Incredibly, the documentary Inside the Mind of a Cat manages to pack in some scientific and sociological information about the fascinating relationship between humans and cats. It’s a film for all cat lovers out there!
– Inside the Mind of a Cat Review Doesn’t Contain Spoilers –
Inside the Mind of a Cat – All Hail the Feline Wonder
Every time an animal documentary is released, it seems like it manages to knock the rest of the competition out. The latest from Netflix takes the science around felines and puts a new spin on it. Will this be another groundbreaking show, or are you going to need to give this one a pass? Let’s find out.
The cat. A domestic feline with a long list of royal titles, including cute, cuddly, carnivorous, independent, and aloof — to name a few. These animals are highly mysterious; we know them pretty well because of the internet and memes, but there is still so much we don’t know about them. There’s a reason this docuseries exists, though (pun intended); our furry friends may seem fickle on the outside, but that belies their complexity as prey animals reliant on keen abilities for survival.
In Inside the Mind of a Cat, we get to witness what made Grumpy Cat, Lil Bub and other famous cats go viral in their own right. The life behind a cat can be challenging, but this documentary helps us understand their behaviour and how they interact with people.
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The Furry Faces in the Documentary: Inside the Mind of a Cat Are Amazing
What’s not to love about cute kitties? I mean, don’t you want to squeeze them all? So, at first sight, this documentary seems like a no-brainer for anyone who is a fan of cats and cat-related content. However, if you’re expecting high stakes and fast action — maybe go elsewhere.
This one’s got more of a gentle pace, which is appropriate given review cat subjects that include curious kittens, playful adult cats, and a couple of cantankerous old cats (that are also adorable, even at their crankiest).
This is a captivating documentary on what makes the felines tick. It’s one of those gripping, heartwarming, and eye-opening wildlife trends that reveal what experts already know — cats are amazing.
Although hardly a blockbuster, Inside the Mind of a Cat provides real insight into what causes our feline friends to do the crazy things we see regularly. The documentary explores this through the experts who work with, research, study and observe cats and their wild counterparts in the wild.
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Inside the Mind of a Cat is Right Up the Alley for Every Cat Lover
Early into its run, the film focuses on why nature documentaries are so popular with viewers. They reveal essential facts and information that can be used to understand ourselves and our interactions with animals better.
While watching this documentary, it was easy to relate to all the cat owners in the room. At some point, we’ve all held a fur ball that doesn’t seem to be totally into us. In some ways, animals can give us as much joy as they can. The experts interviewed in this documentary are mainly scientists so you might expect an educational or dry delivery.
But these experts have a casual manner that we cat owners can dig. Also, they exclusively rely on science (not opinions) to help us discover more about our feline counterparts, which makes for an even more fascinating watch.
The film follows leading experts and scientists to explore how cats view their world — often without any regard for their human owners. But despite its name, this well-edited project looks at the top minds behind three notable experts trying to get to know our feline friends better.
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Stream It or Skip It?
Every animal lover needs to watch this cat-oriented film. Our feline companions are, indeed, the most mysterious creatures on the planet — but are they? If you’re on the prowl for a family-streaming-night watch, pounce on Inside the Mind of a Cat now, especially if you love all things feline.
Inside the Mind of a Cat is streaming on Netflix.
Mixed review from me. The pluses: The emphasis was on real research, and on the evidence for trainability and affiliative behavior. The people they interviewed were actual experts, as opposed to media personalities (the cat trainers, to me, count as experts as well). They took the subject seriously, as opposed to “Look at how cute, silly, bitchy, aloof cats are,” which we see so often in all media portrayals of cats.
But the two technical subjects they tackled, they got wrong—and it was clear from the way they presented them that the filmmakers did not actually understand what they were presenting.
First was classical (Pavlovian) conditioning. They described it accurately, but then they implied (without much clarity) that this is the kind of conditioning trainers use to train skills. Which, of course, is wrong. And they never mentioned the mechanism at work in actual skills training—operant conditioning.
Second was desensitization. Again, they described it accurately. And again, they got it entirely wrong (again, without much clarity) about how it is used. They set up the explanation of desensitization by asking what you do when you have a serious behavior problem with your cat. So they implied the answer is … desensitization? Which, of course, is wrong.
They interviewed all heavy-hitters for this film, any one of whom could have helped them understand these concepts and how they are used to influence behavior; could have viewed the film or even the script for accuracy before it was released. I am really tired of excusing mass-media for getting things wrong like this, because “at least they tried to do the science.” No no no. If you’re going to present something as “science,” you need to get the science right. They had access to a host of real experts. There’s no excuse.