Do Cats Recognize Themselves In The Mirror?

Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

Have you ever noticed what happens when your cat walks in front of a mirror? Do they walk straight past without glancing at their reflection? Does the reflection catch their eye suddenly and make them jump?

Or perhaps, you’ve caught your cat attacking their reflection in the mirror? No matter their behavior towards the mirror, they don’t behave the way humans do! So, do cats recognize their reflection in the mirror? Do they have self-awareness? Let’s find out.

Do Cats Have Self-Awareness?

Cats have never demonstrated any behavior that suggests a sense of self, as explained here. It might be hard to imagine, but cats don’t recognize themselves when they see their reflection.

In fact, very few animals do. Studies by psychologist Gordon Gallup Jr have suggested that only humans, and a few sophisticated animals like orangutans, chimpanzees, orcas, dolphins, and elephants, recognize themselves in a mirror.

This has been tested using the mirror test or mark test, where a red dot is drawn somewhere on the animal’s body. If the animal searches for the dot on their body because they can see it in the mirror, this means they have passed the mirror test. Humans aren’t born with mirror self-recognition though, they will recognize themselves for the first time at around two years old.

A lack of self-awareness will be partially responsible for your cat not recognizing themselves in the mirror, as well as the fact that their markings will be reversed, but that’s not the whole story. Cats are very sensitive to noise and smell, and they’re usually acutely aware of everyone else in the room.

It’s pretty tricky, therefore, to surprise your cat by creeping up on them (unless they’re sleeping, of course). Even when they’re relaxing, cats remain half-aware of what’s going on around them, so that they can react to any sudden attacks from other animals.

You can find out more about this in our blog posts ‘why do cats sleep with their heads up?’ and ‘why does my cat sleep on me?’.

Therefore, if the cat from the mirror was actually in the room, your cat would be aware of them through their other senses. For the same reason, the cat won’t recognize the cat in the mirror as them because it doesn’t carry their scent.

How Do Cats Behave When They See Their Reflection In The Mirror?

Cats display a wide range of reactions when they spot themselves in the mirror. Let’s try to understand the reasons behind some common reactions:

1. They Play

Perhaps this cat looks into the mirror and sees a playmate. Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

If your cat approaches the mirror reflection and tries to give some playful bops with their paws, it might be that they’re craving playtime and would love more interaction with you. Why not grab one or two of their toys and spend some time having fun together?

If your cat seems bored and is looking for fun despite lots of attention from you, or if you can’t spare any extra time to play with them, consider getting a cat tree or activity center to keep them occupied.

2. They Attack

If your cat immediately attacks the front of the mirror, they might feel on edge or stressed. Similarly, if they’re feeling ill or under the weather, it could make them more grumpy and likely to lash out.

On the other hand, an aggressive reaction to their reflection is a completely reasonable response if you consider that another cat could make them feel threatened.

3. They Jump

As we mentioned, it’s quite rare for a cat to be shocked because they’re usually very aware of who’s occupying their immediate surroundings. So, you can imagine that if your cat is feeling confident and assured in their environment and then catches sight of another cat out of the corner of their eye, they’re bound to jump in shock!

4. They Allorub

Some cats start rubbing on the mirror when they catch sight of their own reflection. Perhaps they’re marking their territory to defend against the unknown cat, or maybe they just like what they see. Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

If they like what they see and feel friendly, they might start purring and allorubbing against the mirror. This is a sign of affection as well as a way of scent-marking to show that the new cat belongs to them.

However, if they allorub against other furniture, walls, or surfaces they could be making sure that their territory is marked so that there is no confusion about what’s theirs when the ‘new cat’ comes in.

5. They Investigate

Cats are curious by nature – as the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. Many curious cats will investigate and try to solve the mystery of the mirror if they see their reflection. They might try touching their reflection, calling out with a meow to the new cat in the mirror, or even searching behind the mirror to try to get to them.

Of course, if you were a cat and didn’t understand the concept of a reflection, a mirror would be pretty confusing.

6. They Ignore

Once a cat has become acclimated to the mirror’s presence, they’ll usually just ignore it. Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

Cats are also creatures of habit, and they learn quickly. So, if your cat regularly passes a mirror in the same place every day, they’re unlikely to keep giving a wild reaction. Pretty soon they’ll accept that they don’t understand the cat in the mirror but that they’re not a threat. You might notice that they stop looking at the mirror and can walk past without any hesitation.

Conclusion

Although, as humans, we understand how mirrors work and recognize our own reflection, this won’t have always been the case. Humans aren’t born with a sense of self and it takes a couple of years to develop that recognition.

So, perhaps it’s not so surprising that cats don’t have a sense of self after all. Next time you’re watching your cat behave strangely because of a mirror, you’ll be able to spot some of the reasons why.