Pet owners all around the world enjoy (and sometimes get hot-headed over) countless debates on whose pet is smarter. One of the largest and most explosive pet debates is whether or not dogs are smarter than cats.
Cat owners would argue that cats are fiercely independent and therefore more capable of having free will and intelligence. Cats are simply too smart to be trained to the same level as dogs. Not to mention, they hardly need potty-training. You can point a cat in the direction of a litter box and your hard work is done.
Dog owners would remind you that dogs can be taught harder tricks, are much more loyal, not wandering around from house to house as cats sometimes do in search of treats and petting. Dogs are also utilized as service and work animals all over the world.
Is there really any way to tell which pet owner is correct after all these years of debate? In order to determine that, we would first have to define what intelligence is.
How is Intelligence Measured?
Intelligence can be defined as the ability to acquire, retain, and apply knowledge and skills. It is the ability to solve complex problems and make decisions to benefit someone or something. If someone is more intelligent than another, they can more easily excel with difficult academia, learn advanced programs and technology, and apply what they’ve learned to benefit them and others in some way.
Animals don’t need to take classes or get jobs, and yet dogs are often used as work animals because they can “master their subject” with greater ease than other animals. Scientists attempt to measure intelligence in research subjects by brain size, structural complexity, and the amount of neurons in a brain.
Who Has the Most Neurons?
According to neurologist Suzana Herculano-Houzel, neurons are the cells responsible for transmitting information in the brain, so logically, the animal with the most neurons would be the smartest.
In one experiment, Herculano-Houzel determined that mixed breed dogs had nearly twice the neurons of cats, while pure breeds like Golden Retrievers had nearly three times the amount of cats. While not conclusive, studies like hers do suggest that dogs might have a slight advantage over cats in the intelligence factor. Cat owners would love to debate that fact, of course.
Trainability
It is well-known that dogs are often featured in entertainment acts to show off all their tricks, and it is rare that cats are featured in the same way. Dogs are also used as service animals, work dogs on farms and ranches, and as police dogs to help with search and seizure.
Social Creatures
Dogs are also very social animals and are highly attuned to the needs and behavior of their companions, which may account for why they are more easily trained than cats. They are known for their ability to form strong bonds with people, and are skilled at learning and retaining commands.
Cats are more independent and skilled at hunting and taking care of themselves in a way that dogs can’t easily do. Cats are more agile and curious, and are known for learning how to solve problems through trial and error, indicating a high level of problem-solving skills. Although dogs can be more easily trained to use in a variety of ways, that does not necessarily mean they are smarter, just skilled in a different way.
Problem-Solving Skills
Dogs are able to learn well through being trained, and they are much more sociable than cats, giving them a higher social IQ. But how does that impact problem-solving skills? And how are problem-solving skills defined? According to Psychology Today, the cerebral cortex of cats is greater and more complex than that of dogs, and the cerebral cortex is responsible for rational decision making and problem solving.
Cats can figure out how to get into nearly any building or room just by trial and error. They can open drawers, retrieve items, get into the drawer, close the drawer again, and play hide and seek.
If there is something they want, they can eventually figure out how to get it. But dogs can be trained and taught to rescue people, assist in law enforcement, and be guide dogs and service animals for numerous types of disabilities. If cats are so smart, then why indeed can’t they be taught to do the same?
To put it simply, cats are different animals. They are more independent and less sociable, and if they don’t want to do something, they just won’t do it. Period. Dogs are friendly, loyal, and like to be helpful, making them easier to work with.
Social Interaction
Studies suggest that the social intelligence of dogs can be compared to human toddlers in that they act more self-aware and can cooperate more easily with communication. However, because dogs are often found to be more cooperative test subjects, they are studied and researched to a higher degree than cats, leaving adequate comparisons sorely lacking. That could, of course, say something in the favor of how much easier it is to work with dogs as opposed to cats, feeding fuel to the “dogs are smarter than cats” debate.
Though science has managed to prove higher intelligence in dogs in some aspects of their behavior and in cases like higher neurons, it has also managed to prove that cats may have higher intelligence in other aspects. And it still can’t say conclusively that dogs are definitely smarter than cats. Perhaps more conclusive new studies will come out in the future. Until then, we can assume that both dogs and cats are smart in their own different, unique, and very special ways.
Author Byline
Hannah Forrest