19. The cat traits

Although cats appear to perform most actions instinctively, they also seem to react to human behaviour and adapt themselves to it. For instance, some cats behave as if they understood their owners' feelings. One cat owner told of the time, when she lay crying and exhausted on her bed. And her cat put its front legs around her head and comforted her. Cats also sometimes appear to be able to understand the function of many of the things human beings use. For example, some cats when they bring a captured bird or mouse into the house put it on a plate or  in a dish.  There are also cats who know how open a door by turning the handle. Furthermore, a lot of cats seem to understand what their owners say. A writer tells a story of her cat who used to sleep on top of her word processor. At first when the cat's tail got in the way of the screen, the owner would push its tail away and say "Move your tail please". Eventually she didn't have to push the tail but only had to tell the cat to move it.