Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Social Networks Science

Cats Rival Dogs In Many Tests of 'Social Intelligence' (sciencemag.org) 156

Posted by BeauHD from the cat-cognition dept.
sciencehabit writes: Scientists have been studying the social intelligence of dogs -- how they evolved to communicate and bond with us -- for more than two decades, but they've largely ignored cats. That has started to change. In the past five years, a number of laboratories exploring feline social cognition have popped up around the globe, revealing that cats rival dogs in many tests of social smarts. But cats are hard to work with -- they freak out in the laboratory and often don't cooperate even when researchers study them in their homes -- causing some to wonder whether studies of the feline mind will take off the same way they have for dogs. Oregon State University devised an "attachment test" where an owner and his/her cat will go into a room for a moment, and then the owner will leave. The cat will typically tend to freak out, meow a lot, and walk around in circles until the owner comes back. When the owner comes back and sits down on the ground, often the cat will come back to the owner.

What's particularly interesting about this study is that the cat, after welcoming its owner and recognizing their presence, will then leave and start exploring the room. While the average person would assume that the cat doesn't care about their owner since they appear to just want to explore, it's the opposite that's true. The cat has such a close bond with their owner that they feel they're able to go explore now that their owner is there with them.

They also do a similar test with a fan that has streamers attached to it. With the fan on making loud noise and freaking out the cat, the owner is instructed to "make nice" with the fan. After making sweet talk and touching the fan, some cats will start to calm down, approach the fan, and even lay down in front of it. The cats appear to pick up the emotional cues from their owners and learn that the fan is not something that they should be afraid of.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Cats Rival Dogs In Many Tests of 'Social Intelligence' More

Cats Rival Dogs In Many Tests of 'Social Intelligence'

Comments Filter:

  • Of course they freak out... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 10, 2019 @08:45PM (#58572268)

    Of course they freak out when we study them. They know what we do to other animals. You'd freak out too if some alien race with our record wanted to study you.

  • Does your cat prefer you—or food?

    Any creature which does not prefer food is not a cat but a look-alike.

  • Fools ! You think you are studying cats during those experiments ? Ha ! THEY are studying us. And they easily found out human beings are stupid and can be used as slaves

    • This is true. (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Grog6 ( 85859 ) on Friday May 10, 2019 @09:37PM (#58572390)

      We only think we own cats, but in fact we are slaves, programmed to fulfill their needs for food and ear scratching.

      But cats, like people are quite different.

      I have two cats, both adopted from the neighborhood, that are likely related to a Tom my nephew adopted over a 20 years ago, by their similar noses and markings.

      One can recognize himself and others in the mirror, and is pretty damn smart, based on his behavior, and a penchant for practical jokes on people and other cats. :)

      The other one is a huge cat, 18lbs of solid beefcake; I've seen him destroy a pit bull that thought he owned the neighborhood.
      He doesn't recognize himself in a mirror, or me, or other cats, and refuses to climb trees; I think that led to his fighting ability. :)

      Both are awesome cats, love laptime, and chasing lasers; The big one is now about 4 years old, and I believe he's finally figured out I'm running the laser, and is disappointed he can't eat whatever it is; the other cat figured it out pretty quickly, but loves the fact I'm paying attention to him.

      The big one will chase a ball and bring it back, while the other cat watches, and probably trolls him in catspeak, lol.

      The point I'm making is that Cats differ as much as people do; dogs aren't that varied, or that smart.

      I've owned a bunch of dogs over the years, but I've never seen one look both ways before crossing the street, which these guys do every single time; unlike the neighborhood kids. :)

      • dogs aren't that varied, or that smart.

        We have had more dogs in our household than most people (we raise service dog puppies). They clearly vary in intelligence.

        Most dogs can be trained quite easily with food. Our pet dog is able to reverse this: she knows how to manipulate people into giving her more food.

        There is a dog that was able to recognize the names of about 1000 items and fetch them on command.

      • I find your comment funny because I too had a lovely cat that did pranks. He would hide behind a curtains and when you would pass by he would jump on you and give you a kick with his pawn without claws. He loved playing with me. Unfortunately an asshole driving a VW Golf shoot him dead on purpose.

        I think both cats and dogs are intelligent. However differently. Dogs don't see very well, in particular they don't get movement well, I think that is why they don't look before crossing. However in our neighborhoo

      • I've owned a bunch of dogs over the years, but I've never seen one look both ways before crossing the street,

        I have. A housemate of mine had a 140 lb. malamute/timber wolf cross that would range around town if he got out, and he would stop and look both ways at crossings. On the other hand, I've also watched a dog try to cross the street without looking, THROUGH a pickup truck. Like, the dog was walking along the right side of the street, didn't look, and tried to turn left and cross while it was already alongside a vehicle. Its head made a big BANG sound when it hit the side of the truck bed. Luckily, it was a bi

      • I've adopted an adult cat recently that wasn't getting along in a multi-cat house. This cat is very smart. She's figured out how to open closet doors, can find a way to look outside when the blinds are closed, and some other things. She also responds to her name... if I start talking to her she looks at me. However, if I say her name, she will meow and come over to me.

        I've tested this a few times. I can call her name and she will meow and come out to greet me. I've had smart cats before, but the cats I've h

    • Yeah, right [smbc-comics.com].
  • My dad just got 2 collie puppies this year, they are 3 weeks apart. One has some tendencies of the cat, he wants petted but also wants to check things out. He doesn't freak out when left alone now, he did a bit when they first brought him home. He keeps track of things to a point that he has barked at an empty space when the box there had been moved. A previous dog has similar behavior. She would spend most the night outside keeping track of anything that wasn't suppose to be there, it was essentially

  • We all know dogs are more intelligent because (Score:5, Funny)

    by tgibson ( 131396 ) on Friday May 10, 2019 @10:27PM (#58572504) Homepage

    dogs use vim and cats use emacs.

  • > What's particularly interesting about this study is that the cat, after welcoming its owner and recognizing their presence,

    ...will crap on the rug, bat a bunch of glass figurines off a shelf, vomit a hairball on the couch, and ignore the owner for the rest of the day. Attempts by the owner to reconnect with the cat results in deep scratches, transmitting bartonella henselae.

    None of this will prevent the cat from crying for the owner loudly the next time he leaves the room.

    Cats are assholes.

  • Bullshit (Score:5, Insightful)

    by JustAnotherOldGuy ( 4145623 ) on Friday May 10, 2019 @11:05PM (#58572612) Journal

    Cats are okay, but they'll never ever come close to the inherent wonderfulness of a dog.

    For example, ever heard of a...

    Seeing Eye Cat? Nope.
    Search & Rescue Cat? Nope.
    Guard Cat? Nope.
    Police Cat (K9)? Nope.
    Drug Detection Cat? Nope.
    Explosive Detection Cat? Nope.
    Military Cat? Nope.
    Herding (farm) Cat? Nope.
    Hunting Cat? Nope.
    Tracking Cat? Nope.
    Sled Cat? Nope.
    Service Cat? Nope.

    Not saying cats are bad, it's just that they're just aloof parasites with minimal interactivity, empathy, and utility. No cat will ever love you or protect you the way a dog does, and that's a fact. Yes, there are exceptions, and that's all they are: exceptions.

    Oh sure, cats may show you some love here and there, cuddle with you when they feel like it, and so on, but there's a reason that dogs are referred to as "man's best friend".

    I've owned cats and dogs, and dogs are far better in almost every way.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Zeroko ( 880939 )

      As I said in another comment, as a child, I had a cat that would come comfort me when I cried, sleep on my bed with me, etc. At least some cats have empathy. & even random cats seem to sense that I am a "cat person" & befriend me rather than other people who are around.

      Meanwhile, the dogs always want to lick me & cannot seem to grasp that I have no desire to be licked at any time, ever.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Falos ( 2905315 )

      I won't dispute a simple "dogs r better." in a vacuum, but someone here once mentioned a counterpoint I found valid: While cats have lower 'yield' they are lower maintenance. Dogs tax more in the ways of attention, purchases, cleaning, time, whatever.

      The net effect on "better pet" from that calculus is beyond the scope of this post. Just pointing out the consideration exists, not diving it.

      • but someone here once mentioned a counterpoint I found valid: While cats have lower 'yield' they are lower maintenance.

        Yes, if you want a pet you can ignore and not care for, cats are just the ticket.

        Sorry, cats don't measure up to dogs and never will.

    • Re:Bullshit (Score:5, Informative)

      by dryeo ( 100693 ) on Saturday May 11, 2019 @01:58AM (#58572998)

      Seeing Eye Cat? Nope.
      lots of examples, eg
      http://time.com/3758912/seeing... [time.com]
      Or this one that is a seeing eye cat for a blind dog
      https://www.huffpost.com/entry... [huffpost.com]

      Search & Rescue Cat? Nope.
      They're better then dogs.
      https://cattime.com/trending/2... [cattime.com]
      With lots of examples
      https://www.seeker.com/why-cat... [seeker.com]

      Guard Cat? Nope.
      Never heard of a Siamese cat?
      https://www.catster.com/lifest... [catster.com]
      and another example,
      https://catvills.com/guard-cat... [catvills.com]

      Police Cat (K9)? Nope.
      Of course they're not going to be a K9 and I doubt they're that popular amongst the macho officers.
      https://kittentoob.com/20-thin... [kittentoob.com]

      Drug Detection Cat? Nope.
      And why not, though I guess dogs have more sensitive noses.
      https://www.lawenforcementtoda... [lawenforcementtoday.com]

      Explosive Detection Cat? Nope.
      OK, seems cats aren't stupid enough to be attracted to explosives

      Military Cat? Nope.
      Pretty sure Siamese have been used in wars.
      https://www.petmd.com/cat/slid... [petmd.com]

      Herding (farm) Cat? Nope.
      Hard to find much on this as the herding cats meme dominates.
      https://thecatsite.com/threads... [thecatsite.com]

      Hunting Cat? Nope.
      Same problem with noise, here about cats that hunt. Any cat owner knows about gifts that a cat will bring their owner.
      https://www.thesprucepets.com/... [thesprucepets.com]

      Tracking Cat? Nope.
      Another one where results about tracking a cat dominate.

      Sled Cat? Nope
      Another one where cats beat dogs
      http://www.siberiancats.com/ra... [siberiancats.com]

      Service Cat? Nope
      Now I'm really surprised that you couldn't guess this.
      https://www.servicedogcertific... [servicedog...ations.org]
      https://www.certapet.com/regis... [certapet.com]

      So it seems you're very badly informed or prejudiced in favour of dogs.

      Bunch of text added to make Slashdot happy. Keeps complaining about too few characters per line, something I've never come across and it won't even let me preview. Can't find a typo either in amongst all the quotes.
      Still saying too few characters per line, pissing me off.
      I'll add more lines.
      OK, convert quotes to italics, sorry for the formatting.

      • Re:Bullshit (Score:4, Informative)

        by dryeo ( 100693 ) on Saturday May 11, 2019 @02:14AM (#58573016)

        Hmm, cats have been trained to detect land mines, so sort of explosive detection, https://news.softpedia.com/new... [softpedia.com]
        That just leaves tracking, which I'd guess cats can do as they are hunters.

        • Hmm, cats have been trained to detect land mines, so sort of explosive detection

          As above, thank you for listing an exception that proves the rule.

          If some cop sicced his "police cat" on me, I'd boot that thing into low Earth orbit. Not so much with a 75lb German Shepherd.

          • Re:Bullshit (Score:4, Insightful)

            by ceoyoyo ( 59147 ) on Saturday May 11, 2019 @11:43AM (#58574424)

            Ha ha ha. You list a whole bunch of things cats can't do, he finds counter examples for all but one of them, then you make some silly comment about kicking animals.

            Classy.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by epine ( 68316 )

            If some cop sicced his "police cat" on me, I'd boot that thing into low Earth orbit. Not so much with a 75 lb German Shepherd.

            If you had a black cat tucked under your cape, you could roll it up into an angry bundle and toss it at the dog, whose kill-or-be-killed firmware would toggle into Plan B in an evolutionary femtosecond.

            There's a doggy downside to having eyeballs the size of small mice.

            Human downside: you probably burn your emotional bridges with the feline.

            Cat: Well, he did toss me at the slavering w

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by PJ6 ( 1151747 )

          Hmm, cats have been trained to detect land mines, so sort of explosive detection, https://news.softpedia.com/new... [softpedia.com] That just leaves tracking, which I'd guess cats can do as they are hunters.

          I heard cats weren't as good as dogs for detecting mines, but only because they were single-use.

      • Thank you for your list of exceptions that prove the rule.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Nicely Informative - thanks
        It really boils down to the domestication process.
        DOGS were bred as hunting companions. They find / attack & take down targeted animals, then surrender the prey to the DOMINANT PERSONAE - their human masters.
        CATS accept US as companions - food, shelter, companionship / play when THEY want it.
        Essentially, dogs are domesticated SLAVES, whereas cats are domesticated COMPANIONS.
        Dogs accept us as MASTERS, cats accept us as FRIENDS.

    • They are just training not expression of love. I think most people fool themselves into mistaking the two. We changed dog until they were adapted to our need. We have done that to dog for far far longer on the time scale than for cat. Give us about 6000 more years with cats and you can compare it (origin domesticated dog :+15000 years, first potentially domesticated cats : 9000 years roughly).
      • https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/10... [cnn.com]

        I am sure they "lovely" mauled that teenager to death. And I can fish far more about pugs "which are all a bundle of love" (their owner contention) which then maul babies to death. People think dog love us. They probably don't, IMO it is far more probable they recognize you as belonging to the herd and acting upon that recognition.

        • You really think your cat wouldn't eat you if it had the chance? Of course it would.

          https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne... [dailymail.co.uk]

          This happens every so often (and yes, dogs will do it too). Never think that a cat gives a shit about you- you're just the food provider. Don't fool yourself into thinking there's any more to it than that.

      • Indeed. The kind and intensity of breeding is also very different. Domestication itself is mostly a matter of reducing aggression and extending infancy - leaving the brain in a more plastic state that is welcoming of new experiences for a longer amount of time - the mottled coloring seen in virtually all domesticated species is actually a side effect of the same genes that extend that plasticity to make them more welcoming and interested in humans.

        Beyond that it's breeding to serve specific purposes. Dogs

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Dogs are like children. They need a lot of attention but give a lot of love in return, and are a useful source of low-cost labour.

      Cats range from inconsiderate housemate who eats your food and leeches off you at every opportunity, to god-emperor with a bunch of servant-worshippers who worship the ground they walk on.

      To be fair cats do keep the mice away.

    • No cat will ever love you or protect you the way a dog does, and that's a fact.
      That is wrong.

      E.g.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
      And also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
      or: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

      There are plenty of stories like this.

      And cats show affection by hunting and delivering their prey to the "owner". Of course it sucks to find a rat in front of your door or n your living room even ...

    • protect you the way a dog does

      They are much less inclined to, but it does happen. My brother's house caught fire while he and his family were asleep. Their cat noticed the fire. It could have just legged it through the cat flap, but instead it went upstairs to wake my brother up. They barely made it out and the fire chief told them later that if it wasn't for the cat, that would have been it (they had no smoke detectors). Poor thing didn't make it out himself...

      • They are much less inclined to, but it does happen.

        So basically you're saying I'm exactly right, and you could have stopped right there.

        You're proving my point by pointing out that it's unusual to the point where it's a notable event. SMH

        Something something exception proves the rule something something...

    • Not saying cats are bad, it's just that they're just aloof parasites with minimal interactivity, empathy, and utility. No cat will ever love you or protect you the way a dog does, and that's a fact.

      A "fact" easily disproven by videos on youtube of cats protecting their owners.
      Also minimal interactivity, no empathy, no utility? Maybe you should actually get a cat rather than pick up some stray shit from the road. Personally I taught my cat to play fetch, and he also does wonders for keeping rodents out the house and can catch flies much better than I can. /Typed as I always type on Slashdot, with a cat that refuses to leave my lap while I'm at my computer, and apparently sits at the front door and sulk

      • ...cats protecting their owners...

        Oh sure, it happens (that a cat is protective) but frankly I'd put a German Shepherd of any size up against your cat any day of the week.

        When a cat protects someone it's a notable event because it's out of the ordinary, but you can take it for granted that most dogs will literally die protecting you from a threat.

        And yes, I've owned cats, quite a few of them over the last 50+ years. They're okay, but nowhere as good as a dog. Not even close.

      • Cats don't protect their owners. They protect their property.

    • The discussion here should not be about pet "wonderfulness" or usability in a number of occupations. The subject here is intelligence. And IMHO, most cat owners will tell you that cats are damn intelligent creatures. So why aren't useful as police/military/etc animals? Cats love being aloof. And even when a cat loves and adores its owner, the cat still pretends to be aloof and independent. I think the best example that most (outdoor) cat owners can relate to is calling the outdoor cat inside. You call, the

    • Seeing Eye Cat? Nope.
      Search & Rescue Cat? Nope.
      Guard Cat? Nope.
      Police Cat (K9)? Nope.
      Drug Detection Cat? Nope.
      Explosive Detection Cat? Nope.
      Military Cat? Nope.
      Herding (farm) Cat? Nope.
      Hunting Cat? Nope.
      Tracking Cat? Nope.
      Sled Cat? Nope.
      Service Cat? Nope.

      These are wonderful occupations for dogs, but even most of dog owners don't car about these. They just want a pet and a companion.

      • These are wonderful occupations for dogs, but even most of dog owners don't car about these. They just want a pet and a companion.

        If they want a pet and a companion then they should definitely get a dog instead of a cat.

        You do understand that cats don't have a reputation for being aloof for no reason, right? It's not like somebody made that shit up out of thin air.

    • My father has a friend who had a hunting cat. He would bring her (the cat) to hunts and she would track and mark preys just like a dog. She has been dead for years, but she is still a legend... because of the sheer rarity of it.

    • Cats are okay, but they'll never ever come close to the inherent wonderfulness of a dog.

      The dog is more wonderful for you, the cat is more wonderful for itself. I do think dogs are superior in one way, though. Dogs can eat cat poop, but cats can't eat dog poop. Therefore, there will still be dogs after the last cat has shat its last.

      • The dog is more wonderful for you, the cat is more wonderful for itself.

        Yes, that's what I said.

        Seriously, if I just wanted an indifferent parasite that cared only about itself, I'd just ask my ex-wife to move back in.

    • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/c... [cbsnews.com]

      No empathy? This cat could tell when someone was going to die within a few hours to half a day, and would go to them.

      All four of the cats Iâ(TM)ve owned could tell when my partner had a migraine, from literally the day we brought them home as kittens. Not only did they know to be quieter, theyâ(TM)ve curled up with her by her head to purr, which sheâ(TM)s always found comforting. (Purring appears to be on a frequency that helps knit bones and induce healing in

      • No empathy? This cat could tell when someone was going to die within a few hours to half a day, and would go to them.

        OMG, you actually believe that this cat had some magical sixth sense and that it could tell that death was imminent? Fucking hell, that's one of the stupidest things I've ever seen in a comment here.

        For comparison, I had a cat cat that could tell when someone was going to die within twenty to fifty years, and it would go to them. It was never wrong. Obviously my cat was way better at predicti

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by nagora ( 177841 )

      In other words, you like to own a slave.

  • Centuries (Score:3, Insightful)

    by markdavis ( 642305 ) on Friday May 10, 2019 @11:10PM (#58572638)

    >"Cats Rival Dogs In Many Tests of 'Social Intelligence' "

    I love all these recent studies that just show what serious cat lovers/owners have known for centuries.

    In many ways, cats are quite different from dogs. But different doesn't mean inferior or less intelligent or less social, they just express such things quite differently. In fact, in some ways they are MORE like we are than dogs. Like people, cats communicate, like interaction, are affectionate, have routines, and are inquisitive. Like people, they also like their space, freedom, alone-time, and respect (and also show clear signs of jealously).

    And yes, I am actually writing this with an 18 pound Maine Coon in my lap, upside down on his back, purring ferociously and demanding I pet his stomach. Every time I stop, he reaches out and grabs my left hand from typing and pulls it toward him. Ug, now he keeps licking my arm...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Cats lack the ability to understand cause and effect, so they learn through experimentation and feedback. For example, adult cats in the wild don't really use their voices at all, they are purely for kittens to call their mothers. But when living with a domesticated human they soon realize that a vocalization is like ringing a little bell that brings the servants scurrying.

      Having said that I do think that cats form a genuine bond with their owners, that goes beyond merely being alarmed at their source of fo

      • >Cats lack the ability to understand cause and effect, so they learn through experimentation and feedback
        You contradict yourself - experimentation and feedback is the essence of cause and effect.

        What cats lack is obedience and a large enough vocal vocabulary and grammar to be able to understand complex speech (probably due to the fact that they don't coordinate with each other through vocalizations like dogs/wolves do). A dog can typically learn to understand at least a few hundred words, and probably f

        • >"What cats lack is obedience"

          What cats lack is subservience. That isn't a bad thing, however. Just different. If the objective is to dominate and constantly control a pet, then a cat won't mesh well with such a personality. I posit that such a personality won't go over well with humans, either :)

          >" so if you want to be able to communicate with them effectively you need to choose those words wisely and speak with them simply, and use body language and tone a lot more explicitly than humans are usu

  • Sucess! (Score:5, Funny)

    by coastwalker ( 307620 ) <acoastwalker.hotmail@com> on Friday May 10, 2019 @11:15PM (#58572654) Homepage

    Cat Central report a significant breakthrough in ongoing Psy Ops against the human infestation. The humans have been fooled by a series of experiments in which Cat Commandos (Psy Ops division) sucessfully duped the human test subjects into believing that cats are emotionally connected with them. Commander Tibbles reported "It was so easy, the morons never had a chance".

  • I've been unlucky because all the cats I've ever owned have been a finite state machine with few states, the most important of which were: eat, pee, poo, sleep, purr, scratch, and vomit. They randomly switch between them without warning.

    • Re: No anecdotal experience of smart cats (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Maybe you should try talking to them and listening.

      I suggest higher pitched sounds like whistles. I've taught my current feline companion to understand various whistles (for food, come, no, etc.) and it works better than speech in my normal range.

      But more than anything, if you want to train a cat, you need to show it that you've got its interests at heart. Once they trust you, they're infinitely more willing to take your suggestions. Also, stop trying to turn your cat into a dog. They do climb things, get u

  • Frisbee /.

  • Brought to you by the apologists at the Feline Department of Propaganda, where the letter K and the digit 9 have been removed from all keyboards.

  • I'll believe that when my cat stops trying to open the door by pulling it shut
  • It'd be interesting to see how ferrets fare. My gut feeling based on having at different points lived with dogs, cats, and ferrets is that they're also right in the mix.

Slashdot Top Deals

If this is timesharing, give me my share right now.

Close