Which animal is more intelligent--a dog or a cat?


Lindsey Hill
Ms. Skelton's 5th grade class
Morris Avenue Intermediate School
Opelika

Dear Lindsey,

This is an interesting and very difficult question with no clear answer. There is no universally accepted definition of "intelligence." Some people would say that it is the ability to solve problems, while others would say that it is the ability to use reason to analyze and to come to conclusions. There are many other definitions of the word.

Both dogs and cats can solve some types of problems. But such things as motivation are hard to determine. A dog may solve some types of problems very well, while a dog not strongly motivated may not.

On one hand, dogs are much easier to train to specific jobs, on the other, those siding with cats' intelligence counter that the cats are too intelligent to bother being trained. Even within the dog community, there are arguments about which breed is most intelligent. A book, "The Intelligence of Dogs," ranks 79 breeds based on obedience trial results, surveys and some problem-based tests. One example that I think tells a lot is the towel-toss. A dog's head would be covered by a towel. The shorter the time taken for the dog to remove the towel, the greater the intelligence. The border collie ranked as the highest intelligence. The basset hound was one of the lowest. In the case of the towel toss, my observation suggested that the basset simply didn't care rather than not knowing how to get the towel off.

So, there really isn't an answer that a scientist would really accept except in a very narrow, mutually agreed upon definition. But at least both dogs and cats are intelligent enough to get along with people and to cope with the environment in which they find themselves. Both dogs and cats may train us more than we train them. That's pretty smart.

Thanks for your question,
Aubie and Dr. Myers