Cats are not as smart as their owners think
Cat owners, you may want to skip reading this article because tests have found that dogs are smarter than your beloved felines.Psychologists tested cats understanding of cause-and-effect connections between objects to measure how bright they were.
The test saw fish treats attached to a piece of string, and placed under a plastic screen. They then saw if the cats could work out that pulling on the other end of the string would pull the treat closer.
While the cats managed it with one string, when a second parallel un-baited one was added, they were left confused.
Previous tests on dogs had seen them complete this relatively easily, proving that dogs are better ... at least if you are going to spend your evening playing with strings with them.
Britta Osthaus, of Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, said: "This finding is somehow surprising as cats regularly use their paws and claws to pull things towards them during play and hunting.
"They performed even worse than dogs, which can at least solve the parallel string task."
"If we know their limits we won't expect too much of them, which in turn is important for their welfare. I am not trying to say cats are stupid, just they are different. We are so anthropomorphic we can't see the world through their eyes.
LINKS
Canterbury Christ Church University
Exeter University
"They performed even worse than dogs, which can at least solve the parallel string task."
"If we know their limits we won't expect too much of them, which in turn is important for their welfare. I am not trying to say cats are stupid, just they are different. We are so anthropomorphic we can't see the world through their eyes.
LINKS
Canterbury Christ Church University
Exeter University
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