Of Course We Are

Cat owners are more clever than dog owners. It’s research, so it must be true. There’s nothing like a nice bit of research that reinforces one’s own prejudices about one’s own superiority to lift the spirits…

Researchers at the University of Bristol say that the superior intelligence of cat owners is unlikely to be caused by their exposure to the famously cunning and selfish pets.

Rather, more educated people tend to work longer hours and choose a pet to fit their lifestyles. Unlike dogs, cats require no walking and can manage with little human company.

Well, they have a point. While I do like dogs, I simply cannot take one on due to lifestyle. Cats on the other hand look after themselves.

The final paragraph is amusing, though.

The popular myth of cat intelligence was dented last year with the publication of a study showing that they did worse than dogs at a simple reasoning task. Cats presented with two pieces of string, only one of which was attached to a food reward, could not tell which one to pull for their treat.

Oh, dear, this researcher doesn’t know the first thing about cats. Cats do not play to order, They decide what they will do and when. So while a dog will play games and learn tricks, a cat will stare at you and then walk away. The reason that the cats did not choose the string with the treat is because they couldn’t be bothered to play.