Posted on 08/13/2021 7:02:57 PM PDT by BenLurkin
When given the choice between a freely available meal and a meal trapped inside a puzzle, scientists have found most animals, such as dogs, bears, pigeons, pigs, goats, mice, rats, monkeys and other primates, prefer to work for their food - a concept known as contrafreeloading.
When researchers provided a small sample of indoor cats with a food puzzle and a tray of food in a home environment, the pets ate more food from the free tray than from the puzzle. Even the most energetic individuals preferred to stick to the easy meal, according to activity sensors they wore during the study.
Eight cats never even bothered to touch the puzzle, despite having the opportunity to do so for 30 minutes, and none of the cats ate more food from the puzzle than from the open tray.
The results add weight to the findings from a small lab study, conducted in 1971...
In this historic experiment, six domesticated cats were trained to operate a food dispenser. They were then given the choice between the food puzzle and a free bowl of kibble in a laboratory setting.
Unlike every other animal that had been tested in similar ways, the cats in these experiments showed a clear preference for the free meal.
Now, it seems like even in a home setting, these creatures make the same choices, regardless of their sex, age or previous puzzle experience.
Beyond simple curiosity, researchers say it's worth finding out why cats do not seem to prefer a food puzzle over a free meal. The answer could help us appease the curiosity of our cats when they are stuck indoors, to increase their wellbeing all around.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencealert.com ...
Lol. I bought a puzzle feeder lady week and they looked at me like “are you serious.” Went right back to the store.
I’ve got friends that have a couple of young daughters. They make 4 or 5 meals each night because they indulge the kids. One wants chicken fingers. One wants noodles. The mother wants stir fry. The dad wants half a chicken. They cook 4 or 5 meals! Mostly ready-serve frozen stuff for the most part. I am very uncomfortable eating dinner with them because as I came up, you ate what mom cooked. No choice, except on maybe a special occasion but even then the choice one made was made for all.
See Post #20. Your hunter is impressive! :)
Cats are NOT democrats. They are definitely Republicans.
They like everything to be routine, orderly, and not change too much too quickly.
(If any animal is a ‘democrat’ critter, it’s dogs - and I love dogs. But they aren’t nearly as independent-minded as cats are.)
Some replies were close but this story is not about cats.
That was our choice growing up.
We always had two choices over the meal. Take it or leave it.
But if you left it, the choice was irrevocable because someone else would eat it.
We must be related. :o)
They should try this same experiment on all the humans that live and/ or work in D.C.
Closed parameters
None of them prefer “puzzles”
Absolutely none of them.❎
Qualitative senses. In themselves. Gifts
Olafactory opthamalogic
Probably just old enough sad to say.
I did a variation on that with my kids.
I used to make my own whole grain homemade bread, and we homeschooled, so I was well aware of the fact that people were getting blown in to DSS if someone claimed we were withholding food from the kids as punishment. So the take it or leave it option was risky.
But my bread was substantial and nutritious.
So, as the kids got older, they started this unfortunate habit of complaining about what I chose to make for dinner, which annoyed the heck out of me. They would ask and then groan and whine that they didn’t want it.
Well, one day, I had enough and told them that the next person who complained about what I was serving for dinner would get bread and water for dinner.
My son, the best eater in the house, was the one who complained. Maybe he forgot I said it, because it wasn’t like they didn’t know that I meant what I said.
So he got my homemade bread and water for dinner that night and not ONCE since that night did I ever hear another complain from ANYONE about what I cooked.
I can just imagine what was going through their heads as they ate dinner that night. Anything from * $*#&@, she meant it* to *I’m glad it wasn’t me who complained.*
We had a cat who proudly displayed a tiny mouse on our front porch. It’s tiny body had been snapped in a trap. Coily was fooling no one!
I had one years ago who brought a beat-up and dead mouse into my bed.
Cat looked so proud, I was sad when I flushed the thing - it probably would have pleased him more if I’d pulled out a knife and fork.
Had another cat who was always bringing dead locusts to the front porch.
In their little walnut brains, they think they’re doing something important. It’s an interesting impulse to observe in a so-called ‘dumb’ animal.
“As my Mom would say: “Eat it or go to bed hungry.”
When the step-monster would make beef tongue or liver, I chose hungry, and my dog under the table went to bed stuffed.
That’s true. A Republi-cat might do weird things once in awhile. But it won’t embarrass you with its behavior the way a Doggo-crat will.
LOL!
(If I could only teach my cats that when I’m on the pot, I don’t need them watching and helping out. I always ask them how they’d feel if I came and bothered them when they’re in the litter box. But I get no response...)
Dogs have family.
The only thing our cats, Coco and Charlie murder is their food..Charlie will eat all of Coco’s food if I let him.
They wouldn’t know a mouse if it bit them in the rear
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