6 ms·
How do you know the cat isn't merely opting for the bowl that most-recently had food put in? Can you please test this and get back to us?
by 00117 9y ago
How do you know the cat isn't merely opting for the bowl that most-recently had food put in? Can you please test this and get back to us?
- zafka 9y agoI think this actually calls for a whole series of tests. Feel free to do a "show HN" with your test plan.
- a_c_s 9y agoBecause the cat doesn't switch bowls unless a bowl gets >2 scoops.
- ctchocula 9y agoOne way to test this would be to use a scoop that's 2x bigger than the other scoop, and putting in 3 scoops using the smaller scoop vs. 2 scoops of the bigger scoop.
- b5 9y agoTried that by using three half-ish full scoops against two full scoops. He always goes to the bowl which has had the highest number of scoops in it, even though it might actually have a lower quantity of food in it. He seems to be counting rather than comparing quantity, because his trigger is the other bowl getting +1 scoop versus his.
- Someone 9y agoYou need a tall but narrow scoop and a short but wide one (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_(psychology)#Liquid https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_(psychology)#Li...)
- b5 9y agoI've tried to catch him out like that with a couple of variation, and he always sticks with the bowl with most scoops. I'll put a single scoop in his bowl -- which he starts to eat straight away -- then three scoops in the other bowl, then a final scoop in his. He stays with the other bowl, which has had one extra scoop of food, even though his own bowl has had the most recent scoop added to it. If I put two scoops into his bowl, and two into the other, he stays with his bowl. He only switches when a third scoop goes into the other bowl. He's been consistent with this since I noticed him doing it, and I'm not sure how long before I noticed he was doing it that he started doing it.
- ericjang 9y agoThanks for the good science!