My dog is sitting in the family room. I am in the kitchen. A large
mirrors on the wall allows us to see each other. I wave my arms frantically, but I can not catch my dog's attention.
My cat is similar. I barely catch its attention, but it just briefly glances in the direction of my reflection, seemingly unable to zero-in on where the motion is coming from, then loses attention.
If I stood where either animal could directly see me, they'd both come running to me when I waved my arms like that.
But my friend's dog barks at itself in the mirror.
I can't rapidly distinguish between a mirror's reflection and reality. I've been in restaurants before, where there was a full wall mirror, thinking that the restaurant was twice as large until I paid a little more attention. The reflection of someone waving their arms would certainly catch my attention.
Are my pets just smarter than me, or do mirrors just work differently for animals?
