Pets
Difference between the intelligence of dogs and cats
Is there a difference between the intelligence of dogs and cats? Since humanity divided into dog and cat lovers, we have been discussing which of our dear companions is the most intelligent species. Today we will see what differences are documented:
For those who think that more neurons means more intelligence, a 2017 study may give the answer. The study showed that dogs stand out among carnivores for having a remarkably dense cerebral cortex..
Experts analyzed the outer layer of the cerebral cortex of a variety of carnivorous animals, including dogs and cats. The idea of the study was to determine if animals with a greater demand – from prey hunting – had a higher cortical neuron count.
The team observed eight different animals that eat meat, for which one or two representative specimens of ferret, mongoose, raccoon, cat, dog, hyena, lion and brown bear are analyzed.
In general, it is believed that cell count in the cerebral cortex can provide a better estimate of the mental processing power.
According to your results, Dogs have more than 530 million neurons, compared to 250 million cats. In addition, dogs had the most neurons of any carnivore, although they did not have the largest brains.
Such differences do not exist between predators and prey.
In the same study, the researchers had hypothesized that carnivorous brains should have more neurons in its cerebral cortex than its prey. It turns out there wasn’t much difference at all.
Thus, it was established that the ratio between number of neurons and brain size in most carnivores was approximately equivalent to that of herbivores.
These results suggest that prey animals need roughly the same level of brain power to escape as hunters needed to catch them.
So, when comparing the intelligence between dogs and cats, is it time to recognize the dogs what corresponds to them?
Although the evidence cited above is not definitive, these findings mean that Dogs have the biological ability to do things much more complex and flexible than cats.
Before opening the champagne, it is possible to describe the results of other studies in dogs and cats that perform ‘object permanence’ tests. These tests – a total of six – measure the understanding of the subject under study, of the fact that objects still exist even if they cannot be seen, heard or touched.
So, discovering hidden or displaced objects is a sample of sensomotor intelligence of study subjects. Different research groups have evaluated evidence of permanence of objects for cats and dogs; tasks similar to those typically used for human babies are used.
These types of studies have shown that none of the species – dogs or cats – have been able to correctly solve all the test problems when the object was a toy.
However, the performance of both species improves when the object used is a treat.
So far, the results obtained indicate that intelligence in dogs and cats allows them to understand the permanence of the object in a similar way, with what they reach a level 5. Level 6, the maximum, seems to be only reached by certain species of ape like Capuchin monkeys.
Is the intelligence of dogs and cats associated with their training capacity?
First, It is necessary to clarify that it is a mistake to think that cats are not trainable. Many are!
However, cats often express their opinion. Remember: the difference in character. Cats do not naturally have the same obedience as dogs. The felines are independent.
It is important to keep all cat training sessions very short but constant. You may need to focus training differently with dogs and cats, but both species enjoy the awards as a way of praise for their hard work.
While dogs and cats are very different, of course they are both excellent companions. All they need is love and care.
If we talk about pets, consider things in relation to who wins the game – if dogs or cats – may not lead us to fruition.