Research into cattle cognition reveals problem-solving ability, emotional responses, social learning and individual personalities that give cows a richer inner life than commonly assumed.
Research into cattle cognition has revealed animals of considerably greater complexity than the placid ruminants of popular imagination. Cows that solve problems show an excitement response — the cattle equivalent of the eureka moment — that suggests something like positive emotional engagement with intellectual challenge. Their individual personalities mean that management systems treating all cattle identically create welfare problems for individuals whose needs differ from the norm. Their capacity for friendship and social bonding means that group disruption causes genuine emotional as well as practical welfare harm. This evidence base should inform how we design housing, management and production systems for these cognitively complex animals.