Do Cats Recognize Themselves in the Mirror? Here’s What the Science Says

Has your cat ever seen their reflection? How did they react? Some cats might be alarmed and puff their fur up, while others might not have a reaction at all.  

So do cats recognize themselves in the mirror? Let’s take a look at what the science says.   

Can Cats Recognize Themselves in the Mirror?

Understanding that you are the person staring back at you in the mirror may seem obvious, but it’s a feat of mental gymnastics that you probably didn’t develop until you were 18 to 24 months old. Scientists have used the mirror-self recognition test (also called the MSR or mark test) to assess self-awareness in humans and animals for decades.  

How the test is run varies slightly from study to study, but MSR tests work by exposing animals to mirrors. Once the animal is used to the mirrors’ presence, the researcher places a marker, like a sticker or a patch of dye, on a part of the animal’s body they can’t readily see (their face or neck, for example).  

If the animal investigates the visible mark on their body while looking at themselves in the mirror, they are said to pass the MSR test. In other words, they saw something unusual on their body when they looked in the mirror and reacted in a way that showed understanding that their reflection was their own image. 

Some animals, such as great apes, elephants, dolphins, and magpies, have passed the MSR test, but many others haven’t. While there haven’t been any rigorous mark tests involving cats, one recent study made use of YouTube videos and concluded that cats can’t recognize themselves in the mirror. 

What Do Cats Think When They See Themselves in a Mirror?

When you watch videos of cats seeing themselves in the mirror, it’s obvious they know that something important is going on. The cats’ body language falls into two categories:  

• Aggressive: The arched back, erect hair, and puffy tail flicking back and forth are all signs of agitation and aggression in cats. Often, cats show signs of aggression because they are scared and feel like they need to defend themselves. 

• Curious: Some cats don’t appear agitated but are simply curious. Their eyes are open wide, and their ears are pricked forward. 

While it’s impossible to know exactly what’s going through a cat’s mind when they see their reflection in a mirror, their reactions are similar to how cats respond when they are unexpectedly confronted by another cat.  

Their extra layer of confusion could be easily explained because, although they can see another cat, they can’t smell, hear, or touch them—a strange situation indeed if you can’t understand what the mirror is telling you.  

Are Cats Self-Aware?

However, it’s important to recognize that these types of tests have limitations. Just because cats don’t appear to understand that their reflection is an image of themselves doesn’t necessarily mean they completely lack self-awareness.  

Research involving rhesus monkeys, a species that had failed the MSR test in previous experiments, found that with training, some monkeys quickly tried to remove a mark from their face when they saw themselves in a mirror. 

The best thing about the MSR test is you can easily try it at home with your own cat. Here’s how: 

• Place a large mirror on the floor where your cat likes to spend a lot of time. 

• Let your cat get used to the mirror for at least a few days. 

• Cut out two small squares of clear tape. Leave one clear and color the other so it will clearly stand out when placed on your cat’s fur. 

• When you’re ready to perform the test, place the colored piece of tape on the bottom of your cat’s neck and the clear one nearby. 

• Put your cat in front of the mirror and watch how they react. 

• Cats who look at themselves in the mirror and quickly try to remove the colored piece of tape might be demonstrating self-awareness!