Koko the Gorilla Wanted a Real Cat—Then She Chose All Ball

An illustrative depiction of Koko, the western lowland gorilla, gently holding the tailless kitten All Ball, whom she selected as her companion in 1984. Illustration: The Pader.

SPECIES PROFILE

Western Lowland Gorilla

Gorilla gorilla gorilla

TYPEMammal

GROUPGreat ape

SUBSPECIESWestern lowland gorilla

KOKO'S LIFESPAN1971–2018; 46 years

CONSERVATION STATUSCritically Endangered — western lowland gorilla

Koko was a western lowland gorilla, a subspecies of the western gorilla. The conservation status shown here refers to the western lowland gorilla rather than to Koko as an individual.

Introduction

Few animal stories became as closely associated with one photograph as the story of Koko and a small gray kitten named All Ball.

Koko was a western lowland gorilla who became internationally known through a long-running research project in which she was taught a form of American Sign Language. The project generated extensive records of her interactions with her human caregivers, including reports of signs used for requests, descriptions, protests and other communicative functions.

Then there was All Ball.

In 1984, Koko was allowed to choose a kitten from a litter. She selected a small, tailless kitten and named him All Ball. The relationship was documented by her caregivers and later became the subject of the book Koko's Kitten and a famous National Geographic cover.

The story is remarkable, but it is also useful to separate what was directly documented from later interpretations about what Koko understood or felt.

How Koko Became Interested in Having a Cat

The story of All Ball began before Koko met the real kittens.

Accounts from the Gorilla Foundation describe Koko as being fascinated by cats and cat-related books. During the period when her caregivers were considering a kitten for her, she was shown pictures and reportedly indicated interest in a cat.

A detailed account published by the Gorilla Foundation says a durable toy cat was obtained for Koko after her caregivers realized that an ordinary stuffed toy would probably not survive her handling. When the toy was eventually given to her, however, Koko became upset and rejected it.

The exact wording of the viral claim that Koko simply "signed that she was sad" is therefore too neat. Contemporary reporting said she repeatedly signed "sad" after receiving a stuffed animal, while the more detailed caregiver account describes an episode involving the toy cat, the sign "red," and visibly upset behavior.

The broader point is better supported: Koko's caregivers interpreted her behavior as showing that she wanted a real cat rather than a toy one.

In 1984, Koko Chose All Ball

The Gorilla Foundation's history records that in 1984, Koko selected the tailless kitten All Ball to be her companion. The Foundation's detailed account says Koko first encountered several kittens and repeatedly returned to a gray-and-white, tailless tabby.

When asked what she would name the kitten, Koko signed "All Ball." The name was linked to the kitten's lack of a tail and his rounded appearance.

The kitten initially visited Koko before becoming a permanent member of the household. The Gorilla Foundation's account says that by the end of the week, All Ball was staying with Koko.

Koko Treated the Kitten Like a Baby

What happened after All Ball joined Koko is what made the story so memorable.

The Gorilla Foundation's account describes Koko carrying the kitten, examining his paws and grooming him. She tried to place him in positions similar to the ways gorilla mothers carry their young, including holding him against her body and carrying him on her back.

Another account records Koko examining All Ball's eyes, ears and mouth and discovering ear mites. Her caregivers described her as gentle with the kitten and repeatedly associated her behavior with maternal care.

But the relationship was not completely one-sided or perfectly understood. All Ball remained a cat. He could scratch, bite, wriggle free or lose interest in Koko's games.

When the kitten became difficult, Koko reportedly used a sign sequence translated by her caregivers as "Obnoxious. Cat." At other times, she used signs such as "Soft" and "Good" while holding him.

They Played Together — Even When Their Games Did Not Match

The accounts of Koko and All Ball also reveal something important about interspecies relationships: affection does not mean two animals automatically understand each other's behavior.

Koko liked games such as chase and tickling. The Gorilla Foundation's account says she sometimes tried to involve All Ball in these activities, even though the kitten did not always respond as another gorilla might.

In one recorded interaction, Koko signed about chasing and enjoying the game. The caregiver noted that All Ball never completely understood the gorilla version of "chase."

At the same time, the account says Koko recognized that kittens liked warmth, affection and attention — things she provided frequently.

Koko Used Signs to Talk About All Ball

All Ball also became part of Koko's reported communication sessions.

In one documented exchange, Koko was asked about the kitten and signed words including "Soft," "Love," and "Cat." She also painted a picture of All Ball, choosing colors for the kitten, his eyes, the towel and a toy in the scene.

The Gorilla Foundation presents these interactions as evidence of Koko's ability to use signs to discuss an individual animal and her relationship with him.

There is also peer-reviewed research that documented Koko's early communicative development. A 1988 paper in the Journal of Pragmatics described Koko using a variant of American Sign Language for functions including labeling, requesting action, protesting, answering, greeting and calling during the early period of the project.

That scientific literature is important, but it should not be confused with the much broader claim that Koko's signing was equivalent to human language. Later discussions of Koko's work have emphasized that research into ape communication is more complicated than the early popular accounts sometimes suggested.

What Happened to All Ball?

The story took a tragic turn in December 1984, when All Ball escaped from the research facility and was struck and killed by a car.

The Gorilla Foundation's detailed account says Koko did not immediately respond when she was told that the kitten had died. About 10 minutes later, she began making a distress call described by her caregiver as crying.

Three days later, when asked about the kitten, Koko reportedly signed "Cry." When asked what happened to All Ball, she signed "Sleep cat." Weeks later, after seeing a picture of a gray tabby that resembled All Ball, she reportedly signed "Cry, sad, frown."

Contemporary reporting in the Los Angeles Times also described Koko's distress after All Ball's death and reported that she signed about the kitten after being told what had happened.

Did Koko Understand That All Ball Had Died?

The documented signs and behavior are part of the historical record of Project Koko, but interpreting an animal's internal understanding requires caution.

The caregivers involved in the project interpreted Koko's signs as expressions of grief and an understanding that All Ball was gone. The Gorilla Foundation continues to present the episode that way.

It is reasonable to report those observations and interpretations as attributed accounts. It is more difficult to establish independently exactly what concept of death Koko possessed or what subjective experience accompanied her behavior.

This distinction matters because animal behavior can be observable while the animal's internal mental state cannot be directly measured. The safest account is therefore to describe what Koko did and what her caregivers reported, while avoiding claims that go beyond the available evidence.

Why the Koko and All Ball Story Became So Famous

The relationship brought together several subjects that have long fascinated scientists and the public: gorilla behavior, animal communication, caregiving, interspecies relationships and emotional responses to loss.

Koko's image with All Ball also reached a huge audience. National Geographic featured a photograph of Koko cuddling the kitten on the cover of its January 1985 issue. The photograph helped turn a research subject into an internationally recognized individual animal.

The story later became the basis of Koko's Kitten, a book by Francine Patterson with photographs by Ron Cohn. The Gorilla Foundation describes the book as the true-life story of Koko's relationship with her first kitten.

What the Story Can Tell Us About Animal Bonds

Koko and All Ball provide a documented example of a close relationship between animals belonging to very different species.

The story does not require us to assume that a gorilla and a kitten experienced their relationship in exactly the same way humans would. The observable record is already unusual: Koko repeatedly sought interaction with the kitten, carried and groomed him, attempted to include him in play, and continued to communicate about him during later sessions.

For The Pader, that distinction is important. A remarkable animal story becomes more useful when the documented behavior remains at the center while scientific context helps explain what we can — and cannot — conclude from it.

Koko's Legacy Extended Beyond All Ball

Koko continued to live at the Gorilla Foundation after All Ball's death and later had relationships with other cats. The Foundation says she remained associated with kittens throughout her life.

Koko died on June 18, 2018, at the age of 46. Her story remains closely associated with the broader Project Koko research program, which investigated communication, cognition and the relationship between humans and gorillas.

The scientific debate surrounding ape communication also remains important. National Geographic noted after Koko's death that modern research presents a more complicated picture of primate sign-language abilities than was understood during the earliest years of the project.

Why Koko and All Ball Still Matter

The story of Koko and All Ball is more than a photograph of a gorilla holding a kitten.

It is a historical record of an unusual interspecies relationship that was extensively documented by the people who cared for Koko. It also opened public conversations about animal communication, cognition, social relationships and the ways people interpret animal behavior.

At the same time, the story demonstrates why careful language matters in wildlife storytelling. We can document Koko choosing All Ball, caring for him, communicating about him and showing distress after his death. What we should avoid is presenting every interpretation of those behaviors as if it were a directly measured fact.

That balance is what makes the story scientifically interesting as well as emotionally memorable.

Takeaway

Koko's relationship with All Ball became one of the most recognizable interspecies animal stories of the 20th century. In 1984, she selected a tailless kitten and named him All Ball; caregiver accounts describe her carrying, grooming and playing with him, and later showing distress after his accidental death.

The story is remarkable on its own. But its greatest value may be the questions it raises about communication, social attachment and how much we can truly know about the inner lives of other animals.

More From The Pader

• Amazing Animal Stories: Remarkable Animals and the Stories Behind Them
• Animals & Humans: Remarkable Bonds & Encounters
• Can Cats Build a Mental Map From Their Owner's Voice?
• Airy and Tai: The Story of Two Cats With a Remarkable Bond
• Binti Jua: The Gorilla Who Carried an Injured Boy to Safety

Sources and Further Reading