# Cat And Shell Game
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [January 16, 2013, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371 "2013-01-16T11:09:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/1 "2013-01-16T11:09:11Z")
Just coinicidence that he gets them right?
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUUT_aWPAsg)
Thanks
Q
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### Author:  [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/2 "2013-01-16T14:36:40Z")
I’m disappointed, I was hoping for a cat under a shell.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/3 "2013-01-16T14:40:49Z")
🙂
That’s cute. But I think the cat can hear the ball clink in the shell. Still though, that’s no small feat training a cat to do _anything._
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### Author:  [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/4 "2013-01-16T14:56:45Z")
_“No small feat”_
I love it, **Shakes**! :):)🙂
Quasi
PS: Here’s one without a bell: [Shell game gambling and winning Cat | Katze gewinnt beim Hütchenspiel | Chat qui joue au bonneteau - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EppdVuV0z8I)
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### Author:  [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/5 "2013-01-16T15:29:46Z")
Nice vid.
Gonna slide it over to MPSIMS, though.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/6 "2013-01-16T15:35:54Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#):
>
> _“No small feat”_
You mean paws.
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### Author:  [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/7 "2013-01-16T15:40:08Z")
Hate to be the sour puss, but I’m pretty sure the cat is just listening for the jingle. I’d be impressed if it was a soft toy under the cup.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/8 "2013-01-16T15:48:57Z")
Don’t fall for it. The cat is a shill, you’ll lose your shirt.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/9 "2013-01-16T16:00:32Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#):
>
> Hate to be the sour puss, but I’m pretty sure the cat is just listening for the jingle. I’d be impressed if it was a soft toy under the cup.
Refer to post 4.
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### Author:  [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/10 "2013-01-16T16:06:13Z")
I also thought it might be something with a scent.
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### Author:  [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/11 "2013-01-16T17:23:51Z")
> [@Shakes](#):
>
> Refer to post 4.
post 4 got it wrong atleast once.
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### Author:  [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/12 "2013-01-16T17:32:57Z")
> [@simster](#):
>
> post 4 got it wrong atleast once.
Plus a tinfoil ball would still make a noise.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/13 "2013-01-16T17:41:03Z")
> [@simster](#):
>
> post 4 got it wrong atleast once.
Cut him some slack. He’s a cat.
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### Author:  [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/14 "2013-01-16T19:12:05Z")
Well, if you’ll notice the post #4 kitty got fooled when his owner actually did lift 2 of the cups up to show them empty, so he got that whole pass wrong.
What I find unique is both cats’ reasoning abilities. (If that is what I am seeing). It appears that each cat knows what is expected of him/her and they follow through by choosing.
Quasi
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/15 "2013-01-16T19:50:50Z")
In terms of survival skills, this is pretty much right in a cat’s wheelhouse, isn’t it? If a cat is chasing a mouse and the mouse runs under something, the cat doesn’t think “oh no, my dinner has vanished from the face of the earth.” Well, maybe there used to be cats who thought that, but they starved to death. Today’s cats are descended from the cats who thought “nice try, Mickey, but I’m going to reach under that leaf and eat you.”
Finding little things that they want is what cats do.
It’s worth pointing out that the shell game is a scam because people use sleight of hand to make it look like the ball is somewhere it isn’t. The people playing with the cats aren’t doing that. And I don’t know if sleight of hand would work on a cat, anyway.
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### Author:  [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/16 "2013-01-17T03:31:14Z")
There’s also the [Clever Hans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clever_Hans) effect to account for. Animals are ridiculously good at reading body language - if the handler knows the right answer, they may be unconsciously telling the animal what it is. With a different handler, or a handler who doesn’t know the truth, their abilities evaporate.
I am still impressed that they got the cats to do anything!
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-and-shell-game/647371/17 "2013-01-17T04:11:28Z")
Cute.
You’ll notice the lazy assed cat is doing this laying down of course 🙂