Cats Or Dogs, Who Is More Intelligent? The Answer Is ... - News18

Humans may be biased when it comes to dogs and cats as pets. One of the most accepted stereotypes finds dogs to be more friendly while cats to be more sophisticated in terms of interactions with humans. However, on a scientific level, it all boils down to what kind of social intelligence humans prefer in their pets.

Speaking to Live Science, Alexandra Horowitz, a senior research fellow who specializes in dog cognition at Barnard College in New York and the author of Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know, said that dog-cognition researchers do not study intelligence per se but look at different aspects of cognition. Horowitz also mentioned that comparing cats and dogs in terms of their intelligence is not rational since at its simplest form, cats are smart at the things they need to do, and dogs are good at things that canines need to do. She also mentioned that it does not make any sense at all to talk about the relative ‘smartness’ of species.

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Explaining how animal behaviour and intelligence works, Kristyn Vitale, an assistant professor of animal health and behavior at Unity College in Maine, told Live Science that it is typically divided into three broad sections: problem-solving ability, concept formation, and social intelligence. Vitale, who primarily studies cats, told the publication that felines are often stereotyped as nonchalant and disinterested in humans, however, they actually show a high degree of social intelligence, which is often at the same level as dogs.

A study published in 2005 which directly compared cats and dogs found no major difference between the species’ ability to find hidden food using hints from a human’s pointing. However, the study also mentioned that cats did not have some components of attention-seeking behaviour as compared to dogs. Cat-owners have probably experienced how the feline is a self-respecting animal and would simply walk away from an empty bowl of food rather than beg like their canine counterparts.

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Hence, in the end, it is all about what kind of intelligence appeals to humans and pet owners since both cats and dogs have their own intelligence.

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