How smart are cats?

It is well known that cats are smart, even cunning creatures, but just how smart are they?

According to scientists, cats are much smarter than you might think, and much more stubborn.

What’s going on in her brain?

Even after watching cats for a short time, you will understand that they are very smart creatures. Cats have smaller brains compared to dogs, but Dr. Laurie Houston explained in an interview with PetMD that “relative brain size is not always the best predictor of intelligence. The feline brain has some amazing similarities to our own brain.” For example, Dr. Houston elaborates that each part of the cat’s brain is separate, specialized, and connected to others, allowing cats to understand, respond to, and even manipulate their environment.

And, as Dr. Berit Brogaard notes in Psychology Today, “Cats have more nerve cells in the visual areas of the brain, part of the cerebral cortex (the area of ​​the brain responsible for decision making, problem solving, planning, memory, and language processing) than in humans and most other mammals.” That’s why, for example, your cat rushes from one end of the house to the other, chasing a speck of dust that you can’t even see. She is on a mission.

In addition to first-class vision, cats also have impeccable memory – both long-term and short-term, as you can see when your cat angrily watches you pack your suitcase. After all, he remembers very well that the last time you left home with this suitcase, you were gone for ages, and he does not like it.

What does science say?

Another sign of feline intelligence is the refusal to participate in research.

David Grimm writes in Slate that the two leading animal researchers with whom he discussed feline intelligence had great difficulty in working with their subjects because the cats simply did not participate in the experiments and did not follow instructions. Leading animal scientist Dr. Adam Mikloshi even had to go to the cats’ homes, because in his laboratory they categorically did not make contact. However, the more scientists learn about cats, the more they want to try to subdue them. You just need to get them to follow the commands, but it is quite obvious that this is very difficult.

Who is smarter – cats or dogs?

So, the age-old question still remains open: which animal is smarter, a cat or a dog?

The answer depends on who you ask. Dogs were domesticated much earlier than cats, they are more trainable and more social creatures, but this does not mean that cats are less intelligent than dogs. It’s impossible to know for sure because cats are difficult to study in principle.

Dr. Mikloshi, who usually studies dogs, found that, like dogs, cats have the ability to understand what other animals, including humans, are trying to convey to them. Dr. Mikloshi also determined that cats do not ask their owners for help the way dogs do, mainly because they are not as “attuned” to people as dogs are. “They are on a different wavelength,” says Grimm, “and that ultimately makes them very difficult to study. Cats, as any owner knows, are highly intelligent creatures. But for science, their minds may forever remain a black box.” Isn’t it the mysterious nature of cats that makes them so irresistible?

It may take some time before scientists can more specifically answer the question of how smart cats are. What is known is that cats are impatient, have highly developed cognitive decision-making skills, and will leave you if they find you boring. What’s more, they’re great at knocking you down.

But if a cat loves you, she will love you forever. With the right understanding of how smart your cat is, you can create a strong bond between you for many years to come.

Do you want to test the intelligence of your mustachioed-striped friend? Take the Cat Mind Quiz at Petcha!