Ravenna Experiment

The Ravenna Experiment was a scientific study conducted in 2000 by researchers at the University of Bologna in Italy to understand how cats recognize themselves. They used a mirror test, placing a mark on the cats’ faces and observing if the cats noticed it in the mirror. Unlike primates or dolphins, most cats ignored the mirror or only reacted to their reflection as another cat, suggesting they don’t possess self-awareness in the same way. The experiment highlights differences in self-recognition capabilities across animals and helps scientists explore the nature of consciousness and cognition in non-human species.