Friday, July 15, 2022

The Little Brain at Work

Hector is a smart fellow. I learned this early on in our acquaintance, but I see evidence of it all the time, usually when he is playing or attempting to get somewhere/food he should not be/have.

As an example, we were playing with a string-toy consisting of a stick, a string and a rather vague representation of a winged insect at the free end of the string. I would swing the pseudo-bug about and Hec would try to grab it. The rules are pretty simple. But the insect this time landed among other toys and was hidden from sight. I watched Hector look for it for several seconds, his green eyes darting about, his head moving. After a brief moment of indecision, he rejected the notion of searching further, and simply attacked the string. And why not? Pulling the line will bring the bug as surely as pulling the bug itself.

On the weekend, we were again playing, this time with a long, black shoe-string. Despite being even simpler than the string-toy, the shoe-string is preferred. Perhaps there is less artifice about the game. Anyway, at one point, I lay the string under a large box; I had one end beyond the near side of the box, while Hector tried to pull at the bit of string appearing from under the box at the far side. I pulled the string more and more toward me; it was disappearing under the box and, eventually, there was too little for the dark knight to seize. Thereupon, he rushed to my side of the box, where he found plenty of string to grab.

Hector observes and thinks; he considers possibilities and weighs options. There is a brain in that little furry head, and it is usually working.







19 comments:

  1. Hector is so adorable. I just can't believe that he hasn't been adopted yet.

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    1. Too many homeless cats and kittens, waiting in adoption centres. Does PAWS ever take any of its cats to pet stores for a day? An adoption event, I mean. Mind you, I'm not sure if they've started up again since COVID. But if you had that option, it might get Hector more exposure. ♥

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    2. That's baffled me, too. From what I've seen, most people looking to adopt would love a lively, playful, fun little guy like Hector. Is the pet adoption rate in your area slow in general, or is Hec just getting overlooked for whatever weird reason?

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    3. Undine, as the person responsible for returning telephone calls to our rescue-group - and from what I've seen on our local Facebook groups - I have to write that I've not seen so many cats being given up by their families as I have this year. And the number of kittens needing homes is greater, too. There is an excess of cats, more than ever, it seems, so the demand for adoptions is, I believe, low. As well, black cats don't get the attention others do.

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    4. Kim, we used to have an 'adoption room' at one pet-supply shop, but the shop closed. And we used to have a one-cat adoption event once a month at another shop, but that hasn't resumed since Covid. Hector would probably be a good candidate.

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    5. Not many pets are being adopted in my area lately. I think the horrible inflation we have right now is discouraging people from taking on what can be the considerable expense of a cat or dog. The local shelters are so full, they're begging people to adopt, or at least foster. It's so sad.

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  2. Hector would be such a joy to any new forever family...too bad we live SO far away...oh and we have doggies...

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  3. Not only is he handsome, he is intelligent too.

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  4. Hector's definitely very clever, and handsome and elegant too. The full kitty package! :-)

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  5. Ah! Bless him..!x
    Time to worry John..if he starts pulling books
    down off the shelves to read..! :).

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  6. Well all the people who are out there and not inquiring about Hector simply are missing out on a great cat. He's as handsome as he is intelligent.

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  7. Obviously, Hector would be an excellent hunter!
    No bug, bird, or mouse would be able to evade that brilliant brian.

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  8. Hector says he is handsome and smart! :)

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  9. I LOVE that! I have seen amazing acts of intelligence from at least 4 of my cats as well! Hector, you are THE bomb, my boy!

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  10. Smart boy! Especially that he knew to check the other side of the box for the string.

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