Cat People Are Smarter Than Dog People, New Study Shows

[brooklynite]

Huffington Post:

SAN FRANCISCO — "Dog people" and "cat people" really do have different personalities, according to a new study.

People who said they were dog lovers in the study tended to be more lively — meaning they were more energetic and outgoing — and also tended to follow rules closely. Cat lovers, on the other hand, were more introverted, more open-minded and more sensitive than dog lovers. Cat people also tended to be non-conformists, preferring to be expedient rather than follow the rules.

And in a finding that's sure to spark rivalries among pet owners, cat lovers scored higher on intelligence than dog lovers.

This should go over well...

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. So those of us who have and love both...are we brilliant, or totally hopelessly lost?!?!

[shenmue]

8. Yeah

I like both. Don't have either at the moment, but hope to adopt.

[arthritisR_US]

17. Having both I was wondering the same thing. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

36. I will side with brilliant...

if you "get" cats, you're alright in my book. Dogs can be fun, too.

[Gormy Cuss]

2. This OP is species-ist.

Why do you hate dogs?


slinks off to pet the good kitty

[Shandris]

3. Well, I suppose if you're only ranking cats and dogs, cats will win...

...but once you include ferret-lovers, it's all over. Ferrets 2014!

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. I have two cats, and two dogs. I'll tell you this...

NEVER get two kittens at the same time and expect them to be the way most house cats are... climbing into your lap etc. Two cats have EACH OTHER for company and do not need you.

[OnyxCollie]

9. That happens with dogs, too.

Littermate syndrome.

The weaker will become subordinate to the other and both will not need you.

Engaging the weaker dog will put it into an uncomfortable position where it will have to make (bad) decisions.

When I encounter a pair with littermate syndrome for the first time, I pay attention to only the dominant dog. Eventually the subordinate dog will see that its mentor is comfortable and will become social.

It helps to split them up and do activities singularly, but that may be harder to do with cats.

[KurtNYC]

40. I have littermate dogs and that has not been my experience

We are one pack and I am dominant, then the female, generally.

Owners can influence the heirarchy of their dogs (and maybe other animals) by several techniques including the order in which they get fed or the position (on the bed or coach) that they are allowed to have. My female dog (the gold one) is laid back but very social and loves long walks and meeting people and animals. The male is a little more active, somewhat social but prefers playing with sticks and balls, chasing and running. In certain situations he seems dominant to her.

I have no regrets about raising these littermates together and hope that others would try training before giving up one of their dogs. At least one potential trainer told me raising them together could not or should not be done. She never met my dogs because I didn't trust her low expectations. My dogs are happy together with no issues -- she was wrong.



For theory and training that goes beyond wolf pack/alpha dog nonsense and simplistic clicker training I recommend Bonnie Bergin's book and research.

http://www.berginu.edu/

[etherealtruth]

50. They are incredibly beautiful!!!! n/t

[davidpdx]

52. Very nice looking dogs

Majestic animals. Personally if I were going to have a dog, I'd want a big dog.

[Luminous Animal]

12. My 2 kitties, almost 2 now, have each other and me.

They try to keep me from leaving the house.

[TDale313]

15. Always been a one-cat woman

Always felt one at a time was as much as I could really take proper care of. It still amazes me how many of my fellow cat lover friends strongly encourage the idea that it's best to get a pair. My cats have always seemed very happy.

[SheilaT]

25. The reason I originally acquired a second

cat was that we travelled just often enough that even though I had good neighbors who'd refresh the food and water and scoop the litter box for us, we'd come home and the cat would be crazed with loneliness. The second kitty completely changed that.

But if you're not gone, other than to your job, it's not quite the same thing. No matter what, you have the kind and number of animals that suit you.

[TeamPooka]

18. I had two cats, sisters, before the dog I now have and they had fun with each other but

they both loved climbing on my lap and getting rubbed too.
On their schedule of course.

[spockeye]

5. You two crack me up. n/t

[csziggy]

6. Cat people have to be smarter to survive their cats' plots!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cat_kill

[SheilaT]

26. One of my cats, actually the gentlest and

sweetest and most amiable of the three I had then, would occasionally look at me with an "Oh, if only you were a whole lot smaller" expression on her face. It was clear she wanted to think of me as prey, but fortunately I was vastly too large for that.

[csziggy]

28. I'm convinced the only reason my cat doesn't kill me is I control the food

If he could open the containers, I'd be of no use to him. If I don't feed him when he thinks he should be fed, he attacks my ankles or any other parts he can reach.

[awoke_in_2003]

37. That is funny as hell

But now I'm afraid to go to sleep.

[yallerdawg]

7. Wut? t/n

[Bosonic]

10. I'm guessing whoever signed off on this research was a dog person

[3catwoman3]

11. So, does having 5...

...mean I'm really smart?

[NightWatcher]

13. Then the weird old lady at the end of the street with 12+ cats is a genius?

We've two dogs (but one of those is an idiot) and a cat...so we're average I guess.

[aikoaiko]

14. A cat conducted the study.

[awoke_in_2003]

38. Of course...

the dogs were too busy licking their ass

[Unrepentant Fenian]

16. DOGS RULE! That is all

[MrMickeysMom]

20. Hey didn't you hear?

Cats rule… dogs drool!

[Submariner]

24. And Cats are fearless

[MrMickeysMom]

55. "This time, it's purr-sonal…"

[tularetom]

19. We have three of each and we both think the dogs are smarter

but the cats are waaaay easier to take care of.

Plus the dogs are why we can't have nice things.

[lumberjack_jeff]

21. You can tell because of cat food commercials.

Or maybe not.

Maybe they believe they are marketing primarily to those infected with toxoplasma gondii

[Jamastiene]

22. This looks interesting.

I have a gut feeling this thread is going to get, count 'em, five from me. I predict a classic. w00t!

[NV Whino]

23. I guess that makes me three times smarter.

But the raccoon may cancel that out.

[winter is coming]

27. Dumb cat owners don't live to tell about it.

Fluffy's just waiting for you to close your eyes...

[etherealtruth]

47. .

[elleng]

29. Got it all wrong,

vis a vis me.

[Politicalboi]

30. Then this lady must be a genius

http://www.cathouseonthekings.com/


700 plus cats on 12 acres. YIKES!

I saw 2 kittens the other day where I live that are feral, and if I can catch them, I am going to bring them there, along with their daddy and mama if I can find her. I already have 3, I don't need anymore.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

31. Uh huh....

I tawt I taw a puddy tat!

[freshwest]

49. Feline ripostes:

Last edited Fri May 30, 2014, 07:47 AM - Edit history (1)

[CSStrowbridge]

32. I prefer cats...

I prefer cats, mainly because I hate dog drool.

[Politicalboi]

33. So you've never owned a drooling cat?

I had one about 20 years ago. We called her Bloomers because her back end looked like bloomers to me. Anyway, when I would pet her, she would drool on me. Only I think her drool came from her nose. LOL! I rescued her from my crazy boss who thought it was just fine to trap and take cats that shit in is precious sand. I actually went back to his neighborhood and looked for lost cat signs. He would have shit had he saw her back again. LOL! But I ended up keeping her, and she lived a long life. Cats do drool.

[SheilaT]

41. I've never known a cat to drool.

I am certainly not doubting your story, but they drool far, far less than dogs do.

[NRaleighLiberal]

43. we had a drooling cat! vet told us it was because he was happy!

[Enrique]

45. say it!

[davidpdx]

53. Awesome!

[Blue_In_AK]

34. We have a dog

but she's a Shih-tzu, so almost a cat. I personally am a cat person, but all our cats have passed on, and I don't want to get another one because they live so long. I would hate to have my kitty outlive me.

[awoke_in_2003]

35. No surprise...

Dogs are ass kissers, and nobody likes ass kissers.

[smallcat88]

39. Love both

but I've always had cats. Four at the moment. All but one act a little like dogs sometimes though. I have two who like to play fetch like dogs. As much as I love them I have to question how smart they are when they climb up a tree but can't climb down. And seriously questioned my own intelligence last year when I had to climb up on the roof of my house to rescue one. (They're all house cats but one is an escape artist who got trapped up in the tree next to the house.)

[DesertFlower]

42. i love both, but a dog

is too much work for me. so i have a cat. i have owned dogs.

[whistler162]

44. Oh boy... another study on the gullibility of

Internet readers!

[Enrique]

46. let me guess

dog person...

[baldguy]

48. It's smarter to bring an overlord into your home rather than a friend & companion?

Smarter for the cat maybe...

[47of74]

57. Cats are not overlords

More like primus inter pares.

[TM99]

51. And those of us with rats

have you both beat.

[davidpdx]

54. Cats rule, dogs drool

[47of74]

56. I just saw this and sent it on to Mama and The Moose...

And reminded Moose that next time Mama starts riding him for being a cat person he has something to come back with now.

[Liberal_in_LA]

58. of course

[Zorra]

59. The only subjects in this study were college students, and apparently the researchers didn't even

attempt to corroborate their assumptions with IQ tests.

Study fail. I'm not buyin' it.

?