Not a full Boopsie update, but just some thoughts

[xiphias]

While Boopsie was staying with felis_sidus while we were in Florida, Boopsie started on a quarter-tablet of Pepsid to help with stomach acid, which may be one of the reasons she's not been eating.

Boopsie doesn't like getting pills -- she'll struggle and resist a bit. However, she ALSO will remind me if it's time for her pill. See, as much as she doesn't really LIKE the pills, she is, in some way, aware that it's good for her. Basically, she trusts me, Lis, and felis_sidus -- and she figures, if one of us does something like that, there's a good reason for it.

So, tonight was the first time I gave her the Pepsid. And she took it, and then walked over to her food bowl to nibble a little at it.

It really looked like a thought process -- "I've now had the thing which makes my stomach hurt less, so I will now eat." That she associated the pill with feeling better and with being able to eat.

Well, first, of course, I hope that it's working and DOES work like that. But there are a couple interesting, more general ideas this raises.

Boopsie identifies "Thing Trusted Person Has Done" and "Me Feeling Better". And she identifies "Pill That Makes My Stomach Feel Better" with "Stomach Feels Better."

Is it possible for a cat to have placebo effect benefits? Do cats have that level of cognition?

And, if they do, should animal drug tests be double-blind? Are they already?

Comments

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

chief_operator has a great story that seems to demonstrate cats feeling guilt and persecution (ever punish a cat that *hasn't* done something wrong? see how mopey they get?), which would indicate the ability to form expectations based on chains of events. This in turn would seem to be a prerequisite for placebo effects. So yeah, maybe...

wispfox and jasra's newly diabetic cat definitely is all about the needle and the insulin so it could feel better. It seemed to be clear on the "I get needle, I get pettings, I feel better on the days this happens" concept when I was over there.

Makes me wonder how much can be compressed into their tiny brains!