For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard that dogs are much smarter than cats.
However, I have felt that the fact that a dog does tricks and most cats don’t is not reason enough to say that cats are not intelligent.
My theory has always been that cats are so clever that they won’t learn any tricks unless they want to.
It’s not something they have to do.
Dogs by nature are social animals and their main goal in life, apart from eating, is to please their people.
Cats, on the other hand, lack the “gene” that makes it important to please everyone except themselves.
Why have I brought up this topic?
Well, I read an article discussing feline intelligence on cat Clock, a journal published by the Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine.
He went on to say that at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, researchers discovered that the structure of a cat’s brain and that of the human brain are very similar.
To quote the article, “The physical structure of our brains and that of cats are very similar: they have the same lobes in the cerebral cortex (the seat of intelligence) as we do. Our brains work in the same way, transmitting data to through identical neurotransmitters.
What that means is that our cats take in data from all 5 senses and process it just like we do.
Hmmmm, thinking cats. Who would believe that?
But, it’s true, cats process things in a way similar to how we think. In fact, they make decisions.
Animal Discovery.com says cats are: “Incredibly resourceful and self-reliant, the species has survived thousands of years in radically different environments and living conditions. Even domestic cats display a cunning, strong and versatile nature.”
There is so much about cats that we take for granted or, if the truth be known, don’t even think about it.
When we see a cat sitting on a doorstep or staring into space, we just laugh at it, not realizing that the cat is actually thinking about what it is going to do next.
The cat is examining the situation, using its 5 senses to determine whether or not it is safe to move forward.
We think of a cat as a somewhat antisocial animal because it is solitary by nature, but cats can adapt to conditions just like us.
“The fact that a cat can adapt to different situations is a sign of intelligence, which goes beyond conditioning or instinct,” says Dr. Julia Albright of Cornell Veterinary School.
Cats socialize with each other, if the situation calls for it: such as meeting at a place to eat or drink (the barn, the fishing pier, or where someone feeds the stray cats).
Did you know that domesticated cats and lions are the only two cat species that will rear their young in groups with other mothers, if necessary?
Cats also learn by observation.
Just because kitty is sitting up staring into space doesn’t mean she’s daydreaming. He may be learning, by watching you, how to open the closet door.
Kittens raised without their mother or other cats to watch don’t do many of the things we consider normal cat behavior.
Cats also retain memory, they are smart enough to know when they are being scolded so they won’t do that behavior again in front of you. They will wait until you turn your back on them.
Dogs, on the other hand, will repeat a bad behavior several times, before finally realizing that they are not supposed to behave that way.
We’ll all agree that dogs are easier to train to do tricks than cats, but dogs have a predisposition to please, and learning tricks is one way to please.
Cats can learn tricks, but it’s harder to get them to do things unless you provide them with a reward that’s really appealing.
There is also the idea that dogs have been selectively bred for certain behaviors, cats have been cats forever.
There has not been a time when a cat has been selectively bred to hunt, catch birds, or play only with balls of blue wool.
I agree that particular breeds of cats have been kept as pure as possible, but have you ever heard of a cat species bred to do a task like “herding mice”?
In truth, I guess it’s impossible to say which species is more intelligent, dogs or cats, but I’ll leave you with this thought: “dogs have masters, cats have staff.”
Need I say more?