Many of us have a furry (or not so furry) pet at home, waiting for us, entertaining us, missing us. Each of us loves our pet, cares for it and considers it the smartest in the world. There is an ongoing debate between cat and dog owners about who is smarter than a cat or a dog.
Cat and dog – who is better: services to humanity
“Cat people” and “dog people” often argue about which of their pets is more beneficial to humanity.
People began taming dogs about 20,000 years ago, while cats came to humans less than 10,000 years ago. Therefore, dogs have mastered most professions:
- watchmen
- guides
- police officers
- rescuers.
They are also used for hunting, searching for bombs or drugs, and as sled dogs.
Some people unfairly consider cats to be useless animals. This is not the case at all:
- Cats are unsurpassed hunters of harmful rodents, which, in addition to destroying food, also carry various diseases.
- At the beginning of the 17th century, the time was told by the dilation of a cat’s pupil. In Japan, a temple dedicated to cats was built for this reason, and watchmakers still come to it to thank them for the prosperity of their business.
- Cats are able to anticipate various troubles in advance: an earthquake, an illness of their owner.
- By purring, cats can normalise a person’s emotional state.
Comparison of dog and cat intelligence: similarities and differences
- Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, proved that dogs have more than 530 million cortical neurons in their brains, while cats have almost half as many – 250 million. They also found that the size of the brain does not affect the number of neurons, so a brown bear has fewer than a dog, and a raccoon has more. The number of neurons is responsible for the transmission and assimilation of information. Dogs are more amenable to training.
- If a cat and a dog are given a difficult task, the dogs will seek help from a human, while the cats will persistently try to solve it on their own. This means that dogs have the ability to communicate with humans and have minimal social interaction skills.
- Dogs have developed social intelligence, which enables them to live in a pack. Cats have sensory intelligence, which helps them in hunting.
- Dogs are very attached to their owners, while cats are loners, but do not like to change their place of residence.
- Cats can see well in the dark and have a wide range of hearing. Dogs have a well-developed sense of smell, which makes them useful in search operations.
- Cats, unlike dogs, are more attentive; if they are interested in something, it is almost impossible to divert their attention from an exciting activity.
- Once in a new place, a cat carefully examines it and quickly finds a comfortable place to sleep.
- Cats differ from dogs in being cautious; if they see an unfamiliar thing, they first smell it and then touch it with their paws. If the object is safe, they can play with it for a while and then ignore it.
- Dogs understand human gestures clearly and quickly. They are able to understand a large number of different commands that evoke associations with different actions and objects.
- Dogs are ready to follow their owner. Cats have a better memory and can hold a grudge against their owners for a long time, expressing their dissatisfaction.
- Dogs are happy to follow their owners’ orders. Independent, freedom-loving cats are difficult to train, but still possible, due to their difficult nature.
- Dogs are able to express their feelings sincerely because they are extroverted by nature. Cats usually do not demonstrate their affection for their owners; they love silently because they are introverts.
So who is smarter?
There are many laboratories that study the body structure and intelligence of dogs. There are no such laboratories for studying cats, so the cat brain is not fully understood. Dogs and cats are very different from each other, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Nevertheless, for every owner, their pet is the smartest, most loyal and best. The main thing is to love your pets and take care of them, and they will respond in kind.
