What Are Cats Thinking?

> The dogs pawed at the bowl for a few seconds and then gave up, gazing up at their owners as if asking for help. The cats, on the other hand, rarely looked at their owners; they just kept trying to get the food.

This surprises me because my cat often seems to ask me for help. For example, if I leave a door closed (most cat owners will tell you that a cat cannot abide a closed door!), he'll spend a minute or two trying to open it himself - pawing under the door, clawing at the crack in the door frame, and nudging it with his head. When he concludes can't get in, he'll meow at the door, or in my direction. Then he'll walk nearer to where I am and meow again, while looking right at me. This seems pretty clear "I can't do this, so you help me" behavior. He also meows at me if I forget to scoop his litter box.

I wonder if the cat-dog difference in the case of this experiment is that cats are solitary hunters, whereas dogs are pack hunters. Trying to get food out of some kind of puzzle box doesn't sound like a general intelligence/social task as much as a hunting-type task. A cat asking for help hunting would be like a human asking for help chewing their food. It would never even cross your mind to ask for help doing this innately personal task of chewing the food you're about to swallow. I'm of the opinion that we underestimate just how social or intelligent cats are, so I'm pushing back on the idea that that experiment proves anything obvious. It is interesting, though!