Are Dogs Evolving to be Smarter than Cats?

I was cloaked with invisibility beneath the bird feeder, keeping a close eye on the squirrels, when who should appear but the neighbor’s poodle, Spud. We had words after he chased everyone out of the yard! The great debate between us is who is smarter, dogs or cats (obviously you know where I stand). Dogs believe that because they can learn tricks and a few key human words, they are brainier. Spud even brags that his breed is the smartest of all (not true: the Border Collie holds that honor). I tried to explain why cats don’t always do what their owners ask: we think for themselves and do what makes sense, in the time frame that suits us. Sure, we know the word for dinner and walk and fetch, we just choose to ignore you, frequently. Yet a sure sign of our intelligence is the ease at which we can get YOU to do what WE want! Up at 3 am? Bet your cat pounced on you or scratched the door until you opened it. Tried to swap out our good can food with dry kibble? We get our point across with a hairball placed ironically on your table.

Spud suddenly sprinted away (no attention span whatsoever) and I headed inside to surf the web for proof of my species superiority. Imagine my dismay when I came across a very upsetting article: http://healthypets. It did mention our larger number of neurons “Some argue that the number of neurons is a greater indicator of intelligence than brain size… and in this area cats excel with 300 million neurons in their cerebral cortex compared to dogs’ 160 million” –Psychology Today December 3, 2010.

Unfortunately, another section spoke of a study at Oxford: “University researchers found, indeed, that based on EQ (using data from fossils to living species) dogs are becoming progressively more intelligent while cats have stayed mostly the same.” Come again? The article went on to say that “Social animals tend to have higher EQs than solitary animals, simply because socializing requires more problem solving, communication and interaction. Dogs are pack animals (social) while cats are not, so the increasing social demands are making them even smarter.” I disagree, as a cat, and believe dogs are now too dependent on humans… what are your thoughts?