Cat intelligence equivalent to how old in human years? Not as smart as you think
More and more families like to keep pets at home. Nowadays, cats are increasingly popular, with a pair of bright and lively big eyes. We often call them "Meow aliens"; they are especially cute animals. But even though they are so adorable, some people directly call them dumb cats. But are they really dumb cats?
Keeping a cat at home can also help us catch mice. After raising them for a long time, you will find cats often do things you wouldn’t expect, behaviors very similar to humans. We can’t help but wonder, what human age is a cat's intelligence equivalent to? In fact, a cat’s brain structure is similar to a human’s. The only difference is that the neocortex in the human brain is extremely developed, which animal brains cannot compare to.
For cats, they recognize the world around them through vision, smell, and mouth. Starting from half a year old, a cat’s intelligence is roughly equivalent to that of a one-and-a-half-year-old human child. After that, their cognitive ability no longer develops. However, from two years old, a cat’s body grows at seven times the speed of a human. In other words, one cat year is equivalent to seven human years. So generally, a cat’s intelligence corresponds roughly to a 1 to 2-year-old child, but this varies by individual cat. If a cat receives certain training, its intelligence can be somewhat higher than usual. But it is precisely because their intelligence is only this high that cats are as pure and cute as little babies. At night, cats begin to show their mouse-catching skills. Their alertness is very high, and in this regard, humans absolutely can’t compare.
Although their intelligence isn’t high, they can use other skills, such as using their sense of smell to distinguish their owner from strangers. It is said that a mouse’s intelligence can reach that of an 8-year-old human, so a cat’s intelligence is not even comparable to a little mouse’s. But their mobility and other abilities are indeed quite good. We cannot assess a cat solely based on intelligence; they are still quite smart.