I guess the researchers left the "Maine Coon" cat out of their equations.

I swear these Maine Coons are smarter than most primates.

frostus: Dogs are kids; cats are roommates.

Come to think of it, I had a roommate in college who was a worthless mooch.

Cats are only smart to the degree that they managed to be appealing enough for humans to tolerate their existance. Dogs are generally useful, cats are generally useless.

And the wilderness argument is poor because cats have not been nearly as selectively bred as dogs have, but if you want to play that game, you have to let both types use their strengths. So which fares better in the wild: a wild cat or a pack of wolves?

All that aside, I prefer dogs, but cats are still cool.

Lord Binky: Cats are only smart to the degree that they managed to be appealing enough for humans to tolerate their existance. Dogs are generally useful, cats are generally useless.

And the wilderness argument is poor because cats have not been nearly as selectively bred as dogs have, but if you want to play that game, you have to let both types use their strengths. So which fares better in the wild: a wild cat or a pack of wolves?

All that aside, I prefer dogs, but cats are still cool.

People didn't domesticate cats because they were cute, people domesticated cats to kill vermin. People never needed to train, interact with, or control cats, they just needed to keep them around, and they'd serve their purpose.

Anyway, cats didn't develop smaller brains than dogs because they're "less social," they're not social animals at all. Dogs are and always have been. Apples to oranges.

Gwyrddu:
What a dog translator might look like

Gotta say, I'm impressed with your GIS-Fu. Less than 5 minutes after the post you're responding to and you've posted a Far Side cartoon that sums up dogs perfectly. +1. Seriously.

Dogs are just way too needy for me. When you don't want to pat them it's the end of the world. All day, every day. It's farking tiresome. Although I somehow doubt that Amundsen would have beaten Scott to the South Pole with a team of cats hauling his ass across the snow.

technicolor-misfit: They're stupid creatures that exist for the process of existing. Eat, poop, sleep, eat, poop, sleep, eat, poop, sleep, die.

I hate to break it to you, but that's what existence is for all creatures.

Everything else is just killing time and fornicating.

frostus: Dogs are kids; cats are roommates.

That is a good analogy. I'll have to agree.

/four cats, one dog
//dog is sooooooo much more work

Lord Binky: Cats are only smart to the degree that they managed to be appealing enough for humans to tolerate their existance. Dogs are generally useful, cats are generally useless.


I see someone doesn't appreciate the development of the ability to store the products of agriculture. Cats helped out big time, they still do. Heck, mine keeps the place bug free. As far as I'm concerned, that's worth room and board.

The type of intelligence that dogs and cats have is different. and one is not necessarily smarter then the other.

I've seen smart dogs, and smart cats.
I've seen dumb dogs, and dumb cats.
Overall, cats are definitely smarter than dogs.

Like us hairless apes, dogs are pack animals, with a social structure very similar to ours.
If we anthropocentrically define "intelligent" as "apelike" - then yes - dogs are more "intelligent" than cats.

Take a ten pound dog, and cut it loose in a wilderness - it will be dead in a week.
Set a cat the same size loose in the same wilderness, and it will very likely survive.
So which is more "intelligent"?

Can your stupid dog fly?

There is a fascinating episode of Nova called Dogs Decoded. They explore-among other things-how dogs have evolved to communicate with humans ever since being domesticated.

/ may have been mentioned already, too lazy to check
// on Netflix instant, for those of you who can still afford it after the massive price hike

mamoru: jso2897: Take a ten pound dog, and cut it loose in a wilderness - it will be dead in a week.
Set a cat the same size loose in the same wilderness, and it will very likely survive.
So which is more "intelligent"?

Take an average urbanized human and drop him in the same wilderness. How long do you think he'll survive? ;)

/intelligence is a pretty useless metric as it's not well defined

Yulian: Lord Binky: Cats are only smart to the degree that they managed to be appealing enough for humans to tolerate their existance. Dogs are generally useful, cats are generally useless.


I see someone doesn't appreciate the development of the ability to store the products of agriculture. Cats helped out big time, they still do. Heck, mine keeps the place bug free. As far as I'm concerned, that's worth room and board.

THIS, my cat controls the pigeon, chipmunk and spider population around our house. Cats can be quite useful.

Oh look, a bunch of bitter people that don't know how to communicate with cats, and think they're "unfriendly".

I think intelligence is the ability to learn something that is not inately learned. For instance, training a dog to search for drugs or help the disabled. I've never seen a Feline Unit in law enforcement or a helper cat. Dogs are far superior, as both a useful animal and as a companion.

Animals are good.

/who gives a shiat whether or not cats are smarter than dogs or vice versa?
//enjoy all critters, great and small

Really good NOVA on PBS on this very subject a week or so ago...

Scientists feel that dogs have largely been underestimated and not worthy of study, now they feel the research on dogs is one of the hottest trends

They say dogs are amongst the smartest animals on the planet, rivaling and surpassing chimpanzees in many respects

They showed that dogs are the only animal that created their own language specifically for communication with humans...the bark. Wolves do not bark to communicate with each other. Dogs do bark to communicate with us, and in most cases we can identify what the dog wants by the bark "tone"

Dogs are the only animals that take human cues and gestures - from birth puppies look to humans for direction
they proved that dogs use the same left side facial recognition that humans do to understand subliminal feelings or emotions

They had a dog that understood over two hundred different words, not only did the dog understand the words, then fetch the object. They would show the dog the object in miniature scale, the dog would fetch the corresponding regular size object. Even more incredible was showing the dog a printed two dimensional icon representing the object, and the dog was able to retrieve the correct object - (this wasn't some circus trained dog either)

/really good program

Ahem. I'll just leave this here:
"It's easy to understand why the cat has eclipsed the dog as modern America's favorite pet. People like pets to possess the same qualities they do. Cats are irresponsible and recognize no authority, yet are completely dependent on others for their material needs. Cats cannot be made to do anything useful. Cats are mean for the fun of it." P. J. O'Rourke

/but seriously, who cares, if you like your pet and they like you, it's all good
//oh wait, this is Fark...flame on!

7473r4: Sure they're friendlier, but put a poodle and a cat out in the forest to fend for themselves and see who lasts longer. WHO'S MORE INTELLIGENT NOW? DOES FRIENDLINESS CATCH YOU DINNER AND HELP YOU CLIMB TREES FEEFEE? Didn't think so.

And in case you couldn't tell I'm making a case for the cat surviving long term. They're master hunters and way faster than dogs. Also they can climb trees, something their canine counterparts cannot do. Dogs: intelligent by human design. Cats: intelligent by the only design that matters and that is NATURE'S

If that's the case the Ivy League should call it quits and move to southern Georgia and southern Alabama (and God forbid Texas). Master hunters. Great survivalists. Can climb trees (with equipment and rivals at 3:30 in the dark in the a.m., etc. Northern elitists....intelligent by human design. Dumbass rednecks...intelligent by the only design that matters and that's NATURE's.

Kome: Ah, this should be good. You didn't even really need to use the word "evolve" in the headline and a flame war will still probably break out, just of a different kind.

I love both cats and dogs, but I tend to find cats to be more my style. Sucks that I'm allergic to them. =(

My step dad is allergic, my mom did a lot of research and found that Siberian forest cats are good for people with allergies. Link (new window).
She has gotten two cats from this breeder if you're in the NY (upstate) area. Link (new window)

power_slave: Around my house, there are no cats walking around because if a fox comes across a cat, the cat gets dead.

Now put a cat in a forest instead of a fox in a neighborhood and it lasts 5 minutes.

Dog wins in the forest.

Um what?


Disagrees.

Also-

Dogs stink ALL. the. time. yes even your dog.
Always with the barking, don't they ever know when to shut up?
They are annoying as shiat...always whining, barking, wanting attention, digging and chewing on stuff.
Did I mention they reek?

Oh and

Really Disagrees with TFA.

My cats are smart and useful; their duties:

1) Efficiently kill the field mice that make it into my house.

2) Alert me to visitors by rustling the window blinds and not by barking; one cat serves as the official greeter of guests.

3) Keep my bed warm.

4) Help relieve me of leftover food.

5) Lower my blood pressure; also, because of the cats' calming effects I don't need to buy tranquilizers or alcohol.

AshleyJWilliams: power_slave

Also-

Dogs stink ALL. the. time. yes even your dog.
Always with the barking, don't they ever know when to shut up?
They are annoying as shiat...always whining, barking, wanting attention, digging and chewing on stuff.
Did I mention they reek?

Oh and

Really Disagrees with TFA.

Your cat shiats and pisses in the house and it smells. You think visitors don't notice, but we do. Your clever placement of the litter box does not matter.

Your cat and it's piss and shiat smell.

Did I mention your cat smells?

If cats were so smart they wouldn't be drinking the anti-freeze I have in a dish labeled "Free Milk"

gregory311: AshleyJWilliams: power_slave

Also-

Dogs stink ALL. the. time. yes even your dog.
Always with the barking, don't they ever know when to shut up?
They are annoying as shiat...always whining, barking, wanting attention, digging and chewing on stuff.
Did I mention they reek?

Oh and

Really Disagrees with TFA.

Your cat shiats and pisses in the house and it smells. You think visitors don't notice, but we do. Your clever placement of the litter box does not matter.

Your cat and it's piss and shiat smell.

Did I mention your cat smells?

Um my cat knows how to go outside, dig a hole and take a dump, meanwhile your dog ALWAYS smells like he rolled in shiat and probably did, also I've seen dogs eating their own shiat.

Also, nanana booboo stick your head in dog doo. Come on lighten up, the butthurt...it smells too.

Awesome new documentary on netflix instant from NOVA: Dogs Decoded. (new window)

Basically details how dogs have learned, over generations, to form unique bonds with humans that no other animals share with any other beings. Seriously worth a watch if you like NOVA or dogs.

Well, cats can't be too bright, have you seen how they spell? Atrocious.

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

Stay Cool Babylon: Yulian: Stay Cool Babylon: cchings: Getting bossed around by humans does not make one smart

Clearly, you enjoy having a pet that actually views you with disdain.

Yeah, dogs are problematic in that they tend to shiat everywhere and shed a nuclear winter all over your house, but at least they're affectionate. I've met some pretty cool cats, but on average, they're just using you as a food source and don't really offer anything.

/still enjoys Caturday

Disdain? Mine adores coming up on the bed when there are people there and asking for pettings by reaching out and tapping with a single paw. It's rather polite. He knows how to ask to be let out, he knows how to ask for food from me when I'm eating. He doesn't just try and get chicken, he sits down and meows for it.

It really depends how they are socialized and raised. Many people just don't try to teach a cat anything, or don't know how to.

We'll have to agree to disagree. I firmly believe that cats are antisocial, as a general rule. I'm glad that you have a cool cat, but in my experience the opposite is true. Again, I have met some very affectionate and polite cats, but they seem to be the exception. Just about every dog I have met has been a lovable ham (albeit with their own set of irritating habits).

And that's why there are cat people, and dog people.

Male cats are much friendlier and social than females usually. The female is the typical aloof, disdainful stereotype.

gregory311: AshleyJWilliams: power_slave

Also-

Dogs stink ALL. the. time. yes even your dog.
Always with the barking, don't they ever know when to shut up?
They are annoying as shiat...always whining, barking, wanting attention, digging and chewing on stuff.
Did I mention they reek?

Oh and

Really Disagrees with TFA.

Your cat shiats and pisses in the house and it smells. You think visitors don't notice, but we do. Your clever placement of the litter box does not matter.

Your cat and it's piss and shiat smell.

Did I mention your cat smells?

You are comparing smells? And thinking dogs come out on top?

I have to say that I've met more friendly cats than not. I think it depends a lot on the owner and how you raised them and how affectionate you are. Both my cats are very loving and as smart as I can expect a cat to be.

I'm not the type of person who needs constant affection, nor do I want to constantly give it. Sometimes I just like to watch my cat and marvel at how beautiful she can be or how graceful she is and I'm content. Cat and Dog people just have different personalities and there is nothing wrong with either of them.

This is Isabelle when she was a couple of months old. She would shove herself bodily into my legs when I was sitting Indian style. She would just sleep like that...



All grown up. It's very scary how she looks as though she is plotting my demise.

tukatz - Dogs just do whatever they think will please their master.

Cats send telepathic messages to us telling what we should do for them.


LincolnLogolas - If dogs are smarter than cats, then why do dogs live to please their masters, while many humans live to please their cats?


busy chillin' - Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.




So, by this logic, it follows that cat-owners are the stupid subservient dogs in their relationships.

technicolor-misfit: tukatz - Dogs just do whatever they think will please their master.

Cats send telepathic messages to us telling what we should do for them.


LincolnLogolas - If dogs are smarter than cats, then why do dogs live to please their masters, while many humans live to please their cats?


busy chillin' - Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

So, by this logic, it follows that cat-owners are the stupid subservient dogs in their relationships.

Nope, just submissives.

Confront a child, a puppy, and a kitten with sudden danger;
the child will turn instinctively for assistance,
the puppy will grovel in abject submission,
the kitten will brace its tiny body for a frantic resistance.
- Saki

I love my dogs but I'd like to BE a cat...

They're both smarter than the folks I'm going to be spending Thanksgiving with.

I like all the cat lovers posting pictures of lions and tigers as an argument.

Did you guys miss the "social" word in this article?

I love these threads that are full of the cat lovers -

Where i come from - cats are vermin, pests that are uncontrollable.
they breed like rabbits, and are destructive and annoying as hell.

If people love cats SO much, why do they bring them into the country, like where i live to dispose of their precious LOL cats?

we are overrun by these pests, dozens and dozens of them, everywhere

Where are all of you cat lovers when it comes to rescuing them? - ill tell you - NOWHERE
The shelters are ALL FULL of cats - we cant find a shelter within 300 miles to take a single one.
All we can do is trap them and get them fixed, mostly on our dime.
sometimes we get lucky and get a few PAWS vouchers for the spay/neuter - but then we have to drive a hundred miles to have the procedure done.

You cat lovers want to do some good, start rescuing some cats, start ponying up some dough to the local cat shelter, encourage your friends and families to adopt rescue cats...
Cats are a BIG TIME problem - you don't believe me, call your local shelter

Christ i hate the damn things, and it looks like ill be surrounded by them for the rest of my life, (if i just don't give into the 10 cent solution one of these days)

Here's a clip for you dog lovers, with a nice rape scene. Rape.

NSFW?
Link (new window)

Not that it will mean anything to anyone, but my cat acts like a dog. He greets me at the door, follows me when I say "you coming?/come on" and he loves to hang out with me in the same room. Funny thing is that he only does that for me he could careless about other people.

I had another cat that has since passed on, but she would do a bed check at night and would wait by the front door till about 2 am, if a bed was empty then finally come to bed. If I was gone for a few nights (like sleepovers when I was little) she would basically yell at me kind of nastily. We would joke around and say that she was like "where were you, do you know how long I stayed up waiting for you, etc." We had a cat when I was really little that would play fetch too.

I really think that they are both smart animals, but in their own way. I think I will always have a cat, they're just easier. I don't have to worry about accidents b/c I didn't make it home in time to let them out or have the accident out of spite; like my friends dog does.

LincolnLogolas: If dogs are smarter than cats, then why do dogs live to please their masters, while many humans live to please their cats?

So this means that it is cat owners who are stupid?