According to urban legend, dogs are smarter than cats. I’m not sure how this idea came about, but it’s probably because cats are so quiet and keep to themselves. But if you think about it, cats are actually way more self-sufficient. You have to take your dog on a walk to make sure it gets exercise, whereas cats are independent and don’t need no protection. If you have seen The Secret Life Of The Cat, then you know your cat probably gets around more than you do.
It’s not just me who thinks cats are just as smart as dogs. In a new study, a group if Japanese scientists have found that cats have similar memory abilities to dogs. A study of 49 cats showed they can recall memories of pleasant experiences, much like dogs.
So how did the study work? Basically, they gave the cats two bowls and let them eat out of one of them. Then after a 15-minute interval, the scientists tested the cats to see if they could remember which bowl they had already eaten out of and which remained untouched. They found that the cats were able to remember correctly, implying they had an episodic memory. This is where your memory is influenced by past experiences.
But the cats also passed their other tests with flying colours. They matched dogs on various mental tests, including responding to human facial expressions, gestures and emotions. They're super smart.
Saho Takagi, a psychologist at Kyoto University, told BBC cats may remember their past experiences much like dogs and humans. ’An interesting speculation is that they may enjoy actively recalling memories of their experience like humans’
This means your cat may have a favourite snack. Not only that, but they may lounge around the house thinking about it all day (much like we do when we run out of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food).
So what does this all mean? Saho Takagi told the BBC the research may improve how we think about our pets. ‘Understanding cats more deeply helps to establish better cat-human relationships.’
It also feels like a bit of a ‘win’ for women. Hear me out on this. Since the dawn of time, a dog has been ‘man’s best friend’, because dogs are strong and intelligent, whereas the cat has been for the ageing female spinster. But now that cats are proved to be just as smart as dogs, maybe the title ‘Lonely Cat Lady’ will sound a little less tragic.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.