Who is smarter: dogs or cats? Illustration: Petepop
The debate between dog owners and cat owners about which pet is smarter is an old one. But according to science, it’s a difficult question to answer.
Carol Erickson, an animal advocate with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Pennsylvania, explained that this mainly happens because many cats are often unwilling to participate in research.
“Many cats are not social enough to allow for testing, which could show a bit of their own intelligence,” Erickson told Pet Project of CBS News.
In a recent study on the social intelligence of dogs and cats, Erickson explained that both were placed in front of two bowls. A researcher then pointed to one of the bowls to try to encourage the animal to eat from one and not the other.
According to the specialist, most cats didn’t even want to be in the lab to take the test, and many hid or bit the researchers before any results could be obtained.
Most dogs, on the other hand, easily understood the social cues from the researchers and ate from the bowls they pointed to.
And this happens because “cats are just like that,” said Erickson. “Since they came about, they have been independent and remain so. And dogs, they love us,” she argued.
With this in mind, it is difficult to say if dogs are “smarter” than cats because they can respond to human requests, or if they are just devoted creatures eager to please, while cats simply do not care about us.
This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
