and some sex predator comes along and captures the entire party in a matter of 18 months. Y’all let him in the door when you thought it would help you, and not only are you stuck with him, you’re the only ones that can deprogram the country. Your party can’t do that by maintaining this partisan opposition to everything, by protecting Gaetz, by demanding the 1/6 commission investigate BLM. You can’t limit the damage to just Trump. You gotta own it all.

  39. 39.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Gravenstone:

     

    @Nora: based on my own study of every cat I’ve ever known, Gravenstone’s estimate of 80% may be low, though our current cat (Elsa the wonder nut) may be bringing the average up

  40. 40.

    tokyokie

    @Just One More Canuck:

    Will there be a follow up study on, if given a choice, will a cat barf on a carpet or a hard surface?

    My experience is that a cat’s first choice of locations for barfing is the bed. Especially if I’m in it.

  45. 45.

    BruceJ

    @Major Major Major Major: A former boss of mine got one; and was able to attend the ceremony, says it was a blast. They’re very much give in the spirit of fun, not mean-ness.

    He showed me the ‘cash’ portion of his prize: a Trillion Dollar Zimbabwean note.

  47. 47.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @Just One More Canuck: My experience is they prefer softer surfaces (beds, etc.) which may mimic grassy areas better than hard floors. But of course, when you need to barf, any surface will do. Nothing like stepping on (cold, wet) cat vomit on the floor when you get up in the middle of the night to pee.  Good times!

  52. 52.

    catclub

    The actual finding here is that cats are susceptible to Kanizsa illusions

     

    I would say the actual finding is that people will participate in ‘research’ that involves their cats in a fun way.

  55. 55.

    Ken

    If they chose a shape to sit or stand inside for at least three seconds,

    Is this really a valid test?  I’ve seen cats walking across a bare floor stop and stand absolutely still for over three seconds, sometimes mid-step with a paw raised, then continue as if nothing had happened.  I assume there is a cat reason for this, which my merely human brain cannot comprehend.

  59. 59.

    Jinchi

    It’s no secret that cats of all sorts love boxes. Why, I cannot say, since I don’t have a very good handle on what it’s like to be a cat.

    This works for children as well.

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