18 thoughts on “Cat tries to open the Door to Summer”

  1. There will definitely not be any more snow this winter, because the winter season has ended. It is now spring. There might be snow this spring!

    Onward!

    John

  2. I assume the title of this post is an intended reference to the Robert Heinlein novel?

    1. I was wondering the same thing. It’s a nice image and AFAIK original with Heinlein, right?

    2. I loved the book Door Into Summer by Heinlein. I know my corgis are looking for this at times but it really is a cat thing.

    1. Shoot. Click button & thought I’s erased that “sent from” vanity Apple burdens us with.

  5. I’m struck by how sentient the organism starring in the video seems to be. It seeks to get outside but finds an obstacle. It explores possibilities and ultimately discovers that the obstacle is made of pretty flimsy stuff that can be rearranged to provide egress. It works at the task assiduously for some time, with withering over-the-shoulder glances back at the camera as if saying “Get a damn shovel, eh?” but then returns to the task on its own.

    Having carved a small valley towards freedom, the organism surveys progress in its task– not much. “Well screw it, I’m just going to rough it”. It takes off overland and quickly realizes that’s a really bad plan and makes a feeble effort to resume efforts at excavation, efforts that are abandoned in short order, opting instead to return to the warm confines of home.

    I recount the details of the video only to make the point that “lower” animal species are clearly sentient and with sentience, to my mind, comes the capacity not just for problem solving, but for introspection as well. The creationists are always banging-on about “Where does morality come from if not from the ancient texts we hold hold sacred?”

    Personally, I’m good with morality being just another by-product of sentience with empathy as a value-added bonus for the rest of us.

    So then are the capacities for morality and empathy evolved traits or merely contingent outcomes of sentience/self-awareness? I lean heavily towards the latter model but I’m interested in the thoughts of other denizens of this web site.

  6. But did the Cat try all the other doors ?

    One of them could have been the door into summer.

    1. Is it behind Door number 1, Door number 2 or Door number 3? This is the door it picked. We’re stuck with moar winter.

  7. I had no idea cats did this with snow. I have noticed both my cats (Chairman Meow and The Floofy) doing this sort of action at the end of the bath when they jump in looking for the tap to be turned on for a drink, but I had no idea why. Maybe they’re thinking it looks snowy and this it the appropriate action.

  8. It’s the same digging action they use for covering up (or spreading around) their crap in the kitty tray (or kids’ sandpit, builder’s sandpile, or wherever). Also for opening doors in general. In that sense, it’s a ‘fixed action pattern’ with a range of applications, including symbolic ones when combined with a bit of ‘theory of mind’ (e.g. awareness that someone is watching and may be able to do something about the door). Also, adorably cute.

  9. I used to have a cat that would try both the front and back doors. Snow in back? I’ll go out the front. Damn! It’s here too!

    Jessie also had the charming notion that the way from the front yard to the back yard was through the house. She would meow to come in, make a beeline to back door, and meow to go out.

  10. As a Kiwi transplanted to NorCal, may I say:
    (1) Sorry it’s been miserable in Chicago (I have a nephew and family living there, so I really do sympathize); and
    (2) Moar rain hear (though it has rained today; and my cat is an indoor tabbysynian, and is probably asleep somewhere, since I can’t see her)

  11. That is not a happy cat, is it? I’ve done the wading-through-chest-deep-snow thing more often that I really want to. It’s almost enough to make you learn to ski.

  12. Enjoy your balmy weather in Chicago. We have a blizzard watch for Monday and Tuesday here in western Minnesota.

Comments are closed.