Spider-Cat

The British newspaper The Daily Mail has a story about a cat named Charlie that regularly climbs straight up a 13-foot high wall to get to the balcony and get in the house where he lives. In the picture at the right, you can see him mentally preparing for the feat.

While it is cool to see a cat do this (my cats used to go straight up a cinder block wall, and they didn't even have the advantage of grasping it around a corner), it's more than a physical achievement. The article says that Charlie does this rather than try to get someone to open a door for him. This means he has a clear "map" of the house in his head and he knows that, even though he can't see it from the ground, 13 feet straight up that wall is a way in to the house.

There is a video of Charlie in action on the page linked above. Go, Charlie!