   It's Official: Dogs Are Smarter Than Cats
  The Guardian reported yesterday that cats are not as smart as we think they are: Cats outsmarted in psychologist's test. Quote:...Psychology lecturer Britta Osthaus says cats do not understand cause-and-effect connections between objects. She tested the thought processes of 15 of them by attaching fish and biscuit treats to one end of a piece of string, placing them under a plastic screen to make them unreachable and then seeing if the cats could work out that pulling on the other end of the string would pull the treat closer.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.The single string test proved no problem, but unlike dogs (which Osthaus has previously tested) no cat consistently chose correctly between two parallel strings. With two crossed strings, one cat always made the wrong choice and others succeeded no more than might be expected by chance....The study helped show the limits of feline intelligence, said Osthaus, who conducted the research while a teaching fellow at Exeter University. "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."...Given that I am allergic to both dogs and cats I don't have a stake in the outcome of the contest, but I thought this bit of news was worth a chuckle just the same. What do you think about the results? about the tests? about cats and dogs living together? ...   
  Yes, but now for the real question: Are cats smarter than psychologists?It really doesn't surprise me.  I mean, if cats were smarter than dogs, wouldn't we have seeing eye cats (as opposed to seeing eye dogs)?   ;Quote:Original post by MoeIt really doesn't surprise me.  I mean, if cats were smarter than dogs, wouldn't we have seeing eye cats (as opposed to seeing eye dogs)?Indeed, dogs hold down a variety of jobs and do them very well. They are trainable, which speaks to their intelligence and their ability to, at least to some degree, comprehend things from our perspective.   ;Quote:Original post by MoeIt really doesn't surprise me.  I mean, if cats were smarter than dogs, wouldn't we have seeing eye cats (as opposed to seeing eye dogs)?I think that goes more toward the trainability of dogs rather than intelligence. Besides, octopii are more intelligent than both [grin];  Dang.  If I ever go blind I'm totally going to get me a seeing eye octopus (or octopi).   ;Quote:Original post by ChaosEngineQuote:Original post by MoeIt really doesn't surprise me.  I mean, if cats were smarter than dogs, wouldn't we have seeing eye cats (as opposed to seeing eye dogs)?I think that goes more toward the trainability of dogs rather than intelligence. Besides, octopii are more intelligent than both [grin]crows aswell it seems[Edited by - SimonForsman on June 17, 2009 6:03:26 PM];Quote:Original post by ChaosEngineQuote:Original post by MoeIt really doesn't surprise me.  I mean, if cats were smarter than dogs, wouldn't we have seeing eye cats (as opposed to seeing eye dogs)?I think that goes more toward the trainability of dogs rather than intelligence.Doesn't it take intelligence to be trainable?  Training is usually done through cause and effect (do this and get a treat), which takes intelligence to learn.  Plus every dumb animal I've owned has been untrainable, whereas the smart ones are highly trainable.   ;  I'm pretty sure cats understand cause-and-effect quite well. Especially when you spray them with water for climbing on the curtains. They don't usually do that again.   ;  Cats just have a strong will of themselves. Cats are definitely smarter than rats or mice but are less trainable for example. Heck, I used to have a bunny that I trained to follow me around and understood commands such as "don't touch" and "stay". It was definitley less smart than the cat I have today, yet I can't teach my cat these things.Also, don't forget about all the crazy things people have been able to teach catls, like using the toilet instead of a litter box.   ;Quote:Original post by LessBreadabout cats and dogs living together? ...Warning: This link may exceed federally mandated limits for cuteness.