Scientists now suggest how cats can apparently understand the basic laws of physics, using the cause and effect principle.

Past research have already presented how cats utilize their sense of hearing upon anticipation for hidden objects to reveal themselves. In this new study, scientists observed how cats are able to anticipate the presence of an object hidden inside a box based on its sound when someone shakes it. Researchers also carried out tests to see if cats can actually expect objects to fall from a box if it was flipped upside down.

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The team from Kyoto University observed 30 domestic cats where the team shook some boxes in front of the felines, where some boxes had no sound while others produced a rattling sound. When some boxes were flipped, it revealed the object hidden inside while some of the boxes did not.

Out of these four box scenarios, only two of them, the one with an object that rattles and a silent box that held nothing inside, all complied with the laws of physics. The other two boxes, one that rattled but did not possess any object underneath and silent boxes that actually possessed an object hidden inside, both defied the laws of physics.

Upon carrying out these experiments, results revealed that cats were staring longer at rattling boxes that suggest that they are correct in anticipating an object based on the sound it produces. The cats also stared longer when they flipped a box that revealed unexpected results that defied physics.

According to lead author of the study, Saho Takagi, cats utilize a causal logical understanding of noise or sounds in order to predict the appearance or physical characteristics of invisible objects.

Scientists also believe that the way cats use their advanced hearing abilities is also affected by their hunting environments where feline predatory animals often hunt during the night even if their vision is limited. By using sound, they are able to predict their prey's location, distance and the direction of their movements.

Now, researchers are also further studying cats whether they can infer the shape and size of an object solely based on sounds. This new study is published in the journal Animal Cognition.

TagsCats, laws of physics, cats physics, cats cause and effect, cat study