An Austrian cow named Veronika has become a fascination for scientists. When Veronika has an itch, she scratches it by expertly wielding a stick—the first scientifically documented case of a cow using tools. Tool use is relatively rare in the animal kingdom, researchers say, and it’s especially interesting in this instance because cattle aren’t generally celebrated for their smarts. To probe Veronika’s abilities, researchers from Vienna presented her with a broom. She readily picked it up, using her tongue to grab on to the handle, securing it with her teeth, and then aiming the broom somewhere at the back half of her body. Over the course of multiple days, she used the broom to scratch herself 76 times. Scientists hope the study, which is part of a small but growing body of literature on farm animal cognition, might prompt people to reflect on their perceptions of farm animals. “We haven’t been looking well enough at these animals,” says study author Alice Auersperg. “Perhaps the absurd thing was not the absurdity of a cow using tools but the absurdity of us never thinking that a cow might be intelligent.”