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[Chairman Tickles]

They might chew your shoes, occasionally pee on the rug, or snarf down your entire dinner the minute you turn your head, but it turns out your family dog is measurably smarter than your cat.


Researchers at Vanderbilt decided to put the age old debate to the test objectively, studying the number of cortical neurons in the brains of a number of animals. The results? Canines had a significantly higher number than felines.


Dogs, it turns out, have about 530 million cortical neurons. Cats have less than half that, coming in with 250 million. (We humans have about 16 billion.)


"I believe the absolute number of neurons an animal has, especially in the cerebral cortex, determines the richness of their internal mental state and their ability to predict what is about to happen in their environment based on past experience," said Suzana Herculano-Houzel, associate professor of psychology and biological sciences at Vanderbilt, who oversaw the study with a collection of international researchers.


The paper, which will be published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroanatomy (and almost certainly maligned on Reddit, the Internet's haven for cat lovers), notes that the physical size of the brain doesn't necessarily relate to overall intelligence. For example, researchers found that the brain of a brown bear, while 10 times as large as a cat's, has roughly the same number of neurons. (Raccoons, also, are on par with cats when it comes to smarts.)

Kind of stating the obvious but it's gotta be said, again and again. Crazy cat people can't get away with their fake news. Dogs rule cats drool. And despite my avatar I am by no means biased. I grew up with a cat that used to sleep on my toddler face. I only started getting dogs when I was an adult. It's like night and day, dogs are simply more personable.

 

[Ailynn]

It really all depends on the cat. Our sweet Cricket was the kindest sweetest cat I've ever known, loved people immensely...and was even very protective of us if he sensed a threat, and would try to get someone to help if he thought someone he loved was in trouble.

He was like classic Lassie, only a little kitty instead. I miss him very much. ❤

 

[Papa]

Damn, my pet rock is not going to take this news well.

 

[Papa]

It really all depends on the cat. Our sweet Cricket was the kindest sweetest cat I've ever known, loved people immensely...and was even very protective of us if he sensed a threat, and would try to get someone to help if he thought someone he loved was in trouble.

He was like classic Lassie, only a little kitty instead. I miss him very much. ❤

We have two ragdoll cats who are just the sweetest things ever. Constantly with us, never angry or aggressive, sleep on our laps, just all around lovely animals even when they’re not hungry. It all depends on the breed.

That said, we do plan to supplement our fur family with a husky when we move to a bigger house with a bit of land.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

I'm a cat owner but no, it makes sense, I would definitely say dogs are smarter than cats.

Cats are clearly not very smart, they just kinda lay around and look at you, beg for food, they're like big hairy babies.

But what cats are is very emotional, you get very real feelings of love and affection from them, so while they might not be smart in a logical sense, they're not brain dead either, their emotions prove there's a mind and consciousness in those furry little heads.

 

[highrider]

Dogs are more like enthusiastic lackeys but I love them. Based on my interactions with cats and dogs they seem of similar intelligence, but cats have dignity lol.

 

[Douche McBaggins The 3rd]

You think I'm going to believe that when a dog can't even shit in a box? At least the cat has the courtesy of shitting in a box and burying it. But a dog will at least clean up after throwing up by eating that throw up again. Moral of the story? Both creatures are funny as hell.

 

[SaviourMK2]

But which animal has more power over the human. Think about it

 

[jufonuk]

But which animal has more power over the human. Think about it

The lizard people

 

[haxan7]

The lizard people

i was gonna post this myself

 

[Mohonky]

But which animal has more power over the human. Think about it

Well I'd risk my life to save my dog, the cat? Not so much.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Cats are good for catching varmets, but there’s a reason Police have K9 and not Kitty9

 

[Doczu]

It really all depends on the cat. Our sweet Cricket was the kindest sweetest cat I've ever known, loved people immensely...and was even very protective of us if he sensed a threat, and would try to get someone to help if he thought someone he loved was in trouble.

He was like classic Lassie, only a little kitty instead. I miss him very much. ❤

Being protective and being sweet isn't any indication of being intelligent.
Do't get me wrong, together with my wife we took in a stray cat and she really, really expresses her affection to us in the best possible way (almost every day she tries to sleep in my arm pit), but damn she's stupid as a shoe (Polish expression).
Still, the household wouldn't be the same without her.

 

[Paasei]

Comparing cats and dogs is pointless regardless. They don't have much in common apart from the fact that they make good pets.
Both are cool and very loveable animals in their own right.

They should test this on a bunch of humans as well. Humans have around 100 billion neurons, yet some humans are without hope and completely retarded.

 

[Woo-Fu]

Considering the most complex---and only for most---trick people teach cats is how to use a litter box, I'd say dogs are definitely smarter. Fortunately cats have attitude, constantly giving off a vibe that they could learn any trick they wanted to if humans could make it worth their time.

Cats take it for granted that the good life is going to go on forever so there is no hurry to do anything besides sleep. Dogs are afraid it'll disappear at any moment and try to make the most of it.

 

[WaterAstro]

What breed? Different breeds are smarter than the others for dogs. Cats are mostly the same even with big wildcats.

Logically, though, the dog breed variety and trainability does show the intelligence of dogs through versatility while cats are the same always.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Nobody is saying cats are dumb. They're highly intelligent. So are horses, cows, pigs etc. But dogs are on another level, approaching monkeys where the frontal cortex connectivity and density is concerned-which is where the bulk of conscious thinking and behavioral consistency occurs in all mammals. Cats seem more alike because they tend more toward their instincts. Dogs are so varied, and not just between breeds, but within breeds. Even those dog breeds known for being lazy and hard to teach, show great variability in behavior.

 

[Alx]

Yep not surprised here. It's not about which pet is better, but which one is better equipped for complex thinking. Most of what cats do is based on primal actions, mostly hunting and mating. After hundreds of millenia of interaction with man, dogs learnt to do more abstract and unnatural tasks : herd cattle, identify specific threats and objects, help blind or disabled people, ...

 

[Ar¢tos]

Not the first time I hear this comparison, and they always leave out something equally important. Cats have half of the neurons, but they have double of the amount of connections between them.

 

[DiscoJer]

I don't know. My family used to have a Newfoundland who we had to teach how to ring a bell to go outside because otherwise he would literally knock the door down by pawing it (they are very strong and big dogs...). He learned it quickly enough, once we showed him

But then our cat learned it just by watching the dog.

And somewhat similarly, later on, with a different cat (and dogs), when my dogs would scratch the door to come in, I had a cat that would come and tell me the dogs wanted in.

Cats are also better at manipulating their owners.

 

[5secondrulesucks]

this isnt a discussion at all. dogs are pack animals and are social animals. cats arent and if they are social in the wild its barely. now everyone LOOK at the type of people who defend what cats do and how they behave and match them up with their personalities. you will see a lot of similarities. you will see a lot

of course everyone knows one special animal OMG

 

[Kadayi]

Cats are good for catching varmets, but there’s a reason Police have K9 and not Kitty9

Damn son, that's a Hollywood Comedy pitch script right there. You need to get writing and make some bank.

 

[5secondrulesucks]

listen when i can get a cat still so i can lick peanut butter off its balls is when theyll be equal to dogs

 

[Breakage]

Cats only want to be your friend when they want something.

 

[5secondrulesucks]

cats are shitty animals. put one you think is dope outside for a night and it will act like a caveman. cats suck

 

[Zewp]

I mean, my cat cuddling in my arms while I play videogames is still the best thing ever, because I know I earned that love and trust. A dog would do that from day 1 and probably just be annoying while he's at it.

I think dog people just don't want to work for their animal's affection. They want to play Pets: The Game on easy difficulty, whereas cats are the hard difficulty.

 

[Orpheum]

I still loved my cat even though she was dumb as shit

 

[Liljagare]

Naw, dogs might have more neurons, but they have no clue on how to use them.. There is another report that also states cats have half of the neurons, but they have double of the amount of connections between them.

"Dogs allow themselves to become slaves to humans, while cats maintain their freedom to disobey and to not do what is desired or expected of them." "Cats can solve the same problems that dogs can, and cats certainly understand the behaviors that they are being told to learn. The problem that researchers have is that cats just refuse to bend to a human's will. Even faced with the possibility of starvation, cats often choose to avoid slavery. They are much like the American patriot Patrick Henry, who said, 'Give me liberty or give me death!' So what you consider to be a sign of lower intelligence is really just evidence of feline independence."

Yes, I lubb my wee little pootiekitties!!!! Toottoot! Scratch da belly!

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Cats are also better at manipulating their owners.

I think this is a common misconception. Dogs can read human emotion far better than any other animal (this is proven), that alone nullifies that. I think it's far more accurate to say that people that become cat owners are more easily manipulated in general. Dogs are more socially sophisticated and form more complex interpersonal bonds.

This allows them to react in far more subtle and amicable ways. All cats just do the same thing to get your attention, cats in isolation will act within the same extremes towards a stranger or their regular owner. A dog would never do so and it goes beyond being merely protective but down to the way dogs beg/manipulate different individuals completely differently.

For example, my dog will never try to pull the shit he pulls with my other family members because he knows I don't buy it, so he does something else entirely to get what he wants. And he will do things completely differently with strangers, and with friends each of whom he treats differently. The list goes on.

Cats don't really differentiate between so many individuals beyond outright hostility and outright friendliness. Dogs can be everything in between to many people at the same time. I'm sure some cats also garner some sociability over time and start to act more personable with different family members and people in general. But it is much less subtle and varied. My cat when I was little used to be protective of me and very chummy with my mom because she used to feed it. It largely ignored my dad. My dog is so much more in so many more ways to everyone.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

On second thought saying cats “aren’t very smart” is way too harsh.

Dogs may be smarter but cats aren’t dumb, they are however more creatures of emotion than logic, that’s what I meant.

 

[Sorcerer]

Cats seem more independent emotionally, every dog I have encountered constantly wants attention. I am going to give the edge to cats, but not by much, they both have strengths and weaknesses.

 

[plushyp]

It all depends on the breed.

True, this is what it all boils down to for both cats and dogs.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Cats seem more independent emotionally, every dog I have encountered constantly wants attention. I am going to give the edge to cats, but not by much, they both have strengths and weaknesses.

That’s some scientific analysis you have there.

 

[Enygger_Tzu]

Does the study says which breed is the smartest?

I'll go out on a limp and say the German Sepherd.

 

[Ecto311]

No shit dogs are smarter. Never seen a police cat, fire cat, service cat or any of those Jobs for cats. Plus cats wait what 2 min after you die and start to eat you. Dogs sleep next to your grave when you die so long eventually they start to dig their own grave and climb on in next to you. It goes like this: slugs, cats, paper clips, dogs, monkeys, humans. Since monkeys can fuck you up according to Joe Rogan we had to skip those for best friends and go with dogs.

 

[Vlaphor]

Hold on everyone. I found footage of this test being conducted...

It's hardly unbiased.

 

[petran79]

If we are talking about pet dogs and cats instead of wild dogs and cats:
Cats have a much richer set of mews than dogs have for barks. Cats actually do not even need to mew when they are together, they only mew to humans.
Also try to leave your pet dog in the wilderness alone. He'll most likely starve to death or be run over by a car or get diseases, unless he finds other stray dogs to form a pack. A cat has much more chances to survive alone both by day and night. Even if you keep her at home for her whole life and set her free. My sis left her cat roam free alone while she was on vacation for few weeks and she was still there perfectly fine when they returned. Try doing the same to a dog.
Also try locking and neglecting a dog in the yard, tied on a leash, never taking him out for a walk and neglect him/her. They'll be damaged mentally for life. A cat will just say "screw you, I am leaving"

 

[Bolivar687]

"I believe the absolute number of neurons an animal has, especially in the cerebral cortex, determines the richness of their internal mental state and their ability to predict what is about to happen in their environment based on past experience," said Suzana Herculano-Houzel, associate professor of psychology and biological sciences at Vanderbilt, who oversaw the study with a collection of international researchers.

I refuse to accept the underlying premise of the study.

 

[Rekki-Maru]

cats are domesticated predators. You can feed them til their stuffed but they still hunt for birds, lizards etc. just for sport, scary shit. i always find the leftovers with no heads, like they eats the brain to gain their secrets.

 

[Hissing Sid]

Well durr.

Dogs are sociable creatures and therefore highly intelligent.

Cats are socialist creatures and therefore everyone gets to share in the task of cleaning their shit out of the flowerbeds and gravel driveways.

Science innit.

 

[Kenpachii]

This is why nobody believes in science anymore.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Dogs are a slave species who will do anything to be rewarded.

Cats do what the fuck they want, and we still worship them.

Advantage, cats.

 

[Geki-D]

Also try to leave your pet dog in the wilderness alone. He'll most likely starve to death or be run over by a car or get diseases, unless he finds other stray dogs to form a pack. A cat has much more chances to survive alone both by day and night.

If you left most humans in the wilderness they'd fair just as well as said dog. I'm not going to say a cat is more intelligent than a human, however.

Also try locking and neglecting a dog in the yard, tied on a leash, never taking him out for a walk and neglect him/her. They'll be damaged mentally for life.

Same here, this applies to plenty of humans. Still more intelligent than a cat.

 

[zenspider]

Dogs are a slave species who will do anything to be rewarded.

Cats do what the fuck they want, and we still worship them.

Advantage, cats.

It's interesting, because that comes down to what we value. My cats seem smarter because I value their displays of intellegence more than a dogs. A dog's obedience and loyalty may require more raw brain power, but I can relate more to my cat - their behavior is closer to what I would like my own intellegence to accomplish.

What's really interesting - it's a great example to see how bias can color our own notions of general human intellegence.

 

[cryptoadam]

Dogs do rule of course this is well known to anyone. But cat's aren't a bad second prize.

My old roommate had a cat and I swear it would call my name.

 

[Nymphae]

Well they eat their own puke and will eat cat shit with rocks all over it out of a litter box, so how smart are we really talking here.

lol I like dogs, just not dogs that I think could kill me if I looked at it the wrong way.

 

[LOLCats]

My cat plays catch and fetch, no joke, shit goes on for hours sometimes.

Thats my good girl.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Let's be honest here. Cats just don't give two fucks about your science/research. They know you mad, "but do scoop the litter box when you're done, my good hooman."

My cat plays catch and fetch, no joke, shit goes on for hours sometimes.

Thats my good girl.

Same here, lol. Brings it back and drops it at my feet.

 

[DiscoJer]

If we are talking about pet dogs and cats instead of wild dogs and cats:
Cats have a much richer set of mews than dogs have for barks. Cats actually do not even need to mew when they are together, they only mew to humans.

This is another thing - if you meow to a cat, they think you're talking to them. You bark at a dog, they think you're crazy.

 

[Ovek]

I dunno a fucking tree stump was smarter than my dog.