‘Inside the Mind of a Cat’ 2022 Netflix Documentary Review: Pros and Cons

A documentary recently released on Netflix tries to change our view of cats. A group of feline specialists and a passionate director use science and history to challenge your perceptions.

You might wonder why you would want to sit down and watch a 67-minute documentary about cats when you can scroll through TikTok and watch cat videos until the cows come home. While this documentary may not be full of clips of cat zooms or cats trying and failing to jump on household objects, it’s packed with interesting facts and scientific information about feline behavior and history.

In the mind of a cat examines cat behavior from the perspective of scientists, feline behaviorists and cat lovers. Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect from the documentary and learn more about the people who filmed it.

---

A glance

Who made the documentary?

In the mind of a cat was directed by Andy Mitchell, director of photography, writer and producer. According his websitehe is a director, screenwriter, storyteller and cameraman (among other titles).

Mitchell has been in the business for over 20 years, so he hasn’t always been focused on cats. In fact, there’s really nothing he hasn’t created a documentary about. From Sasquatch to diamonds and from Jesus to Buddhist monks, nothing is forbidden.

A purring approach to physiology

The documentary begins with a look at the physiology of cats. Dr. Bruce Kornreich, director of the Cornell Feline Health Center and feline physiologist, brings his expertise to this segment.

Dr. Kornreich explains that cats are perhaps the perfect land predator in terms of physical traits, behavior and perception. He says cat DNA hasn’t changed much in 10,000 years and cat owners basically have a wild animal in their home.

He talks about the cat’s spine and the fact that it has more vertebrae than most mammals. Their vertebrae have padding discs between them which make the spine exceptionally flexible. It is this flexibility that makes cats fast runners.

Cats are also excellent jumpers (although viral videos might have you believe otherwise) thanks to their efficient muscular systems. They are one of the few animals that activate 100% of their muscles when jumping and can actually jump five to six times their length in height. The film compared this feat to a human jumping over a giraffe.

Any longtime cat owner can tell you about their pet’s flexibility, especially when twisting their body to find a comfortable position for a nap, and their impressive jumping abilities. This segment of the documentary is primarily beneficial for people who have never owned a cat before or actually seen one in action.

Purring Cat Behavior, Explained

One of the most interesting parts of this documentary was the insight into cat behavior. Any cat owner can attest that sometimes their cat does something strange for no apparent reason (zooms, anyone?). The documentary delved into some of these different behaviors to show that cats are much more complex than society gives them credit for.

For example, if you’ve ever felt like your cat read your mind or understood your mood, you’re not crazy. Cats have learned to become empaths not only to adapt to their environment, but also to survive. They can capture our feelings.

Another interesting cat behavior to take away from the documentary comes from one of the documentary’s contributors, Dr. Saho Takago from Japan. She noted that cats have social differences depending on the culture in which they are raised. Takago has conducted experiments that suggest cats in Japan are less comfortable in unfamiliar spaces than their American counterparts. This may be because the Japanese rarely hold large gatherings at home, so their cats are not as fond of foreigners. Also, Japanese cats are mostly kept indoors, so they didn’t have a chance to explore anywhere other than their home.

An In-Depth Hiss-tory Lesson

Mitchell and his feline specialists dive deep into the little-known history of cats and how our relationship with them has changed over the past 10,000 years. The story is told in an easy to understand and fun way, with cute animations perfect for young watchers.

For a long time, humans were thought to have started domesticating cats around 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. But archaeological finds actually show that cats were part of our lives long before that.

In 2004, however, the jawbone of a cat was discovered in a Late Stone Age cemetery on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The cat was believed to be just eight months old when it died and was buried with its human owner. The date of burial is difficult to know, but it predates by far any Egyptian civilization.

The documentary suggests that the feral cats on the island were likely brought there to ward off the rats. It is believed that this is when the relationship between humans and cats began.

Cat training – Anything is possible for paws

Most people believe that cats are untrainable or at the very least that they are much harder to train than their canine counterparts. While that may be true for some cats, the documentary shows that patience and commitment make anything possible.

The Savitsky Cats make a brief but memorable appearance in the film. It is a family from Ukraine that excels in the education of cats. They were a cast member on season 13 of America’s Got Talent but were unfortunately eliminated in the quarter-finals. Their human owners, Maryna and Svitlana, explain their training style and even showcase some of their skills.

The side less paw

Not all documentaries are out of the box. Whereas In the mind of a cat does a lot of things right, some aspects may be hit and miss with some viewers.

It feels a bit rushed and disorganized in parts. For example, they spoke briefly about the history of cats at the start of the documentary before launching into a segment on cat behavior. Then, towards the middle of the film, they dive a little more into the history of the cats. This may seem chaotic for some viewers.

Sometimes we wanted them to go a bit further because they felt like they were only scratching the surface on certain topics.

Much of the information may seem redundant to seasoned cat owners. If you’ve ever lived with cats, you probably won’t learn anything groundbreaking.

---

Final Thoughts

In the mind of a cat is an interesting documentary, especially if you are a future cat owner and are adopting your first cat. Forget everything you think you know cats and their goofy behaviors and snuggle up to your beloved kitty to watch this easy to digest documentary.

If you have kids, Inside the Mind of a Cat is a great introduction to cat behavior and history. Not to mention, its length and colorful visuals are perfect for younger viewers.

You might still consider watching the documentary if you’re a cat owner. You can learn something new, but you can’t. But it’s still 67 minutes of adorable cat videos, and it’s something any cat lover can get.