Do domestic cats actively seek out fun? Do they have a concept in their minds about the idea of fun and entertaining themselves? Or is it all instinctive when they play? Are they simply enacting the hunting process when they pounce and play with balls of paper or some other commercially made toy? The video on this page seems to confirm fairly conclusively that domesticated cats can sometimes seek out ways to entertain themselves and have fun. I don’t see any other way of explaining the video. Perhaps this cat just liked the feeling of sliding down this child slide. It doesn’t really matter because whatever the motivation is, its enjoyable. If a cat seeks out enjoyment like that it is looking for fun.
I’ve seen this before in a different context. I’ve seen a domestic cat sliding down the steps of stairs inside a home rather than walking down them. I thought for a time that the cat was disabled and therefore the only way he or she could get down was by sliding step-by-step. Having seen this video my opinion has changed.
My hunch is that the reason why this cat enjoys using this child’s slide is because it feels good on their body. It’s a bit like being stroked by a person. It’s a bit like a big lick from a big cat. The sensation on their skin through the fur probably feels nice. That’s my current thinking on this.
I don’t think this cat is using the slide because they enjoy the idea of sliding down which is the reason why kids like slides. I would find it hard to believe that a cat would enjoy that particular process but it might be true.
I said before that the domestic cat’s anatomy is very similar to ours and therefore we should be encouraged to believe that their brain, albeit smaller, is also similar to ours in its functioning. We are learning about the emotions that cats feel and there is a general awakening and enlightenment about the features of sentience of domestic cats; the likes, dislikes, fears, the fun, the pain, the distress, the happiness and sadness. They all feature in the life of the domestic cat.
We don’t know where the video was made. It doesn’t matter actually. The cat appears to be a stray but domesticated.
CAT PLAY:
