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Bonobos can "play pretend"
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
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When have you seen your dog or cat pretend to interact with an invisible object, like a toddler having an imaginary cup of tea?
My cat did pretend once to eat some crisps I'd given her. She was sat on a chair looking at me pleadingly, so I put a couple in front of her and after a sniff she "accidentally" knocked them on to the floor whilst pretending to eat them.
Cat pretending to eat (YouTube Video)
They pretend they have toys when they have nothing at all, sometimes. And I'd argue that even playing with toys the way they do is major make-believe. Which is also something they already do in the wild - practice hunting on dead animals or inanimate objects.
I used to own a boarding kennel. We had several clients over the years who would condition place their plush toys face first in their food dish as if the toy was eating. I have have long supposedthat those dogs were pretending their toy was eating.