Are cats smarter than dogs?

The age-old debate! Cat lovers and dog enthusiasts often come head-to-head over the big question: “are cats smarter than dogs?” or “are dogs smarter than cats?”

While we think both furry companions are fab, dogs are often praised for their ability to follow commands and connect with their human family, whereas cats are well known for their self-sufficiency and stealth.

So, are cats smarter than dogs, and if so, how much smarter are cats than dogs? In this article, we’ll dig into the different types of intelligence in our four-legged pals and share some experiments that try to measure just how clever our beloved pets really are.

Does a larger brain size equal higher intelligence?

But first, how do we define animal intelligence? Intelligence can be defined in many ways and can be a real head-scratcher amongst animal researchers. 

One common assumption is that large brains equal greater intelligence. As you can probably tell from looking at their heads, dogs have a larger brain size than their feline cousins. But hold up! Humans are considered the brainiacs on this planet and have quite little brains compared to some large animals. So, having a large brain doesn’t necessarily equal higher intelligence. 

One study concludes that what makes humans so intelligent is a combination of our information processing capacity (IPC) and the large number of neurons in our cortex (the part of the brain most linked to intelligence). 

Our feline friends have almost double the cortical neuron counts as dogs (300 million in cats and 160 million in dogs). And when it comes to IPC, it’s smaller brains that process information quicker as the signals travel shorter distances.

So does that mean that cats are smarter than dogs? Not necessarily. Looking at the structure of the cat brain and the dog brain is just one piece of this pet-shaped puzzle; there are many ways to define intelligence and figure out which species is smarter.

Related article: Cat brain facts - mind-blowing truths into cat intelligence

Fetching the proof: how cats and dogs show their smarts

Alright, enough brain talk! Let's sniff out how our four-legged-companions interact with the world and their human companions as this can be a tell-tail sign of their cognitive ability. 

Problem-solving abilities

Both dogs and cats exhibit impressive problem-solving skills, but they approach challenges differently: cats tend to showcase their impressive hunting instincts, whereas dogs rely on their social nature. 

Our clever canines are also excellent social learners: they can learn how to solve problems by watching their human companions. Cats, however, don’t perform as well. As one study showed, cats failed to open an animal-friendly drawer to gain food when they were shown by human researchers, whereas dogs were able to perform the same task easily after the demonstration. 

On the flip side, a study found our pooches are too reliant on us and look to their pet parents when problem-solving rather than trying to figure it out on their own. Besides, cats don’t totally lack social learning; they’ve been observed figuring out how to open latches and doors to enter or escape spaces for example (more on cat training later). 

So, does that mean dogs are smarter than cats because of their problem-solving skills? Perhaps — or it could be that cats just don’t respond as well to social learning and encouragement. What’s more, cats may not always show their full abilities in tests due to a lack of interest or fear. 

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Communicating with humans

Both our furry companions have clever methods of communicating within their species like body language, facial expressions, scent, and vocalizations. But are cats or dogs smarter when it comes to communicating with us?

How dogs communicate with us

Dogs are incredibly tuned in to human cues. They can spontaneously understand our body postures and facial expressions, follow gaze direction and gestures (and know when it’s aimed at them).

Our clever pups can also grasp a wide range of human words. A Border Collie, Rico, has learned up to 200 words and understands which objects they refer to. Another brainy Border Collie, Chaser, has been taught to understand relatively complex grammatical sentences. 

Our savvy pets aren’t just good listeners — they talk back too! While our chatty canines are known for making vocalizations and using their body language to communicate with us, a new trend has taken the internet by storm: pet talking buttons! These buttons allow our furry friends, through training, to press a button that voices their needs in human language. Pretty clever, huh? While dogs have been at the center of attention with this fun new gadget, both dogs and cats can be trained to use it.

How cats communicate with us

Cats, too, can understand and follow human gestures and gaze directions, and they often refer to their pet parents when uncertain or scared. Like dogs, they can also recognize when speech is addressed to them, understand human emotions, and adapt their behavior accordingly.

Cats have formed unique abilities to communicate with us, too: adult cats only meow at their human companions and they also match their purr frequency to that of a human baby’s cry!

So, are dogs more intelligent than cats in human communication? Dogs, possibly because of their breeding and longer domestication than cats, have a slightly advanced social ability to interact with humans. That being said, there are also fewer studies on cats and how they communicate with us humans to say for sure.

Related article: How do cats communicate with each other? The key to cat language

Trainability

Many people believe that dogs are smarter than cats when it comes to trainability. Dogs show high intelligence in training and their social nature aligns with the positive reinforcement techniques used. Plus, our fur-tastic canines can be trained and relied on for important jobs such as assisting people with disabilities or helping law enforcement.

But let’s not write off cats’ trainability. Our moggies are in fact capable learners, especially when the training aligns with their natural behaviors and instincts.

The famous Savitsky Cats (featured in the Netflix documentary, Inside the Mind of a Cat and the quarterfinals of America’s Got Talent) can perform a huge range of impressive tricks including the “Mission Impossible” upside-down tightrope walk, high-jumps, and jump through paper hoop, all in front of a huge audience with ease!

The trainers of The Savitsky Cats, Maryna and Svitlana, say the difference between training cats and dogs is that “Dogs want to please you… And the cats just kind of, “make me”.” The takeaway is that cats learn tricks by being trained like a cat and, well… not like a dog. 

Related article: Cat toilet training: how to litter train a kitten

Memory

Are dogs or cats smarter when it comes to memory? Both of our furry buddies can remember things well in the short term. A study shows that cats can recall which bowl they’d already eaten out of after 15 minutes. On the flip side, according to another study, dogs have a good short-term memory of only about two minutes.

But what about long-term memory? Both cats and dogs have episodic memory: a form of long-term memory that means they can recollect previous experiences often triggered by a certain smell, noise, or powerful emotion. This means they can remember repeated commands and negative or positive associations for up to their entire lives. Both dogs and cats can also remember human faces, body odors, and vocals. One study found that cats can differentiate between identical twins due to their differing smells. So they’ll remember if you’re usually the one to give them a treat or a bath!

So dogs are not smarter than cats when it comes to short-term memory and both dogs and cats have similar long-term memory skills.

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So, are cats smarter than dogs?

Intelligence shows up in all sorts of varied and complex ways with our brainy furballs. Dogs tend to be champions in social intelligence, obedience, and tasks requiring cooperation with humans. Cats, however, shine in independent problem-solving and memory. But hey, because of the lack of research on cats compared to dogs, it may be that cats have cognitive abilities that we aren’t yet aware of!

So when it comes to  “are cats or dogs smarter?”, we can safely say that both cats and dogs have paw-some qualities that make them superstars in their own right. We can appreciate and celebrate the diverse strengths and abilities that both of our fur-ever friends bring to our lives.

Related article: What are the smartest dog breeds?

Going away and in need of some care for your clever kitty or dexterous doggo? Why not take a look at our many trusted pet sitters who’ll give the care your beloved companion deserves.