Do you sometimes wonder how your cat can always tell when it’s mealtime? Are you surprised that your little kitty can tell when you will return home from work and then wait for you by the door each day? Could it be that your cat has an understanding of time?
It is common knowledge that cats are intelligent creatures. But does their intelligence include the ability to tell what time it is by looking at the clock? Of course, the answer to that question is unequivocally No! Cats cannot interpret time like humans do, but they do have a sense of time.
Do cats have a sense of time?
As already established, cats are unable to experience time in the same way as humans do, but they have a peculiar understanding of time. While humans can read time using clocks and wristwatches, cats rely on biological and bodily cues to interpret time.
Felines like other animals and even humans possess an internal clock, also known as a biological clock, which is governed by the circadian rhythm to guide their interpretation of time.
Besides the natural wake and sleep pattern that is influenced by the biological clock, consistent habits and established routines also impacts the feline’s prediction of time.
Also, while humans can categorize events and incidents with when they occurred, felines can only decode details about what happened and where. No evidence suggests that cats can tell apart events according to “when” they happened.
In terms of memorability, humans can recall memories of these events that happened in the past; whether minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years ago. But felines tend to record events and recall memories that are particularly associated with emotions – pain or pleasure. That is why, for instance, a cat can always remember the usual location for where its food bowl or litter box.
However, studies and observations indicate that felines do have an excellent long term memory. They can recall the faces of their favourite people, those who feed, pet and take care of them. They can also remember other animal companions and even people who irritate or annoy them. The little furry friends can also recall past lessons and adapt the same to their present, especially if there is a reward or pain attached to it.
Cats: Creatures Of Habit And Routine
Anyone who owns a cat or have lived in a home where a cat is part of the family can attest to the fact that felines tend to stick to established schedules. If you are consistent with any routine, it becomes permanently etched in your cat’s “mind” as something that happens at specific times.
Do cats have a sense of time passing?
Once cats have marked when certain events happen daily, they swiftly adjust to the time. And this is the reason they can be quite precise with timing. If you keep to a specific wake up schedule each day, your cat will mark that as your waking up time, and might even take up the role of an alarm clock by waking you up at that time or some minutes earlier, each day. It is also the same with mealtime if you usually feed your cat dinner at a particular time, every day. He will notice that a delay any day the meal is served later than usual. And the routine feeding maintenance gets even more accurate with felines that have sensitive stomach issues as they may throw up bile and gastric juices which have been released into their stomach in anticipation of a meal to act on when their meal is delayed.
Overall, felines have a sense of time which is different from the human’s interpretation of time. The natural workings of their biological clock, as well as established patterns and structures greatly influence their perception and understanding of time.
