Not so Goofy! Dogs are cleverer than cats
FROM Goofy to Scooby-Doo, dogs are hardly known for their sparkling intellect.
But a study suggests that cat owners who believe their pets are cleverer than canines may have to think again.
Researchers found dogs are probably smarter than cats – and have more than double the ‘little grey brain cells’ that control thought, planning and complex behaviour.
US scientists found canines had around 530million brain cells in their cerebral cortex. But cats have only about 250million.
Co-author Dr Suzana Herculano-Houzel, of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, said: ‘I believe the absolute number of neurons an animal has, especially in the cerebral cortex, determines the richness of their internal mental state and their ability to predict what is about to happen in their environment based on past experience.
‘I’m 100 per cent a dog person but, with that disclaimer, our findings mean to me that dogs have the biological capability of doing much more complex and flexible things with their lives than cats can.
‘At the least, we now have some biology that people can factor into their discussions about who’s smarter – cats or dogs.’
Scientists also looked at larger carnivores, including a hyena, lion and brown bear, and found a golden retriever had more of the important grey cells than any of them.
The study, also involving the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, states that this ‘may confirm anecdotal perceptions of dog owners and animal trainers, as well as unpublished reports that dogs are easier to train and therefore more intelligent’. However, the authors say more work is needed to determine how extra brain cells in the cerebral cortex – the outer layer of the brain – affect animals’ capabilities.
Dogs and cats are a long way off humans, who have around 16billion neurons in the same part of the brain. But the study, which appeared in journal Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, says they are still clever enough to have learned to react to owners’ emotions.
Dr Herculano-Houzel said: ‘Diversity is enormous. Not every species is made the same way. Yes, there are recognisable patterns, but there are multiple ways that nature has found of putting brains together – and we’re trying to figure out what difference that makes.
‘This suggests that dogs might be better than cats at planning their actions and manipulating owners, whether learning to open a gate or pushing a food bowl across the floor because they are hungry.
‘Cats can in some cases do this too, but they are slower to learn and less likely to behave this way.’
‘Better at planning their actions’