How Intelligent Are Cats?

Cats are well-known for being intelligent, if not downright cunning creatures, but how intelligent are they? It's not your imagination, according to scientists: Cats are significantly more intelligent and stubborn than you may think.

What's Happening in Her Mind?

It simply takes a few minutes of observation to realize that cats are very intelligent creatures. Although cats have smaller brains than dogs, Dr. Lorie Huston of PetMD argues, "The best measure of intelligence isn't always relative brain size. The cat brain also has some striking similarities to our own."

Each portion of a cat's brain, for example, is compartmentalized, specialized, and related to the others, allowing cats to understand, respond to, and even influence their surroundings, according to Huston.

"Cats have more nerve cells in the visual sections of their brain, a component of the cerebral cortex [the area of the brain responsible for decision-making, problem-solving, planning, memory, and language-processing] than humans and most other animals," writes Dr. Berit Brogaard in Psychology Today. That's why, for example, your cat chases a speck of dust that you can't see from one end of the house to the other. She's on a mission to save the world.

A cat's memory, both long-term and short-term, is immaculate, which you'll notice if your feline pal gives you the evil eye as you're packing your suitcase. She recalls that the last time you left the house with that suitcase, you were gone for an extended period of time, and she isn't pleased.

What Does Science Have to Say About It?

Another evidence of a cat's intelligence is its refusal to take part in research studies in the first place.

In an article for Slate, David Grimm claims that two renowned animal researchers he spoke with about cat intelligence had a tough time dealing with their animals because the cats simply refused to engage in the trials or obey directions. Dr. dám Miklósi, a leading animal researcher, had to go to cats' homes to work since his lab cats were so disobedient. The more they understand about cats, though, the more scientists will be willing to try it. It's just a matter of training the cats to obey commands, which is clearly a difficult task.

Who's the smarter of the two? Is it better to have a cat or a dog?

So the age-old debate continues: is a cat or a dog smarter?

What you ask is the determining factor. Dogs have been domesticated for a much longer time than cats, are more "trainable," and are more social animals, but that doesn't imply cats aren't intelligent. It's tough to say for sure because cats are notoriously difficult to study.

Dr. Miklósi, who usually studies dogs, discovered that cats, like their canine counterparts, can grasp what other animals, including people, are trying to tell them. Dr. Miklósi also discovered that cats do not seek assistance from their pet parents as frequently as dogs, owing to the fact that cats are not as "tuned in" to humans as puppies. ""They're surfing other channels on the dial," Grimm explains, "and that's what makes them so difficult to study." Cats are incredibly intelligent beings, as any owner knows. Their thoughts, on the other hand, may remain a mystery to science for the rest of time." Isn't it precisely cats' mystery character that makes them so fascinating?

It may take some time for scientists to be able to provide a more concrete response to the question of how smart cats are. Cats are known to be impatient, to have high cognitive decision-making skills, and to move away from you if you are uninteresting to them. They're actually pretty good at bringing your ego down a notch or two.

A cat, on the other hand, will adore you forever if she loves you. You and your cat can build a close friendship for many years if you have a clear knowledge of his intelligence.

Read next: What You Should Do If Your Cat Is In Heat