All right, how do they do it? Cats and dogs–they’re wizards at the old shell game. If they were ever allowed to play it for money, you could take your pet to New York and make a fortune–until somebody came along and made you disappear.
But really–are our pets that much cleverer than us?
P.S.–We are having an inexplicable plague of flies this evening. And the cats just sit there and watch. This will definitely be considered the next time they ask for a raise.
Cats and dogs have an advantage – they can smell the treat 🙂
Since your girls aren’t in the mood for fly catching, you may need to obtain a venus fly trap – or flypaper lol.
When there’s food involved, I suspect that sense of smell plays a role. In some of those cases, there was a ball or other non-food item and it didn’t seem to matter, although hearing could play a role (the ball clattering against the inside of the cup). I suspect, especially in the case of the cats, that a predator’s eyes are good at keeping track of any movement.
What I found most amazing is that the animals involved all seemed to understand the game perfectly. It was like watching a human play, except that the animals had a better batting average.
Yes! I thought that too! It seemed perfectly natural to them. That’s more puzzling to me than their ability to choose the right cup 🙂
It’s like they completely understand the game. Is the Old Shell Game coded into us instinctively?
I agree, this is the amazing part. Have you seen the hen that could play
a tune on a keyboard, and never miss a note? That blew me away.
I’ll have to see that one. Maybe she could double as a typist.
the keyboard playing chicken was one of the acts on America’s Got Talent.