Dogs Are Smarter Than Cats

[Perseus]

The thought processes of 15 cats were tested by attaching food to the end of lengths of string and observing whether they could figure out that pulling the line brought the treats closer.

The cats had no problem with tackling single pieces of string. However, when faced with two options, experts discovered that unlike their canine counterparts, cats were unable to consistently pick a baited string over a dummy.

Psychology lecturer Britta Osthaus, who conducted the study, said the findings shatter the myth that cats are smarter than dogs.

Mrs Osthaus, of Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, said: "This finding is somehow surprising as cats regularly use their paws and claws to pull things towards them during play and hunting.

"They performed even worse than dogs, which can at least solve the parallel string task."

She added that the results show that cats do not understand cause-and-effect connections between objects.

The experiments involved attaching fish and biscuit treats to one end of a piece of string, placing them under a plastic screen to make them unreachable.

They were tested in three ways, using a single baited string, two parallel strings where only one was baited, and two crossed strings where only one was baited.

With two crossed strings, one cat always made the wrong choice and others succeeded no more than might be expected by chance.

Mrs Osthaus added: "If we know their limits we won't expect too much of them, which in turn is important for their welfare.

"I am not trying to say cats are stupid, just they are different. We are so anthropomorphic we can't see the world through their eyes."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5552628/Dogs-are-smarter-than-cats-research-shows.html

[Azunite]

I doubt anyone would say cats are smarter than dogs

[scuba steve]

I doubt anyone would say cats are smarter than dogs

You never seen the movie Cats & dogs? A ridiculous movie at that, but still the cats where portrayed as kunning and would use stealth as a fighting tactic and the dogs had a more WWII USMC attitude, preffering to plow right through conflicts... My childhood was awesome :D

[Perseus]

Well, the United States Marine Corps in World War II kicked much booty. Notin' wrong with the dogs bein' hardasses. :P

[Jess]

that's interesting

I used to like dogs a lot, now I've found that I like cats a bit better

[JuJu92]

I have both a dog and a cat. Cats are good with spiritualism, and they're mystical creatures. I use to like dogs as well now they just annoy me with the constant barking and attention seeking behaviour some dogs posses.

[Amnesiac]

I have a dog, and he's one smart-ass motherfucker. He knows how to trick me into doing things for him.

I'm honestly not surprised by these findings, I'm not particularly fond of cats.

[Perseus]

I have a dog, and he's one smart-ass motherfucker. He knows how to trick me into doing things for him.

I'm honestly not surprised by these findings; I'm not particularly fond of cats.

How does your dog trick you?

[Amnesiac]

How does your dog trick you?

He can always get me to take him on a walk, even when I don't want to.

[Daniel_]

Dogs are so much better than cats, on every level. Dogs can hunt, rescue people, learn tricks, swim well.

There just all around better animals, and I love them. I don't mind cats, but i'd die before I pick a cat over a dog.

[Charleigh]

yeah but cats are clever too x
but then again so are dogs.
id love to ACTUALLY find out which one is smarter x

[Perseus]

yeah but cats are clever too x
but then again so are dogs.
id love to ACTUALLY find out which one is smarter x

...

Did you not read the article? If not, then GTFO my thread.

[Daniel_]

yeah but cats are clever too x
but then again so are dogs.
id love to ACTUALLY find out which one is smarter x

Read the thread, they ACTUALLY found out which one is smarter.

[sCa45]

I really can't stand cats, so I'm going to have to say dogs are smarter.

[steve1234]

Dogs are much more faithful than cats.
I had a cat once, and a neighbour started feeding him meat, so he didn't like living with me anymore, so lived at my neighbours house and wouldn't come back! Damn neighbours movd and took the cat with them!
Dogs are so more loving, and much smarter!

[scuba steve]

...

Did you not read the article? If not, then GTFO my thread.

lawl :P

[Sage]

I'm curious to see the difference in intelligence between non-domesticated canines and felines. It'd be interesting to see how a wolf fares against a cougar, for instance.

[Daniel_]

I'm curious to see the difference in intelligence between non-domesticated canines and felines. It'd be interesting to see how a wolf fares against a cougar, for instance.

They did research on that, not about intelligence, however they put together a scenario on what would happen if a Wolf met a Cougar in the wild and fought. It was an old program I used to watch, it's actually quite interesting. The show is called "Animal Face-off".

Heres the video of the Wold and Cougar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KhAY5Ql-hA

[Vkid]

i think dogs are generally more trainable, but as far as smarter in general i wud say they are about the same

[Zephyr]

Dogs, more trainable.
Cats, understand free will.

Overall, I have to agree that dogs are smarter by large, but I've met some pretty intelligent cats. My dad's best friend's cat could open doors, use the toilet and flush it and shake hands. Given the cat lived to be 21 though, it had a lot of time to learn.

[Syvelocin]

My dog's incredibly stupid -_- And my cat half the time acts like a cat and half the time acts like a dog. I don't know. Define smarter, really. At least in my household, the cats are far superior to the dog. I can see how each has their own cleverness. They have different strengths however.

[Continuum]

My dog's incredibly stupid -_- And my cat half the time acts like a cat and half the time acts like a dog. I don't know. Define smarter, really. At least in my household, the cats are far superior to the dog. I can see how each has their own cleverness. They have different strengths however.

Some dog species are, however, innately lacking intelligence.

[Dark_Hellfire]

I doubt anyone would say cats are smarter than dogs

I would say it and I stand by it!

[Sith Lord 13]

I would say it and I stand by it!

And you've been proved wrong. :P

[Daniel_]

I hate cats. Period. Dogs are the best animals ever. Trust worthy, loyal, and smart.

What do cats do? They shit in a box of sand, stink up your house, tear up your curtains, then sleep on your furniture and get fur anywhere and everywhere.

Dogs FTW!

[Church]

Dogs actually have a use in society, bomb dogs, drug dogs, search and rescue dogs, hunting dogs, sled dogs, helping people with handicaps, therapy, etc etc.

What do cats do? Lay on the ground, bite at your ankles etc.

Dogs are wide in variety and use and serve a purpose in modern society, they are much smarter than cats.

[Alfred Pennyworth]

Personally, I think that it depends on the breed of cat/dog, because there are some dogs(say, our chihuahua) that probably wouldn't be able to figure it out at all, and vice versa for a lot of cats I know...