Pet Bragging Rights

The scientists say cat owners are more intelligent than dog owners. We feel sure Dog Diaries readers will have something to say about this!

Yes, dog owners, it’s true. We canine lovers are apparently not as smart as our cat-owning counterparts. ‘Says who?’ you cry, in totally justified indignation that everyone in this office shares…

Well, apparently, scientists at Bristol University in the UK. A recent study that interviewed 2980 dog and cat owners found that people with a university degree are 1.36 times more likely to own a cat.

So what is it that makes more educated people choose cats as pets? Is it the ability to recognise a cunning and evolved companion? The tendency to seek the acquaintance of an animal that quite clearly has a rich interior life you know little of? Or perhaps it is the cats that choose educated people to live with?

Doggone it!
The answer, say scientists, is most likely much simpler: ‘’Cats require less time per day than a dog, so they are more popular with educated people who work late and have long commutes,’ says Dr Jane Murray, a lecturer on feline health at Bristol Uni. Another interesting fact to come out of the study was that cat owners are more likely to be female, and older than their dog-owning counterparts.

Do not despair, however – no truth has been found in the oft-touted myth that cats are in fact much more intelligent their canine foes. Another study released last year found cats performed no better than dogs in reasoning tasks.

‘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.’

The study also found supporting evidence in the dog/cat rivalry debate, with only seven per cent of households being home to a cat and a dog.

So there you have it. Get ready for the smug looks from your cat-owning friends (and their feline companions no doubt), and while you’re at it, tell us what you think about this! We’d love to hear from you…

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Images by suzalayne and Anda74