Dubai: A Persian cat in a Dubai home could soon earn the distinction of being the world’s smartest, as he purrs his way into the spotlight with his uncanny intelligence.
The one-year-old Lord Amber, owned by Indian expat Chandru Mahtani, has been gaining a lot of social media attention after a Facebook page dedicated to him posted a demo of his extraordinary ability to memorise images and recall them on command earlier this week.
With the touch of his paws, the cat can not only identify his toys but also differentiate between his owner’s model cars, Star Wars characters, world flags and chemistry symbol flash cards, acute and obtuse angles, and even some elements of the periodic table.
“Though appearances might suggest that Lord Amber is nothing more than 4kg of fluff and cute gestures, don’t be fooled, this pint-sized Persian can recall trivia with an accuracy that would put most high school graduates to shame,” said Hayley Strifler, a Dubai-based positive reinforcement trainer, who has been working with him since he was eight months old.
“It’s not uncommon for cats to behave intelligently, but most cat owners admit training them is no mean feat. We started off training Ambie as a kitten with simple tricks like ‘high five’ and ‘sit pretty’, but quickly realised how intelligent he was and thought we’d keep going and see how much he could learn. We’re still discovering what more he can absorb each day.”
Time and patience
Strifler said it has taken a lot of time and patience to reach the point where Amber is today. “Cats are incredibly intelligent, which isn’t always helpful when training. Sometimes, Amber doesn’t want to train. Sometimes, he is bored or restless and sits in his tunnel for half of our session. Sometimes, he just feels like taking a nap … but that is okay.”
Mahtani is still coming to terms with the growing public attention to the video which shows Amber responding to stimuli on Strifler’s command. “For so long, we had been raving about what incredible intelligence our cat had, but before we were able to capture it on video, I am sure everyone just assumed that we were crazy.”
Strifler said the training entailed mutual understanding between Amber and herself. “Amber enjoys training so much because he does so of his own free will. There is no force or pressure involved. At the end of the day, he doesn’t really need to know the difference between a Corvette and a Porsche, but we do it because it’s a bit of fun. Training should always be fun.”
Mahtani agrees. “Amber is first and foremost a cherished member of our family and we love him dearly. If he does tricks and enjoys them, fantastic, but we adore him either way.”
Strifler and Amber are now working on identifying Amber’s loved ones from photos. “We currently have an application in for a Guinness World Record and hope to have some exciting news for us in 2017,” said Strifler.
To watch Amber’s video, go to www.facebook.com/lordamberdubaiceleberity
