Is Your Cat As Smart As He Thinks He Is?

January 19, 2002 3:26 PM

Is Your Cat As Smart As He Thinks He Is? If so, he could be in the movies. To find out if that's Einstein or Marie Curie staring at you over there, submit the beast to Hollywood Paws' impressive I.Q. test. (Dogs are su
posted by MiguelCardoso (17 comments total)

Here's the questionnaire for mutts.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:28 PM on January 19, 2002

I've been checking the questionnaire and I keep getting a "server too busy" notice. I did manage to complete the cat questionnaire several times(I have three cats, all diagnosed terminally stupid). But, since I've posted, I've only got through to the final results once. Anyone else been similarly sold short?

For those trying: it's a long, thorough test, three pages long - better than any tests I've seen here on MetaFilter for human beings in the last few months - and the results seem spot on. Definitely worth taking.

So I guess patience is needed. Btw, the whole web site is very interesting if you like movies, cats and dogs. Which, let's face it, we all probably do.

Sorry about this - there's just no way I know to check on the server's capability. :)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 4:55 PM on January 19, 2002

My cat's a "she."
posted by raysmj at 6:39 PM on January 19, 2002

You should probably just link to the main testing page. Those links you gave have an ID and token, presumably from your session on the site, in the URLs. That might be causing the problem. At the very least, both those links took me to the third page of questions for each quiz.

And, since I don't have any pets, I took the dog quiz for myself. 94.6% of dogs scored higher than I did. This isn't good.
posted by whatnotever at 6:43 PM on January 19, 2002

Thanks, whatnoever. You are indeed right.

Raysmj: I did mention Marie Curie. It's just that "he/she" is such an ungainly and unnecessary construction.

Hey, take the test - it is astoundingly good! :)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 7:04 PM on January 19, 2002

I meant whatnotever, dammit.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 7:05 PM on January 19, 2002

I think a lot of people who've taken this test have lied about their dogs. I was honest about my dog's talents and foibles and I was told that he was several points dumber than average. He's a ten year old, ten pound miniature poodle who lived for three years on the streets, I think he's proven that he's pretty darn smart. Phooey on that test.
posted by Dreama at 7:14 PM on January 19, 2002

My dog ranked "below average" at 104. He's not amused.
posted by owillis at 7:36 PM on January 19, 2002

My cat is average. I told her, but she didn't care.
What does it mean that I talk to my cat? The test doesn't cover that.
posted by Badmichelle at 8:38 PM on January 19, 2002

124

posted by y2karl at 9:18 PM on January 19, 2002

I answered the test questions for Murphy (cat, male, and one of many) and all I can say is that I hate multiple choice questions because they never cover all the answers. We have a cat-window so there's no way I could *truthfully* answer their question about his reaction to cat-litter boxes. If you have multiple cats, the cats have very strict rules for each other, so I've no idea what Murph's reaction to a bird on tv would be. The bosscat (his dad) and the queen (his sister) forbid him entry to the tv room. On multiple choice, I said he'd follow me anywhere...because he'll follow me anywhere the rest of the troop permits him to. Agk, don't get me started. This multiple choice doesn't cover indoor/outdoor cats and doesn't cover a cat family.

y2karl: oh! she's a beauty!

owillis: give that baby *good stuff*---the devil dog eyes are the perfect response to this dumb quiz!

Badmichelle: if we didn't talk to our cats and dogs, how would they learn?
posted by realjanetkagan at 9:49 PM on January 19, 2002

I had problems, too, Janet--she's an ex-bookstore cat. She has no interest in people food except licking ice cream out of bowls now and then. Put tuna or chicken in her bowl and she is just not interested. She prefers dry food--go figure--but her method of eating is to flip it out of the bowl and eat off of the floor. Refrigerator openings mean nothing to her but touch the bag of preferred food and she may show up. But she picks things up so quick--she likes to be spanked but I hate to bend over, so I pick her up and and hold her like a baby being burped. I did this with a denim jacket on one time and she climbed up and walked around on my shoulders. The next time I wore it, she jumped straight from a chair to my lapels. If I sit at the computer too long, she jumps in my lap and assumes the spankycat position. Or she climbs under her catnip pillow and plays tank cat, running back and forth across the rug under the pillow. I'm going to try to make an mpeg of this--the trick will be in how to ignore her long enough to get her to do this and yet film her. Oh, jeez, I'm talking about my cat...::blush::
posted by y2karl at 10:12 PM on January 19, 2002

y2karl: My (late) cat, Imp., liked lying on my shoulders when she was tiny. Unfortunately, she still wanted to do it as a 20-pound behemoth!
posted by Carol Anne at 5:43 AM on January 20, 2002

Feh. Cats have too much dark meat.
posted by dong_resin at 7:37 AM on January 20, 2002

Feed your cat as normal. However, after he starts to eat, place the food bowl in a clear plastic bag. Does he:

Kill me? Yes.
posted by nicwolff at 7:38 AM on January 20, 2002

Feed your cat as normal. However, after he starts to eat, place the food bowl in a clear plastic bag. Does he:

(e) Learn from your example. You find your dog in the yard the next morning. He is dead. There is a plastic bag over his head.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 4:08 PM on January 20, 2002

My roommate's cat loves Dark Age of Camelot. She doesn't want to jump on my lap when I'm doing anything else at the computer.

My cat though, is the most incredibly loyal animal I've ever had. She loves everybody, but me most of all. Average IQ, but more because she's brilliant in some situations and dumb as a rock in others.
posted by Foosnark at 10:28 AM on January 21, 2002