Everybody knows what a copycat is…but do we cats actually copy each other (and perhaps other family members we live with, including humans?). The answer is yes! And you can use this penchant for cats’ mimicry in variety of different, helpful ways.
The Origins of the Term Copycat
Copycat as a phrase has origins that date back less than 150 years. Author Constance Cary Harrison used it in her semi-autobiographical short story collection, Bar Harbor Days. In fact, the definition is right there: “Our boys say you are a copy cat, if you write in anything that’s been already printed.” A few years later, another Maine based author, Sarah Orne Jewett, also used the phrase in her books, thus copycatting Harrison.
The truth, however, is that they weren’t thinking of cats at all when using this phrase! Until sometime in the mid-20th century, “cat” was often used as a derogatory term. (In the early jazz era, musicians began to use it to refer to their fellow players.) While people now have other derogatory phrases for each other, copycat has stuck.
Are Cats Really Copycats?
Imitation, or mirroring, is how many species learn as youngsters. So it is with kittens, who learn by imitating their mothers. And as they reach adulthood, the desire to mimic helps with social bonding and emotional connections — to other cats, and also to humans.
The most well-known example of copycatting is that house cats tend to meow more often than feral cats. That’s because humans communicate with speech, and cats discover that vocalizing helps them interact with their people. Feral cats have other, usually nonverbal cues that they use for communication. (Interestingly, the peach kitty does both because he interacts with both humans and with his feral family.)
Your cat will also imitate what you do because they want to share their time with you. If you’re curled up in front of the TV, they may come and curl up with you. But it’s not always positive. If you’re scared, anxious, or stressed out, your cat will be too.
Anyone who lives with cats should keep in mind that the things you do and the way you react will affect your cat’s behavior.
When Cats Copycat Each Other
Even as adults, cats imitate and learn from each other. When you bring a new cat into the household, part of settling in usually involves watching the behavior of the cats already living there. And they will often imitate the behavior of those cats as a way of fitting in.
This goes for both good and bad behavior. If one cat figures out how to manipulate their human for extra treats or attention, there’s a good chance another cat observing it will give it a try too! This explains why Binga had no problem wearing dresses or wearing a harness. She saw me doing it (and getting rewarded), so she did it too. Except she did it in the most annoying way possible because, well, tortitude.
Using Copycatting as a Learning Tool
As you see, you can use a cat’s mimicry to your advantage, especially if you have two or more cats. If you are trying to teach one to, say, walk with a harness and leash, focus on that one cat, but let another cat watch. When the cat being taught starts catching on and getting rewarded, the other cat will figure out that this may be a good thing. So once you’ve trained one cat, teaching the other cat should be much easier. You can use this in any sort of training situation.
It even works with community cats, including friendly ferals. My human has used copycatting in relation to the peach kitty. Whenever she sees he’s outside, she immediately picks me up and starts petting and kissing me. That way he understands that human contact is safe and possibly even pleasurable. He learned to eat treats out of her hand by watching me do it.
The funniest thing the peach kitty has learned by imitation is that I’m led around on my leash! He’s seen my human do it, and every so often, he will try to grab the leash in his teeth and pull me away.
So there you have it, not only are cats copycats, it’s a good thing! Have your cats ever mimicked each other — or you? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
