Cat's IQ's, tests and manifestations of cultural norms

All said meow in cheek and after reading Test Your Cat standing at the Barnes and Noble waiting two hours for my daughter to choose a present for a beloved French teacher after finding The Little Prince in French appeared impossible. So she got Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy (Fsg Classics) by Jostein Gaarder and Paulette Moller, which i recommend. I gave it to her when she was 8. It is kind of a philosophy 101 rolled into a story in a story. Extremely good. Well it was for Sylvia.

Now that we have adopted two kittens for Kali to raise, which we got because she/we has/have been down since something called fading kitten syndrome swept her spring litter away, we are arguing about their basic lack of brains. The kittens. From the box I decided on a whim to save.

This "IQ" possibly is why they were so available. But they were so beautiful. Sitting there looking waif-ish. And I decided to rescue them. It's in the little things, using the bed for the litter box, sleeping in their milk (really), wetting the bed again, ignoring all brands of litter, prancing in mud, eating the fur and dust balls they find. After a day or two with the Pandas, as they are two black and white fluff balls I call Ling/Ling and Sing/Sing, the Pandas appear to have maybe fallen off the turnip truck, several times. This is the problem of "found cats" one never knows exactly why they were put on that corner in the box marked "real free". But we are working on eliminating the big issues. Isn't this what people do? Start with a test?
It must know everything. It's "normed."

In this volume (I know it says it can't be ordered on Amazon but we found a huge pile at Barnes and Noble) E. M. Bard has given us a cat IQ test which asks things in the areas of co-ordination skills, communication skills, reasoning skills and social behavior. See what you are working with kind of book. And you can't "help."

I began by testing my Robespierre. Some things are from what I observe. Food requests, showing displeasure, needs, wants, grooming, ear movement, mood maintenance, holding still. These kinds of things I could answer. Pretty much Robes points were fairly low. But in the sections requiring me to touch his ears with a pencil, make a noise behind him with a bell, pull a string by, present a feather, or for extra credit ask 'roll over' Robes decided he prefers to leave the yard. And the Robes has left the building. It would appear his disappearance over the wall may not gain him any free IQ points and his score was an astounding 41. This fell so far below the scale, I have naturally been shaming him all evening. And shaming anyone else he associates with, and his mom too. As he does not pee on the bed I feel he has the potentials for genius if he can just be understood by those that obviously are stunting him in displaying his fertile mind. Actually he's out right now discussing this with a tabby two doors down.

Kalifornia tested very well. 129. This is funny as she is almost mindless. She is mindless. If she could be blond and sing to a Kennedy, she would. I love her, but as cats go Kali is named after Arnold for a 'reason' and it wasn't all about their articles in the next edition of Foreign Affairs. What she did not seem to know about her previously mentioned kittens contributed to our losing hers. Stepped on one in a way I've never seen in my life. I connected that to inbreeding as her Dad was her Grandfather and her Mother her aunt. But she is so beautiful.And calico. And despite the test we all know that counts for everything. Boosted her by grooming and cooperation into the category of Superior. Well okay. Sure. This figures. Now I see how this kind of thing goes. Compliance "gains" points as well as beauty...

As for the two kittens Sloppy and Moppy...the Pandas are untestable. One is literally asleep in about an inch of milk, head over the side of the dish and the other is sleeping inside the CD player I left open which now has become a special cat bed. That it could even remotely be a bed is a tribute to these two. Time will tell. I have to try and test in my free time.

Speaking of this, I have had very little time. Lots to do besides cat IQ's. School is absolutely hard. And not yet over , Syl graduation on Friday, after I take my class all day to the beach.
This book is a lark, though it closes with very nice sentiments about the value of encouraging curiosity, praise, time to talk and play, keeping a pleasant tone, rewards, physical contact, developing security, making the kitty feel important, being consistent, eliminating teasing, being sensitive.As I love cats this makes good sense.No matter the intelligence issue, it's just better. I think. Of course someone could explain animals to me in a way to make me doubt this and everything else I ever knew or held dear I'm sure. If behaving like this promotes IQ I would suggest the kids I teach are remarkable. Many survive with almost none from the list. But that's for another review