Interesting insights into the behaviour of cats

The documentary addresses the age-old dichotomy between cats and dogs in order to exonerate our feline pets who have long been accused of being aloof

At 3 am, when my cat is zooming around my bedroom, bumping into furniture, I have often wondered with frustration and amusement about what runs through her mind. Even more puzzling is when I am greeted with the carcasses of rodents at the crack of dawn.

Cats are mysterious and intriguing creatures that prompt their pet parents to confront the puzzle of the inner workings of their mind often. The Netflix documentary Inside the Mind of a Cat, attempts to decipher this puzzle, exploring their behaviour, personality, physiology and relationship with humans.

The documentary also addresses the age-old dichotomy between cats and dogs in order to exonerate our feline pets who have long been accused of being aloof. To be honest, as a former ‘dog person’, the rejection that comes with the territory of sharing your home with a cat can shock you into disliking them.

But cats are social too, as most pet parents realise, with patience, trust and time. As Dr Kristyn Vale, a cat psychologist, says in the documentary, “People say dogs are superior on a lot of socio-cognitive traits. What we’re seeing more and more is that the research just hadn’t been done in cats.”

Vale claims that research in cats was lagging behind by 15 per cent when compared to dogs. In the documentary, she demonstrates how felines are capable of distinguishing their names from similar-sounding words and how some cats even prefer social rewards to food rewards. Talking on their personalities, a researcher from Japan discovered that Japanese cats were more shy than their counterparts in the USA, reflecting a difference in cultures.

Inside the Mind of a Cat has several tasty morsels of such information that are sure to intrigue the average person. However, like several other cat parents, I have spent years on the internet tracking their quirks and much of the information came as no surprise.

The tone of the documentary, simultaneously serious and silly, much like cats, was familiar and enjoyable. It is the same tone that many cat parents use to talk about their furry companions. And while the information might not be new, it is certainly a great piece of propaganda that you can use to set ‘dog people’ who berate cats straight! It is also a wonderful introduction for children to the world of cats.