I know everyone claims their pets are smart. Everyone thinks their cat is brilliant and way above average. But Gracie really is Einstein Kitty. Leia and Tigger are average with a touch of worry thrown in at times. Gracie is so not average.

It isn’t that she opens doors – the bathroom door included – or that she opens the cabinet where her treats are kept. It isn’t that she cuddles with Jessie to ensure “mommy” loves her. It is only partly that she paws the snooze button on my alarm and reaches for the lock when she wants outside and we aren’t letting her out. That she goes for a walk with Jessie and knows to stay on the sidewalk is also only part of the reason. Gracie has learned to use the dog door as a doorbell to make Jessie bark which wakes us up in the middle of the night when she wants in; she responds to “that is an outside toy” by taking the mouse or lizard or whatnot out into the back yard – seemingly a pretty good indication that she is smart. Any of this seems to indicate some intelligence. All of this in one cat is pretty scary at times.

Yesterday I was working at home in the afternoon, trying to get caught up on some paperwork. Gracie was meowing and pawing at my leg, clearly wanting dinner. When I finally went to the kitchen for a drink, she went to the pantry, opened the door (yes, on her own), sat, looked at me and waited for eye contact then meowed in a rather insistent tone. She wanted her dinner and wanted to make sure I knew what she wanted. The eye contact was the clincher; she did not make a sound after opening the door until I looked at her and she made the eye contact.

She also likes shoes. A clear indication of intelligence.