There is a great article in TIME Magazine this week, in case you missed it.  Cover Story:  “What Animals Think.  New science reveals they are smarter than we realized.” by Jeffrey Kluger.  http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2008759,00.html

I’ve known they were smack-dabbin’ smart all along.  Here is a for instance.   We have a cat named Felix.  He has a toy dog we call “Butchie”….. he knows Butchie by name, I think.   Regardless, he LOVES his little toy dog.

And here’s the long story:  Felix lives mostly in the upper level of our home.  He doesn’t care for our real dogs.  Every evening, the dogs and the cats get a “can of catfood” as a treat.  They mostly split a couple of little cans.  These two empty cans will often remain on the floor during the night.  Next in the scenario:  There is a gate that blocks off the upper level steps, so Felix can jump and run and go as he pleases.  He pleases mostly at after dark.   Nearly every night, he picks up Butchie and brings him downstairs.  He positions Butchie by water bowls, food bowls, and most recently, near an empty cat food can.

I think he is “feeding” Butchie.  Think about the connection that is happening in Felix’s brain in this process.

Two recent Butchie sightings:  (For real.)