Cats are smart animals and will often pay attention to their surroundings. It’s common for a cat to imitate other cats when it comes to finding food, playing, and/or doing something that involves the environment around them (i.e. jumping). This is why you may ask, do cats copy each other?
Yes, cats can copy each other when it comes to movements, finding food, entertaining themselves, and/or just living life. It’s common for cats to imitate other cats.
In fact, a lot of cats will imitate humans as well!
Key factors include:
- Motivation
- Rewards
- Age of the Cat
When asking “Do cats copy each other?” you have to start with what causes a cat to mimic other cats. It has a lot to do with specific motivations or rewards that are coming from the other cat’s actions.
For example, let’s assume a cat is doing something and it is getting a treat as a result. This will cause the other cat to think twice about its approach and it might even mimic to get the same treat!
It is a natural reaction to wanting the same reward as the other cat. This is why cats do mimic other cats when given the opportunity to do so.
This article will answer “Do cats copy each other?” while concentrating on understanding what causes a cat to imitate another cat.
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Reasons Cats Copy Each Other
1. Motivation
Some cats are motivated by copying each other.
This has to do with keeping entertained, achieving specific results (i.e. getting food), and/or just trying to do the same as another cat around them.
This is seen both in the wild and indoors with domestic cats. There is no set rule when it comes to something like this and many cats will mimic each other from time to time.
When asking “Do cats copy each other?” you will already know specific cats have unique mannerisms that make them stand out. You will also notice other cats are going to do the same when they are nearby.
For example, let’s assume a cat wants to climb onto a cat tower. It might look at what another cat did and try to replicate the same behavior to climb as high as possible.
This is just the motivation of wanting something and copying another cat’s actions by any means necessary.
2. Learning Key Skills
It is important to note cats are going to learn by imitation.
They are not going to have classes to attend when it comes to how to survive in the wild. This means they have learn key life skills by imitating other cats in their litter and/or their mother.
This is a must when asking “Do cats copy each other?” because it does matter a lot.
A cat that is young will just be imitating because it is learning how to live. Without doing this, the cat isn’t going to have much of a chance of surviving for more than a few weeks!
Mother cats are often diligent when it comes to teaching cats how to live.
This is how they start to learn the process of hunting, eating, and/or just thriving in their environment. This is why anyone asking “Do cats copy each other?” has to start here.
3. Specific Rewards
There are training methods that are built around this idea of imitation.
The goal is to get one trained cat to do something in front of an untrained cat. Over time, they are going to learn there is a reward associated with copying what the other cat did.
This is how you are going to get through to your cat when training them.
It is the desire to get a reward that will keep them going.
Related Questions
1. Are Cats Copycats?
Cats are indeed copycats. They have an internal survival instinct to mimic what works best to survive. This includes copying how to hunt, eat, and/or live their life. Cats will often copy other cats, humans, and/or any other animal that is around them.
2. Do Cats Learn From Each Other?
Yes, cats do learn from each other. This starts from a young age when kittens mimic what the mother is doing whether it’s to hunt, eat, and/or survive.
Final Thoughts
“Do cats copy each other?”
Cats don’t mind copying each other andi it comes naturally to them from a young age. It starts when a kitten copies its mother to learn key life skills and carries on for the rest of their lives.
Here’s more on cats – reasons for cats jumping in fright, how far can a neutered cat go, reasons cat won’t eat wet food, and reasons for older kittens nursing.