There are countless stories swirling around the universe about cats reacting strangely to mirrors. The question, though, is whether cats can recognize their reflection in a mirror, and if so, how?

Most of our little house tigers have a certain level of curiosity, taking in their surroundings with a degree of perception that we humans couldn't even begin to imagine possessing.

With that in mind, why on earth do they behave so oddly around mirrors? What's going on in their furry heads?

In this cat guide, TAG24 takes a look at feline kind's troubled relationship with mirrors and answers one key question: can cats recognize themselves in a mirror?

Cats can see reflections, whether they are in a mirror, a still body of water, a window pain, or something else. However, that doesn't mean that they know what it is that they are seeing.

Cats rely far more on other senses, specifically smell, to make sense of their surroundings. Seeing as they cannot smell their reflection in a lake (and they hate water), they are very unlikely to jump in and try to wrestle the kitty in front of them.

When humans are very young, they cannot understand what a reflection is. If you put a baby in front of a mirror with a dot painted on its nose, then it will most likely point at the other baby. After a few years, though, this will change, and that same child will touch its nose. Cats never reach this level of intelligence and understanding when it comes to their reflection.

Cats will not even point at the other image, though. On rare occasions, it has been observed that a cat has figured out that the reflection is also a cat, but it is impossible for a cat to understand a mirror because they simply have no other sensory information.

In much the same way that a cat does not understand what a reflection is, they do not understand mirrors. They cannot recognize their reflection, and are provided with very little information – other than sight – about the image reflected at them. As a result, they will be confused by a mirror, and won't understand what it is showing them.

Cats will touch mirrors, or scratch them, as a way for them to try and make sense of what it is that they are seeing. They touch things to ascertain whether they are real, and how whatever it is works. Their behavior around mirrors is much the same.

When a cat looks into a mirror, it doesn't understand that it's a reflection, but it also knows that it's not another cat (i.e. via smell). As a result, cats will sometimes try and touch the mirror in one way or another to figure out who on earth that fluffy fellow is.

There are few things more baffling to a cat than a mirror. Take up their perspective for a moment: "Another kitty, tail and all! With whiskers, eyes, and a nose, yet... they don't smell of anything, and they seem to be doing exactly the same thing as me? What on Garfield's green Earth is going on?"

The main lesson to be learned is, unsurprisingly, that you should be cautious about mirrors if you own a cat. Try to reduce the likelihood your cat is going to see its reflection. If you don't, you could have an interesting situation on your hands.