When it comes to animal intelligence, dogs often win the crown for smartest pets. But how smart are cats, really? Studies often have inherent bias with animals coming from such different backgrounds, home lives and enrichment opportunities. According to Ailigh Vanderbush, a certified animal behavior trainer, animal intelligence is based on “learning, conditioning, individual behavior, species behavior and evolutionary behavior.”
That’s quite a list. Plus, in order to measure intelligence, “researchers have looked at memory, spatial cognition, tool use, language and problem solving ability, to name a few concepts.” But even this doesn’t cover all aspects of intelligence or how it’s displayed.
How Smart Are Cats Compared to Other Animals?
Comparing intelligence across species has its problems. While scientists can see that the surface folding in cat brains — which gives them a large capacity for information processing — is nearly 90 percent similar to the surface folding human brains, Vanderbush warns that we can’t really compare different species to each other because of the different types of intelligence.
Brain size also has little to do with what people consider intelligence. For example, parrots have small brains but a great ability to learn. “Cat brains haven’t changed much since domestication. Cats do have twice as many neurons as dogs, meaning they have a greater capacity for information processing than dogs. Generally speaking, both are intelligent but in different ways,” stresses Vanderbush.
Jacqueline Munera, a certified cat behavior consultant, points out that cats often don’t get a chance to demonstrate how intelligent they are. “Cats are also very intelligent in their own natural environment in ways that we just think of as natural to cats,” she says. “Hunting, caring for young and finding safe spaces to live seem less special to many people, but it takes a lot of intelligence in general to survive as a cat.” So your little mouser is pretty bright.
Cats demonstrate different types of intelligence through hunting, problem solving, memory, protection and training. “Social media has been a huge boon to cats in general because videos get out of cats doing interesting things that we can call intelligent,” says Munera. She adds that cats have a spectrum of the level and type of intelligence they have and that, just like some humans, “some cats may not be very smart in one area but excel in another.” With stories of smart cats spreading, whether they can open a door or call 911, their wide range of intelligence is apparent.
- U-Boat
It used to be a common practice to have cats on ships to reduce the rodent population. With their adaptability and intelligence, cats took well to the role. U-Boat served on a Royal Navy ship during WWII. He took shore leave when the ship docked, somehow always returning right before the boat left.
- Room 8
Another cat famous for returning, Room 8 appeared one day at an elementary school…and continued to appear the first day of school every year for 15 years. No one knows where Room 8 spent his summer vacations, but he always returned the first day of school.
- Sullivan and Sarah
Feral Maine Coon mix cats, the pair perform remarkable tricks showing off their smarts. Sullivan knows numbers and colors. These two prove that cats, when given training and enrichment, have an amazing capacity to learn.
- Casper, Artful Dodger and Macavity
Famous for his bus riding adventures, Casper has made the news around the world and is the subject of a book. The cat was known to line up with passengers, board buses and ride back to his home stop while his owner was at work. He isn’t the only bus riding cat. Artful Dodger and a cat dubbed Macavity also use public transportation.
- Towser The Mouser
Towser displayed hunting abilities retained in cats even through domestication. He was employed as a mouser at Glenturret Distillery where he caught over 28,000 mice — a Guinness World Record.
- Winnie The Hero Cat
Dogs often get all the credit for being man’s best friend and working at jobs that save lives, but cats save lives, too. Winnie saved her family from carbon monoxide poisoning by waking them with loud, screaming meows.
- The Acro-Cats
The Acro-Cats prove that cats can indeed be trained. This group of rescued kitties can ride skateboards, play music and perform for their acts for audiences.
Cats have a great ability to learn and adapt, making them smart by most standards. Learn more about cat behavior and fun facts with 101 Amusing Cat Facts: Fun Trivia About Your Feline Friend.
Kit Arbuckle works as a freelance writer covering parenting, education, health and pet care topics.
