Gizmo vs. the Babysitter

If you think people can play mind games, try Gizmo. Yeah, she’s that smart.

While there is no I.Q. test for cats per se, if there was, her results could quite possibly force Mensa to raise its standards.

Incidentally, there is an I.Q. test for dogs, from PoochIQ.com. Unfortunately, it’s not just about keeping up with the Jones anymore—it’s about keeping up with their dog Spot, too. But before you get bragging rights, your dog must first complete more than a dozen mentally rigorous exercises to gauge its intelligence in various areas ranging from short-term memory to problem solving skills.

Gizmo wouldn’t really call any dog that actually completes all 15 exercises intelligent at all. You see, cat-smarts is measured more by what they can get you to do for them, not the other way around.

For example, last time I left Gizmo with an in-home sitter I received a cell phone call shortly after I hit the road.

“Your cat keeps going in one room and crying, when I go in to check on her she moves into the other room and cries.”

Apparently, she had been going back and forth like this for some time—with the sitter in tow. I smiled.

Did she miss me? No. She was just having her fun.

Once Gizmo finds someone’s buttons, she’ll continue to work them like the remote control to the TV set. Like most cats, she enjoys working people. Call her a ‘people whisperer.’

Right now, it’s her vs. the babysitter again. Guess I’ll get a report card when I get home.