It’s an age-old question – “Are you a dog person or cat person?” There’s long been a debate about cats versus dogs and their different merits. While there are plenty of households containing both dogs and cats, many are still divided. People still want to know whether dogs or cats make better pets. Are dogs smarter than cats? Which one makes a better pet?
How Dogs and Cats are Different
Dogs and cats have distinctive characteristics. Of course, these are generalizations and every pet is unique. Still, there are ways in which dogs and cats are obviously different.
Sleep Schedule
- Dogs are active during the day and sleep at night. While most dogs take naps during the day, for the most part, dogs are active during the day.
- Cats tend to sleep most of the day. Cats are most active at dusk and dawn; for this reason, cats often act as an amazing alarm clock.
Verbalization
- Dogs typically only bark in warning or to get your attention. We know this isn’t the case with all dogs, but in general, dogs us their voice to let you know something is going on.
- Cats have a whole range of sounds they make on a daily basis. Sure, you’ll hear a frequent yowl or meow. But cats have so many other sounds they use to communicate with you, too. From hisses to snarls and spitting, your cat has an array of noises that mean he or she is angry. But, cats will also let you know they are happy with purrs, cooing, and other sweet kitty sounds.
Panting
- Did you know cats rarely pant? Both dogs and cats pant when they’re overheated, have overexerted themselves, and need to seriously cool down. But the big difference is cats rarely get to a state in which they’ve exercised enough to be out of breath. Unlike dogs, cats rarely pant. And if they do, it’s often a sign they are stressed or sick.
Socialization
- Dogs are highly social creatures. They especially love their family, but they also enjoy being social with other dogs and other humans as well. Your dog loves to snuggle, cuddle, and stick by your side. It’s generally safe to say dogs are incredibly social animals.
- Cats like space. Felines value their alone time and need plenty of space in order to be happy. Of course, your cat loves you; he or she just likes quiet time too.
How Dogs and Cats are the Same
Though there are many differences between dogs and cats, they do share some things in common. Both are excellent pets and can make an incredible addition to your family. Here are some of the ways dogs and cats are the same.
Good for Your Health
- Dogs and cats are both good for YOUR health. It’s no secret pets are an enriching presence in our lives, but it’s more than that. Your pets are actually beneficial to your health. Pets provide emotional support, are excellent companions and help motivate you to get plenty of exercise. Read more: 8 Outstanding Health Benefits of Dog Ownership
Need a Healthy Diets
- They thrive on a healthy diet. Both dogs and cats need to eat healthy food to feel their best. Sure, their nutritional needs are a little different. But, in general, they both thrive when fed fresh, whole foods, plenty of protein, and all the essential vitamins and minerals their bodies need.
Both are Trainable
- You can train both dogs and cats. A dog is likely more motivated by praise and wants to learn new commands to please you, but you can teach cats a few tricks too. You can train both pets; you simply need to ensure you’re using a high-value treat as a reward for both dogs and cats. Read more: 5 Things You Can Easily Forget When Training Your Dog
Speaking of Intelligence, Are Dogs Smarter Than Cats?
Scientists have studied both species and their brains to find the answer to this very question. And, scientifically speaking, dogs are likely smarter than cats.
The research study looked at the brains of animals in the order Carnivora, a group of mammals containing bears, seals, raccoons as well as cats and dogs. The purpose of the study was to examine the density of neurons in the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex controls intelligence processes such as decision-making and planning. The more densely packed neurons in a species’ cerebral cortex, the more intelligent that species is considered to be. For example, primates have brains with very dense neurons.
Results of the study showed that dogs, having larger brains to begin with, have more than twice as many neurons in their cerebral cortex as the domestic cat, with around 530 million cortical neurons to the cat’s 250 million. For comparison, there are billions of neurons in the human brain. Because the brain relies on neurons to process information, the more neurons an animal has in its cerebral cortex, the more information it can process, and the richer its mental capabilities likely are. This means dogs have the potential for more complex and flexible behavior than cats.
Dogs can learn tricks quickly, memorize hundreds of words, and solve complex problems. But the thing is, so can your cat. Cats may have fewer neurons, but they are intelligent in their own way.
Do you agree dogs are smarter than cats? Are you a dog lover, cat lover or both? Please share your thoughts in the comments below…
Willow Blackwell says
For a lifelong cat and dog breeder like me, having a dog is better than a cat, in my personal opinion. After many years of breeding, I really do find dogs to be smarter, more approachable, and easier to train than cats. Especially the dogs are very affectionate, I feel that while they usually play with the cats, the cats don’t like to be around and play with me. Another thing I like about dogs is that they always want to protect me from everything around them and they treat me like a true friend.
Joelle Audette says
Thank you so much for all the care you give your animals, and for sharing your experience here on the Canine Campus blog! Hope you visit us again soon!
Willow Blackwell says
Thanks for this helpful post. I hope to see more useful information like this in the future.
Anna says
not enough information
Joelle Audette says
For more in-depth information, please see the research referenced in the blog post at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnana.2017.00118/full. Thanks Anna!
Sam says
Cats don’t want to be trained. However, I have seen trained cats in a Vegas show and they honestly looked far more impressive and intelligent than any dog. Also, apparently the structure of a cats brain closely resembles
a human brain. They actually are far smarter than dogs so I’ve been told by many scientists.
Joelle Audette says
It does seem like dogs and cats are intelligent in different ways. Thank you for sharing your experience in Vegas – interesting indeed!
Dan says
Maybe the case of a smart cat, but statistically speaking, an averge dog seems to be more adaptable and smart than the average cat. And maybe brains cat looks like human brain, but with less neurons than a dog. After reading the paper, it seems that the averge dog is clearly smarter than the average cat.
John says
Spoken as a true cat person. I love both as pets, but it’s not even close despite all the articles afraid to offend cat people. Twice as many neurons in larger brains makes dogs the clear winner. It’s also obvious to anyone who’s spent time training both. Sure a purring cat is better to pet, but it’s hard to come up with anything else cats do that is useful. Make both the same large size and you can’t even trust the cat not to kill you, while the dog would die trying to protect you.
Joelle Audette says
Thank you for weighing in!
poo says
so not true
Jeremiah Bergman says
Well,what is smarter,a cat or a dog?It’s saying what is a better tool,a hammer or a screwdriver.
Joelle Audette says
Exactly!
Oliver Auvinen says
I thought cats were smarter than dogs and I like cats better, but now it seems they are just as smart in their own way.
Joelle Audette says
So it seems!
Marie says
I have two dogs, and from what I have seen, dogs are definitely smarter than cats. Dogs can learn to fetch, track, find, and dig things up, while cats kinda just stay home and play with toy mice and try to trap red lights.
Dogs are also more useful. The can be used as police dogs, firefighter dogs, and they can help people who can’t see or hear and they can sniff out dangerous things.
Dogs are also usually more affectionate! Dogs are naturally sweet, playful, and social. Cats kinda just prefer to be left alone.
What’s really annoying about cats is that they can jump over the walls of your backyard and they can wander the neighborhood and possibly get lost, and sometimes they find a mate cat and have kittens with them when you don’t want them to.
That’s my opinion about cats. Thanks so much! It was helpful!
Joelle Audette says
Thanks for visiting our blog and leaving your comment. We appreciate your viewpoint!