Cat's are not smarter than dogs...

[Peikko 1,575]

Link

Personally, I think the test is flawed as it was designed by humans thinking like, well humans

It will cause outrage among some cat owners, but research suggests the pets are not as clever as some humans think they are – or at least think in a way we have yet to fathom.

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.

Osthaus, of Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, said: "This finding is somehow surprising as cats regularly use their paws and claws to pull things towards them during play and hunting. They performed even worse than dogs, which can at least solve the parallel string task."

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."

There is just one consolation. Humans don't understand string theory either.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Madame Cleo

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Bleh. Dogs are idiots. You mistreat a dog, it still loves you. Mistreat a cat, and you will have lifetime scars to remind you not to do it again.

[AlHayatZween 2]

yes, but women are still smarter than men.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

One of our cats switches the light on in the lounge when he wants feeding.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

One of our cats switches the light on in the lounge when he wants feeding.

told yah! I luvzz kittehs.

[Bobby+Umit 161]

My dog is smarter than my two cats...

[Chica Yeyé 41]

My dog is smarter than my two cats...

stfu, n00b

[Ladylethal 12]

Is not that cats are stupid, is that they're stubborn.

[Peikko 1,575]

My experience of cats is that they are smart, but not in a consistent way(or at least how a human would understand consistency). My first cat (who lived to be over 20 years old, was extremely healthy all her life bless her tabby paws) could open doors by jumping onto the door handle and hanging on until it opened. She did this every time she wanted to get through a door. She also liked watching people take baths though...

[Chica Yeyé 41]

My experience of cats is that they are smart, but not in a consistent way(or at least how a human would understand consistency). My first cat (who lived to be over 20 years old, was extremely healthy all her life bless her tabby paws) could open doors by jumping onto the door handle and hanging on until it opened. She did this every time she wanted to get through a door. She also liked watching people take baths though...

You cat was a voyeur???

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

I knew it, stupid cats...

Dogs f'ing rule :dance:

[Bobby+Umit 161]

My dog is smarter than my two cats...

stfu, n00b

Bwah? Moi?

I'm serious. My cats are good for nothing little poop machines, watching me at night, waiting their chance to kill me in my sleep.

Where my dog is loyal, takes care of her buisness in the designated spot in the yard, obeys me, and is plotting to kill the cats...

I go with the winning side

[sara..... 371]

i think cats are smarter than dogs, dogs will most the time allow them self to be owned by anyone that pets or feeds them a cat how ever picks the person it owns............u never really own a cat.

sara

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

To Bobby

Edited June 16, 2009 by TävôLuDô

[Chica Yeyé 41]