Why do cats act so weird? - Tony Buffington

12,405,497 views ・ 2016-04-26

TED-Ed


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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Why do cats do that?
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They're cute, they're lovable,
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and judging by the 26 billions views of over 2 million YouTube videos
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of them pouncing,
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bouncing,
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climbing,
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cramming,
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stalking,
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clawing,
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chattering,
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and purring,
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one thing is certain:
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cats are very entertaining.
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These somewhat strange feline behaviors,
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both amusing and baffling,
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leave many of us asking, "Why do cats do that?"
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Throughout time, cats were simultaneously solitary predators of smaller animals
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and prey for larger carnivores.
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As both predator and prey,
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survival of their species depended on crucial instinctual behaviors
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which we still observe in wild and domestic cats today.
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While the feline actions of your house cat Grizmo might seem perplexing,
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in the wild, these same behaviors,
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naturally bred into cats for millions of years,
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would make Grizmo a super cat.
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Enabled by their unique muscular structure and keen balancing abilities,
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cats climbed to high vantage points to survey their territory
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and spot prey in the wild.
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Grizmo doesn't need these particular skills to find and hunt down dinner
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in her food bowl today,
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but instinctually, viewing the living room from the top of the bookcase
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is exactly what she has evolved to do.
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As wild predators, cats are opportunistic and hunt whenever prey is available.
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Since most cat prey are small,
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cats in the wild needed to eat many times each day,
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and use a stalk, pounce, kill, eat strategy to stay fed.
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This is why Grizmo prefers to chase and pounce on little toys
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and eat small meals over the course of the day and night.
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Also, small prey tend to hide in tiny spaces in their natural environments,
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so one explanation for Grizmo's propensity to reach into containers and openings
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is that she is compelled by the same curiosity
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that helped ensure the continuation of her species for millions of years before.
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In the wild, cats needed sharp claws for climbing, hunting, and self-defense.
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Sharpening their claws on nearby surfaces kept them conditioned and ready,
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helped stretch their back and leg muscles,
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and relieve some stress, too.
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So, it's not that Grizmo hates your couch,
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chair,
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ottoman,
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pillows,
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curtains,
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and everything else you put in her environment.
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She's ripping these things to shreds and keeping her claws in tip-top shape
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because this is exactly what her ancestors did in order to survive.
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As animals that were preyed upon,
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cats evolved to not get caught,
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and in the wild, the cats that were the best at avoiding predators thrived.
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So at your house today,
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Grizmo is an expert at squeezing into small spaces
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and seeking out and hiding in unconventional spots.
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It also explains why she prefers a clean and odor-free litter box.
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That's less likely to give away her location to any predators
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that may be sniffing around nearby.
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Considering everything we do know about cats,
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it seems that one of their most predominate behaviors
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is still one of the most mysterious.
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Cats may purr for any number of reasons,
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such as happiness,
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stress,
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and hunger.
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But curiously, the frequency of their purrs,
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between 25 and 150 hertz,
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is within a range that can promote tissue regeneration.
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So while her purring makes Grizmo an excellent nap companion,
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it is also possible that her purr is healing her muscles and bones,
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and maybe even yours, too.
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They developed through time
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as both solitary predators that hunted and killed to eat,
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and stealthy prey that hid and escaped to survive.
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So cats today retain many of the same instincts
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that allowed them to thrive in the wild for millions of years.
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This explains some of their seemingly strange behaviors.
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To them, our homes are their jungles.
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But if this is the case, in our own cat's eyes,
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who are we?
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Big, dumb, hairless cats competing with them for resources?
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Terribly stupid predators they're able to outsmart every day?
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Or maybe they think we're the prey.
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