I think the scientific causus nowadays is that the mirror test is not sufficient for cats because we don’t know if they don’t recognize themselfs or just don’t care
My headcanon is that the cat assumed that it looked human up to that point and experienced a major existential crisis when it saw itself in the mirror.
There’s a youtube clip where a cat looked at the mirror and started touching its own ears the moment it saw them in the mirror.
https://youtu.be/kQBHB682xsQ
The fact that at least some cats are intelligent enough to recognize themselves in a mirror is a wonderful thing.
I think the scientific causus nowadays is that the mirror test is not sufficient for cats because we don’t know if they don’t recognize themselfs or just don’t care
My headcanon is that the cat assumed that it looked human up to that point and experienced a major existential crisis when it saw itself in the mirror.