# Can you herd cats? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643 "2013-12-18T14:05:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/1 "2013-12-18T14:05:10Z")
My daughter uses this expression when tasked with the impossible. Like trying to get her husband to clean house. “It’s like herding cats”. So, I dogpiled “herding cats”. Came up with this… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Pk7yqlTMvp8/hqdefault.jpg "cowboys herding cats") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/2 "2013-12-18T14:18:02Z")
Of course you can, it just takes 2.4 Border Collies per cat. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/3 "2013-12-18T14:33:35Z")
Depends on the size of your “herd”. We used to take our indoor cats outside on excursions. At first we used leashes, but the casts didn’t like these \*. We eventually just let them go free. We would always keep them together and in sight at the same time. One person, with practice, could do this. So we did, indeed, herd cats. If two cats can constitute a herd. \*The cats responded to the leashes by acting as if gravity had increased tenfold. They collapsed to the ground and could not, would not get up. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/4 "2013-12-18T15:24:50Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > We used to take our indoor cats outside on excursions. At first we used leashes, but the casts didn’t like these \*. > > \*The cats responded to the leashes by acting as if gravity had increased tenfold. They collapsed to the ground and could not, would not get up. Cats seem to respond to contact with their fur in the same way that we respond involuntarily to our inner ear: it’s involuntary, automatic, just about impossible to consciously override that automatic response. If an object is in contact with them - be it a leash, collar, or [duct tape](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8czc1xZ4S1A) - they regard it as an immovable object that they have to avoid. Duct tape on their back? As far as they’re concerned, they are in a low-headroom area and need to stay down. On their belly? They have to climb over it. As far as herding cats…I don’t think you can rely on [herding/schooling behavior](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_instinct) to help you. If you’ve ever watched a border collie herding sheep, or cowboys herding cattle, you can see that the animals really want to stick together. In fact the herding instinct is so strong that when you want to separate one particular cow from the herd, it takes a specially trained horse - [a cutting horse](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_67Dj02PqM) - to prevent that cow from rejoining the herd. So if you want to get a bunch of cats to go in the same direction, your only recourse is to reduce their options to zero. Put them in a hallway, and stand at one end screaming, and sure, you’ll end up with a “herd” of cats at the far end of the hallway. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/5 "2013-12-18T15:28:37Z")
Relevant username here - I picked it back when I owned ferrets, and because ferrets have the attention span of toddlers on an espresso bender. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/6 "2013-12-18T15:32:15Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Cats seem to respond to contact with their fur in the same way that we respond involuntarily to our inner ear: it’s involuntary, automatic, just about impossible to consciously override that automatic response. If an object is in contact with them - be it a leash, collar, or [duct tape](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8czc1xZ4S1A) - they regard it as an immovable object that they have to avoid. Duct tape on their back? As far as they’re concerned, they are in a low-headroom area and need to stay down. On their belly? They have to climb over it. > > As far as herding cats…I don’t think you can rely on [herding/schooling behavior](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_instinct) to help you. If you’ve ever watched a border collie herding sheep, or cowboys herding cattle, you can see that the animals really want to stick together. In fact the herding instinct is so strong that when you want to separate one particular cow from the herd, it takes a specially trained horse - [a cutting horse](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_67Dj02PqM) - to prevent that cow from rejoining the herd. > > So if you want to get a bunch of cats to go in the same direction, your only recourse is to reduce their options to zero. Put them in a hallway, and stand at one end screaming, and sure, you’ll end up with a “herd” of cats at the far end of the hallway. There must be more to it than that. Cats respond to other things in different ways. For instance, I saw a comic once about “costumes for cats”. One of them was “the backwards-walking elephant”. To make it, you simply slip a sock over your cat’s head. The cat tries to back out of it (hence the name). But the cat DOESN’T go low to the ground, despite the foreign object in contact with it. I showed this to Pepper Mill. She laughed, then said. “That’s cruel. Don’t do it. But, if you do, let me know in advance.” I did. We tried it out. It works – Backwards Walking Elephant. But not Backwards Crawling Elephant. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/7 "2013-12-18T15:35:17Z")
Who knew EDS had a sense of humor? When my brother worked for them, the only thing that passed for a joke among them was “You can wear any color shirt you want as long as it’s white.” ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/8 "2013-12-18T15:50:13Z")
You can try, but they don’t thunder like turtles. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/9 "2013-12-18T16:10:33Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There must be more to it than that. Cats respond to other things in different ways. > > For instance, I saw a comic once about “costumes for cats”. One of them was “the backwards-walking elephant”. To make it, you simply slip a sock over your cat’s head. The cat tries to back out of it (hence the name). But the cat DOESN’T go low to the ground, despite the foreign object in contact with it. What you describe is consistent with what I was saying, and what is shown in the duct tape video: the cat tries to move away from the object, whichever direction that may be. Duct tape on top? Cat stays low. Duct tape on belly? cat tries to climb over it. Duct tape on left side? Cat stumbles to right. Sock on cats face? Cat tries to back out/away from it. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/10 "2013-12-18T16:29:40Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > So if you want to get a bunch of cats to go in the same direction, your only recourse is to reduce their options to zero. Put them in a hallway, and stand at one end screaming, and sure, you’ll end up with a “herd” of cats at the far end of the hallway. Forget screaming, just put a vacuum at one end. [![](https://i.imgur.com/removed.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/removed.png) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/11 "2013-12-18T17:19:42Z")
One phenomenon noticed during the [Peshtigo Fire](http://www.damninteresting.com/the-forgotten-fire/) was the self-herding cats. It seems they’ll do it, and they’ll do it on their own; but the entire world has to be on fire to make it happen. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/12 "2013-12-18T17:24:13Z")
I remember hearing a story (I don’t remember where, except that it was from a friend) about someone who had a border collie puppy. They took it to the vet for its checkup, and in the waiting room was a litter of kittens running around loose. The puppy, responding to its instincts, tried to herd the kittens together into a group, with predictable results. Apparently the poor thing just gave up and sat in the middle of the room, whining, while the kittens went about their business. 🙂 I have no idea if it’s a true story, but I think I would pay to see a YouTube video of it if it were. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/13 "2013-12-18T17:59:57Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > What you describe is consistent with what I was saying, and what is shown in the duct tape video: the cat tries to move away from the object, whichever direction that may be. Duct tape on top? Cat stays low. Duct tape on belly? cat tries to climb over it. Duct tape on left side? Cat stumbles to right. > > Sock on cats face? Cat tries to back out/away from it. But then why did the cats go low when the harnesses we had them in were all around them? Backing up might be understandable, but not moving downwards – the harnesses went around their bellies as well. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/14 "2013-12-18T18:49:24Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > But then why did the cats go low when the harnesses we had them in were all around them? Backing up might be understandable, but not moving downwards – the harnesses went around their bellies as well. I’ve seen videos of cats that have somehow been placed in form-fitting sweaters ([here’s a few thousand such videos](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cat+sweater&sm=3)). I’d guess it’s the equivalent of sensory overload, i.e. they perceive themselves to be surrounded by objects and simply fall to a heap. It’s not that they’re trying to get low, it’s just that they’re kind of, um, deactivated. Check out some of the videos: the cats aren’t hunkering down, they’re falling over, almost as if they’re paralyzed. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/15 "2013-12-18T18:59:02Z")
You need a special tool for herding cats, it’s called a treat bag or bottle when you shake it they will all generally run in the direction of the noise. This can be risky for the treat shaker depending on the size of the herd. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/16 "2013-12-18T19:36:22Z")
Well, _I_ can, but I’m not sure about the rest of you. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/17 "2013-12-18T19:52:44Z")
I don’t know about herding them, per se - but open a can of food and they sure as heck come running! I will also say that our two cats have bonded with me - and when I am away for a day or two on business, then come home, they follow me around. It’s pretty funny - - I go upstairs, they come upstairs. - I empty the suitcase while they climb all over it - I take one or two things into the master bathroom on that floor, they run ahead of me and roll around on the warm bathroom floor (we got radiant heat installed when we finally redid it a few years ago) - I grab my dirty laundry and take it downstairs to the basement, they run down ahead of me - I come back up to the first floor into the kitchen, they rocket ahead of me - I sit down to watch a bit of TV, they both climb onto my stretched-out legs and settle down - I go to bed, they fall asleep at my feet So - not herding, but pretty damn funny… ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/18 "2013-12-18T19:52:51Z")
Oh, and I’m not sure if rabbits can be herded themselves, but they have been known to [herd sheep now and then](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeuL5IGimCQ). ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/19 "2013-12-19T00:19:36Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Cats seem to respond to contact with their fur in the same way that we respond involuntarily to our inner ear:\*\* it’s involuntary, automatic, just about impossible to consciously override that automatic response.\*\* If an object is in contact with them - be it a leash, collar, or [duct tape](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8czc1xZ4S1A) - they regard it as an immovable object that they have to avoid. Duct tape on their back? As far as they’re concerned, they are in a low-headroom area and need to stay down. On their belly? They have to climb over it. But I’ve seen people walking a cat on a leash, so it can’t be that hard to train out of them. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643/20 "2013-12-19T00:50:39Z")
“Can you herd cats?” That grammar’s wrong! “Have you heard cats,” is right. (Apologies to Walt Kelly) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-herd-cats/676643.md?page=2)