Do Cats Know...They Can Climb Trees?

Do cats know they can climb trees? I've watched our outdoor cat, our "hunter," climb trees again and again. He even climbs up our back deck, a deck with no stairs. He just shimmies right up the posts.

Do they know they can do that? Do they understand that eons of evolution (or some other way...) have bestowed cats with retractable claws that are sharp enough to dig into bark and wood enabling them to cheat gravity and rise to a height where they can observe the world below. Can they comprehend that this ability gives them advantages, both defensive and offensive when it comes to survival? Do they appreciate this talent?

Personally, I don't think they think about it at all. They go about, hunting, acting aloof, resting in the sun--all the while oblivious to the fact that some humans would love to have the natural abilities possessed by our hairy pets. Maybe it's like humans and our ability to drive, or cook, or build a civilization.

Or do our taxes.

I guess there's some things all of us don't think much about.