# 5 Feline Intelligence Tests You Can Try at Home Source: https://iqcat.vercel.app/en/blog/cat-iq-test-at-home Published: 2026-08-20 / Updated: 2026-08-25 Publisher: NekoIQ (https://iqcat.vercel.app) Tags: 猫, 知能, IQ, 認知科学 > Can you test your cat's IQ at home? Here are five observation tasks adapted from real research — name discrimination, hidden-object memory, inference from sound, and more — plus how to read the results honestly. ## Key takeaways - What you can run at home are research-derived observation tasks, not a scored intelligence test. - Five accessible tasks: name discrimination, hidden-object memory, inference from sound, pointing comprehension, and the slow blink. - A cat that does not respond is usually unmotivated rather than unintelligent. - Stop immediately if your cat is too hungry, tired, or unwilling, and keep every session short and playful. Plenty of people want to measure their cat's intelligence at home. First, a premise: cats have no scored test comparable to human IQ (see [what human age a cat's IQ corresponds to](https://iqcat.vercel.app/en/blog/cat-iq-human-age)). What follows are observation tasks modeled on published experiments. Treat them as play that reveals what your cat responds to, not as scoring. ## 1. Can your cat pick out its own name? In the design used by [Saito and colleagues (2019)](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40616-4), four general nouns of similar length and stress are read out in sequence, followed by the cat's name. If responses fade across the repeated words and then the ears or head move at the name, your cat may be discriminating its name from the other words. Keep your voice calm and your intonation identical throughout. Raising your pitch only for the name means the cat responds to the pitch change, not the name. ## 2. How long does it remember a hidden object? A simplified version of the task in [Fiset and Doré (2006)](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-005-0005-4). Hide a treat or toy behind a box in full view of your cat, then let it search after 0, 30, and 60 seconds. In the study, accuracy dropped rapidly between 0 and 30 seconds but stayed above chance at 60. Vary the hiding place each time, or your cat will simply learn the location. Background research is covered in [how good a cat's memory is](https://iqcat.vercel.app/en/blog/cat-memory). ## 3. Does it infer contents from sound? [Takagi and colleagues (2016)](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1001-6) used containers that either rattled or stayed silent when shaken. When the sound and the contents did not match, cats looked at the container longer. At home, put a small ball in a container, shake it gently, tip it over, and watch where your cat looks. Keep the shake very light — a loud noise only frightens the cat. ## 4. Does it follow a human point? [Miklósi and colleagues (2005)](https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7036.119.2.179) reported no significant difference between dogs and cats on finding food from a pointed-at container. Set out two identical containers, bait only one, and point. Moving toward the indicated side is a sign that your cat can use the social cue. Rub the same treat scent on both containers so your cat cannot solve the task by smell alone. ## 5. Does it return a slow blink? [Humphrey and colleagues (2020)](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73426-0) found that cats produced more half-blinks and eye narrowing when their owners slow-blinked at them, and were more likely to approach an experimenter after a slow-blink interaction. Sit at a slight distance, avoid staring head-on, narrow your eyes slowly, close them, and open them gently. This tests communication rather than intelligence. Related work is collected in [how much cats understand about people](https://iqcat.vercel.app/en/blog/cat-communication-humans). ## How to read the results First, non-response is not an absence of ability; cats are repeatedly reported as weakly motivated to keep working on tasks. Second, never judge from a single trial — health, hunger, and a stray noise easily change the outcome. Third, stop the moment your cat shows reluctance. These tasks also say nothing about which breed is superior (see [are smartest-cat-breed rankings real](https://iqcat.vercel.app/en/blog/smartest-cat-breeds)). The full picture of feline cognition research is organized by topic in [can a cat's IQ be measured?](https://iqcat.vercel.app/en/cat-iq). ## If you want a test that actually produces a score For a score and a ranking, test the human side. The [free NekoIQ IQ test](https://iqcat.vercel.app/en/start) measures spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, logical inference, and classification in 20 questions and about 10 minutes, scoring with item response theory (IRT) to produce an estimated IQ, deviation score, and national ranking. Results are estimates for self-understanding and are not a substitute for an official intelligence test. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I test my cat's IQ at home? No formal scored IQ test for cats exists. You can try observation tasks modeled on published research, but treat the outcome as a tendency rather than a number. ### My cat ignores the task — does that mean it is not smart? No. Cats are well documented as being weakly motivated to participate in tasks, so non-response reflects interest, health, and environment far more than ability. ### How often can I run these tasks? A few minutes at a time, once or twice a day. Stop at once if your cat flattens its ears, lashes its tail, or walks away. ## Disclaimer NekoIQ provides estimates for entertainment and self-understanding. It is not a medical, clinical, or official psychological assessment. Percentages are derived from a normal distribution with mean 100 and SD 15.