Cats and dogs play a big role in human life. They compete with each other in which of them is the best friend of man. Dogs of some breeds serve the benefit of humanity, saving the lives of drowning people or conducting a search for narcotic substances. Cats, in turn, have intuition, feel the mood of the owner, and in rare cases, they can even cure depression.
Despite the big differences, dogs and cats have a number of common features: love for a person, a similar diet, the presence of abundant wool. However, the question “Who is smarter: cats or dogs?” Interests many people, so our article will answer it in detail.
Intelligence comparison
Scientists conducted a series of studies on the intelligence of animals, during which the following conclusion was made: The dog's brain contains more than 525 million neurons, while in a cat this figure is 250 million. This gives an unequivocal answer to the question posed from the point of view of scientific facts. It was also found that the brain of a raccoon is equal in number of canine neurons, so that raccoons can think along with these four-legged pets.
Dogs also compare favorably with cats in that they can learn from the experience of their relatives. The dog accumulates it, learns survival skills, and in the process of reproduction transfers genes to its offspring. Cats are not prone to such heredity, and kittens are born without the knowledge of their parents.
Of course, some knowledge will always be inherited in the cat family, but the evolution of dogs in this matter is more progressive.
To interpret the conclusion that dogs twice smarter than cats can be from different points of view. Some scientists agree that cats are simply less amenable to study and analysis, which is why it is too early to make conclusions about the wisdom of pets. It is known that cats often lead an isolated lifestyle and have a capricious nature. At the same time, the dog gets along better in a collective of congeners and can learn from other dogs, learning from the mistakes of others.
Features of animals
In order to get a complete picture of the intellectual abilities of cats and dogs, a number of signs for each species should be taken out: how are cats different from dogs for the better and vice versa. Cats differ from dogs in the following ways.
- Manipulation of man. Rejecting humor aside, it is safe to say that cats have the ability to manipulate the owner. This happens because cats intuitively understand what actions the host reacts especially sharply. Everyone remembers the famous red puss in boots, who gazed at the heroes of the Shrek cartoon with his gaze? This is a vivid example of the simplest manipulation by the pet.
The fact speaks of the highly developed intelligence of cats and the ability to analyze the behavior of people around them, applying this knowledge for their own benefit.
- Prioritization. The owner of the cat often observes the following picture: the cat deliberately passes by a new toy and prefers another occupation, but after a month it may suddenly become interested in this subject. This once again confirms that the cats are able to focus attention specifically on those things that interest the pet in a given period of time. Such intelligibility in hobbies asserts cats as creatures with an individual, sometimes capricious character.
- Coldness or iron calm cats. Cats quite hard to tolerate new acquaintances, and each new object in their habitat undergoes unhurried, careful study. If the dog can not keep curiosity and rushes at an unidentified object (ball, toy), then any cat cautiously examines the object: sniffs, walks around and looks after. This approach has helped cats to avoid environmental problems more than once.
Dogs also have some features that distinguish their intellectual abilities from the cat.
- Mastering new skills. Dogs perceive command training much better, while cats quickly lose interest in learning. The dog is trying to please the owner and get approval. This determines two qualities in dogs: loyalty and quick memorization of information.
- Clumsy movements. The dog does not strive for elegant movement or quiet movement: the animal, rather, will rapidly run towards the goal, rather than move gracefully. Representatives of the cat family strive for smooth and silent movement.
- Poor tolerance of loneliness. A cat can be a day without the presence of a person, without experiencing discomfort. The dog will worry where the owner has gone and why there is no one in the room. This does not mean that dogs are smarter than cats, but characterizes dogs as being sociable and friendly.
- Collective mind. Dogs are used in the process of hunting for the prey of all relatives: they unite into a flock, and each individual has a clear task. Among representatives of the cat such examples are not, because cats prefer to lead the chase alone.
Impact of domestication
For a long time, researchers have spread the theory that the domestication of pets led to a decline in their intelligence and brain activity. Allegedly because of the sparing conditions of life (soft bed, daily feeding, caress of the owner) cats and dogs have lost some of their minds. The theory suggested that animals no longer needed to constantly look for food, overnight stay, and a safe place to sleep and rest.
However, after serious research, the fact of the loss of intellectual abilities in pets has been refuted.
Although pets no longer need survival skills in their current environment, they use the ability to think for other purposes: exploring the world, remembering commands and pleasing your own master.
The following video will focus in more detail on the intelligence of animals.
