David GrimmEbisu may be the world’s first literal copycat. Researchers have shown that the Japanese feline can imitate the actions of her owner under controlled scientific conditions.
The ability has only been seen in a handful of creatures, and the find could suggest that imitation arose relatively early in mammal evolution.“It’s really exciting,” says Kristyn Vitale, a cat cognition researcher and animal behaviorist at Unity College. “People think of cats as solitary and antisocial,” she says. “But this study reinforces the idea that they’re watching us and learning from us.”The find came about via a lucky happenstance.