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Animal Friends thread
mouser:
Cute :-*
mouser:
Baloo eventually came to the realization that perhaps animals from the backyard weren't what her human wanted. But rather than give up hunting things for Ben entirely, she simply switched up the kinds of gift she was giving.
If he doesn't enjoy mice and birds, perhaps a leaf will be more to his liking? And sure enough, it was.
"It took a couple of months of me rejecting her gifts for her to start bringing me leaves. They were always big, nice looking leaves," Ben said. "It was such a relief from the live mice every morning that I would show my gratitude by taking the leaf and playing with it while she sat on my chest." Baloo had gotten the message. Every morning the cat would then find a perfect leaf and bring in to Ben..
--- End quote ---
https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/cat-baloo-brings-owner-leaf-every-morning
from http://www.neatorama.com
IainB:
Well, well, well, That is a brilliant discovery. Seems like it's something new about cat behaviour.
I had always thought that cats were hardwired to bring in their trophies/kills (dead mice, rabbits, rats, birds) as a proud display of their prowess, or something.
I never for once imagined that they might think that that was what their owners liked/wanted. If the story is true, then this particular cat appears to have figured it out by a sort of trial-and-error process - "Let's see if he/she likes this...".
If one cat can do it, then it may well speak for all cats. So, positive reinforcement for the cat that brings in a "wanted" trophy, and negative reinforcement for the one that brings in an "unwanted" trophy.
Of course, a simpler explanation just might be that dead leaves may also be fun to chase and catch, because they flip about in the wind so temptingly, and as one gets older and slower, they could seem an easier catch than mice, birds, etc.
mouser:
Woman re-adopts dog she lost as a child:
https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/woman-unknowingly-adopts-dog-she-had-as-child
From http://www.neatorama.com
mouser:
Have I posted about this one yet? Jinjing The Penguin, returns to visit the man who saved him every year:
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