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Dogs vs cats: Scientists reveal which pets are the smartest

Jun 19, 2018

The research revealed which pets are the most intelligent. Source: Getty.

New research has seemingly put an end to the age old debate and revealed whether dogs or cats are the smartest pets.

For dog lovers their pet is the smartest thanks to their loyal nature and ability to be trained quite easily, whereas cat lovers quote their animals’ independent nature as a sign that they are the more intelligent creature.

But scientists from Vanderbilt University, in America, may have answered the question once and for all after they conducted research into the behaviour of both species – and it was dogs who came out on top.

The study examined the cerebral cortex of both animals and academics found that cats possess just 250 million neurons, which assist with decision making, compared to 530 million in dogs and 16 billion in the average human brain.

Suzana Herculano-Houzel said: “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.

“I’m 100 percent a dog person, but, with that disclaimer, our findings mean to me that dogs have the biological capability of doing much more complex and flexible things with their lives than cats can.

“At the least, we now have some biology that people can factor into their discussions about who’s smarter, cats or dogs.”

The findings were also backed up by the results of a recent study carried out at the University of Salford. Researchers at the UK university looked at the ways in which dogs try to communicate with their owners.

And the findings showed that dogs actually use a number of methods to try and get their message across, whether that is by barking, rolling over, lifting their paws or jumping up at people.

Publishing their results in the academic journal Animal Cognition, the researchers revealed they had discovered an incredible 47 different gestures that dogs use to try to communicate with their owners.

The researchers said: “This study provides strong evidence that pet dogs use referential gestures during everyday communicative bouts with humans. Gestures were performed in a referential way, with the attention of the receiver drawn to an item that was of apparent interest to the signaller.”

Some of the most common gestures, which they found to be understood by both humans and their four-legged friends, were holding one paw in the air while sitting, to ask for food, and rolling over in front of humans as a way of asking for a belly scratch.