Wednesday, December 15, 2010



It's supposedly a fact!

My dog Puppy cannot play catch. I'll throw something and he won't pay attention to it. He knows how to sit though, but that's pretty much it. I think he can lay down too, but it didn't work last time I told him to.

My cats Money and Wonky Kitten can play catch though. I'll throw Money's fuzzy green pouf and he'll quickly run after it and drop it close to me. He also loves to play this game where he'd bat his pouf under the oven and he'd try to fish it out. If he can't get it from the front, he'll climb to the back of the oven and reach for it there. If that fails, I reach for it for him. Then he'll do it over and over and over again. He's in love with that little gnarly thing.

44 comments:

  1. I've never believed that dogs are smarter then cats. Wolves sure, but dogs have been so over bred that most breeds have lost any and all smarts where as its impossible to fully domesticate a cat and they've kept most of their brains because of it.

    Of course, how do you really judge the intelligence of an animal?

    REGARDLESS you captured the ridiculousness of a dog chasing it's tail so well XD

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  2. I refuse to believe that dogs can be smarter than cats. I love Kat R's comment above, I agree with everything she says!

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  3. One of my kitties plays "fetch" and she LOVES it! Though sometimes she gets too excited and drops the toy before she gets back to me. It's an adorable mix of smart/dumb. ^_^

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  4. One of my parents cats learned how to open the fridge door when she was in the kitten-cat (katten, if you will) stage so we have to put a heavy doorstop in front of it to stop her raiding the food. It's been 13 years now and she'll still get in there if the doorstep hasn't been uot back in her way!

    Gave your blog a wee mention on Dinky London by the way!

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  5. What is smarter, someone who unquestioningly follows orders, or someone who questions authority? Obviously cats are smarter.

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  6. Animal intelligence is measured using human parameters, so what we take as signs of intelligence in animals is often just the traits that animals have in common with us. Something that makes us think a dog is more intelligent than a cat might be a sign of stupidity if measured in, say, feline or equine terms.

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  7. I had three pets (when one died, I got another given from a friend) ...

    My first was a dog and was extremely smart, able to solve problems on his own, had a grudge against cars, but was never hit by one.

    My second was another dog and was the dumbest thing you could ever ask for, it would be technically half-brother of my first dog, but for some reason was completely brainless... :]

    My third is a cat, quite smart, I manage to teach him to not chew electric cables, to not climb windows' curtains, to not scratch the sofas... if I call him, if he's not busy with something, will come, if I ask to sit or lay down he does it, he even complains if doesn't want to do it, funny enough he doesn't complain when I ask him to jump to my lap for petting him...

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  8. One of my four cats, a female, loves to play fetch. If Conina want's to play, she brings me a toy or a paperball drops it in my lap, so I can throw it. She started this game 4 month old. She also comes when I call her name, as does our tomcat Pasha.

    Conina knows that door handles open doors and tries to jump on the handles. Didn't work yet for her, but I'm sure it's all a matter of time. I am doing clicker training with her and she accepts a leash. We already did take some short walks.

    Pasha comes when I call his name, too. And just like a dog he jumps on my lap when I pat on my lap.

    And all four cats listen when I say "NO!" in case they start doing things they are not allowed to do. No need to shout, just a calm "NO!" Most of the time my husband tries this, they don't listen. ^^

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  9. I cat does high fives, high tens, shakes hands, sits in two different way (paws down and up), gives kiss, lays down, comes when I call and knows how to knock over cup to get treat that is under it. She also does agility and would probably learn lot more if I wasn't so lazy.

    And you are telling me my cat is not as smart as dogs?! :D

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  10. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=does-brain-size-matter

    Bigger brain does not mean dogs are smarter. This comic is hilarious haha

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  11. No worries! Read this instead!

    http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/training/the_intelligent_cat.html

    Plus, I appreciate the way my cat trains me, not the other way around. "I am hungry. I realize you are a sucker for cuteness and affection, human companion, so I will now do adorable things and give you lots of attention knowing that you will cave in and feed me." My dog has yet to figure out how to win my heart. Plus, he has, on numerous occasions, eaten kitty litter and various kitty leftovers from said kitty litter box. That's just dumb.

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  12. I don't understand why people think they can gauge what exactly "intelligence" is when it's still extremely subjective. The study should have been named "dogs are better at learning than cats", but I guess that wouldn't be as flashy as "dogs are smarter than cats (now let's see all you dog people and cat people duke it out)".

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  13. Yeah dogs I don't believe are smarter they just aim to please more. So they CHOOSE to learn faster... cats choose not to because they simply dont care. But they demonstrate that if they CHOOSE to learn they can. lol i do love dogs but i do believe cats are MUCH smarter.

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  14. well, i can attest that both my dog and cats are smarter than me. i'm totally whipped.

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  15. You (and Bibliophile) are right! And another gauge is: any being that comes back repeatedly after being scorned can't be the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but that's a dog. And anyone who learns by rote to do things over and over has some capacity for memorization, but not much more.

    For anyone who's interested, read THE TRIBE OF TIGER by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, an eminent anthropholigist from a family of same -- it'll give you an expert's perspective on the cat family. A good one, of course. ;)

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  16. If dogs were as smart as people say, they would be cats. :D

    By the way, I found your blog today and I LOVE it. Your comics are really funny :D


    Kisses from Portugal :3

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  17. Cats and dogs are like people: some are smart and others ... well, bless them! I've had two cats (as an adult) and one was feindishly clever - enough to manipulate me very successfully. The other, not so much! Dear Casey was running a bit plump, so I started weighing her before feeding. It took her THREE MONTHS to connect the dots, after which she'd sit on the scale to beg for food.

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  18. I think it depends on the up bringing of your cat or dog, you know...Depending on the ammount of attention you give allowing your cat/dog to blossom individually.
    My cat Hewiee plays fetch all the time :D, except he plays with wrapping up bows, the ones you stick on presents.
    There everywhere around my house:/
    Imagine what Christmas is like bah!

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  19. Don't believe anything those scientists say! lol What do they know?? The may be Ph.D.s, they can't argue with us cat ladies.
    Dogs worship humans, humans worship cats! That's the hierarchy.

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  20. It's about the same I think... the motivations are different. Some dogs (and cats) work on the belief that if you throw something away from you (fetch, chase, catch, etc), it must be an undesirable object so why go and get it.

    Excessive tail chasing comes from an under stimulated mind. ...but it sure is hilarious to watch.

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  21. The problem with studies like the scientist gives is they choose the standards of intelligence in a way that gives the nod to dogs by default. Its like saying dogs are stupid because they can't be trained to bury their poop and purr easily.

    Some cats are cleverer than other cats, some dogs are quick and others dunces. I'd guess by evolution, cats would be quicker at individual problem solving when motivated as a solo hunter while dog's pack nature would lead to better coordination.

    In terms of total racial intelligence, cats get to live with us in exchange for nothing or a little hunting they would do anyway, while dogs have to suck up daily and yet still live in the garage or outside. Seems like cats got a better deal there.

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  22. There have been many studies into cats and dogs intelligence and the majority come up inconclusive. The fact is you can't really compare them, a cat is still for the most part an instinctually wild animal, while dogs have had their instincts modified for domestic living.

    One study showed that if you hide a treat in a closed box a dog will find it, a cat won't. The logic behind this is a dog smells food and wants food, a cat however will not expend more calories than it's going to gain from the treat.

    Also, my dog regularly walks into walls :P

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  23. One of my cats sits on command. I can't get the dog to do that without yelling.

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  24. Reading between the lines of the article: dogs are smarter because they OBEY more.

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  25. HAHAHA "If you say so!" :}
    Your blog is great.. I'll follow it! :D

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  26. Hmm, can't agree with that. I've known very smart dogs, and very, very dumb dogs in my lifetime. My parents' current pup is the smartest dog I've ever known. She masters tricks in a day, and she was adopted into the family at the age of 5, so she wasn't a young dog. She's constantly striving to learn and hasn't yet met a trick she can't learn. On the other hand, my aunt's previous dog - a lab/golden mix - was dumb as a sack of bricks, and couldn't learn anything.

    My two cats are incredibly intelligent. They both learned to sit, perhaps not on command, but they know if they want the treats in momma's hands, they have to plant their buttholes on the ground. And Gracie will "beg" for her treats. She's a bit portly now, and can't do this trick as well due to that. But in her younger days...

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  27. One time, I saw my cat Miu nibbling at blade of a plant that she couldn't get in order to make falling it at the floor, and quickly getting the plant with her mouth... I was so proud of her!! No doubt that dogs are not smarter that cats, they simply have a different intelligence...

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  28. I feel that generally speaking, cats and dogs just think differently. They are both smart, but in different ways. Dogs are pack animals and are secure when under a dominant leader; as such they obey us more readily. Cats are territorial hunters and must maintain a sense of control over their territory to feel secure - hence they are generally more independent and uninterested in the type of submissive actions dogs would do. My cats have always been very sharp and able to learn.

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  29. Ok first let me just say that I have met some really smart dogs. I am also a huge fan of the Dog Whisperer show. The whole dog chasing the tail thing is a sign of anxiety and stress brought on because the dog is not doing what it is supposed to be doing, a "job", or enough exercise. You can look more into it but that is my understanding.

    Having said that, I am a cat person more than a dog person and I believe that most cats are smarter than most dogs. I have two cats, one is really a person in a cat body, Frank, and the other is just a sweet cat, Tasha. Frank knows what time I am supposed to get home, when I should go to sleep, when my alarm goes off and how long I can snooze. He has scolded a boyfriend for taking me to a midnight showing without first informing him, he waited by the bathroom door for my boyfriend to open it then meowed at him in a very irritated way before coming over to greet me then heard me off to bed. Tasha does not care about all this just that I will play with her, feed her and then give her love when she demands. I love them both!

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  30. My kitty plays fetch too, with half of a plastic kids' easter egg...if she loses it under something she will cry and cry for me to come get it & if I am downstairs she will carry it down there to play. I ♥ my kitty! :) Oh, and I've had both smart & dumb cats and dogs, they're cute either way :)

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  31. The appropriate response to any dog owner who says that dogs are smarter than cats is to direct them to this study.

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article7017260.ece

    Cat owners are smarter than dog owners. It's a fact.

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  32. Your cartoon dogs make me laugh so much! I swear I've seen that type of dog all loopy and nuts and doing the same dumb thing over and over so many times! And the cat every time will be like 'whats with this guy?' My cat actually likes to play with dogs though- if its nice. Otherwise she is fierce and has chased off several.

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  33. I always felt that cats were right up there with dogs in terms of intelligence. Maybe some of the smarter breeds of dogs are beyond cats, but I would say that the majority of dog breeds are equal to or dumber than cats.

    I just think dogs get a good wrap because they are more social animals and because dogs follow a social heirarchy and have social behavior similar to humans we give them too much credit.

    I've had cats that played fetch, even had one cat (Missy) that would play hide and go seek the proper way! My cats Logan and Missy both knew how to open doors, no dog I've had has ever figured that out.

    Missy was my personal alarm clock too, she woke me up every morning with a nuzzle to the face and a loud purr to the ear at 7:15am, so I would get ready for school. And on those days where I was really stubborn and not wanting to get up she'd knead my chest. Oh, she even learned how to turn on light switches.

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  34. I don't think cats are smarter than dogs, either, especially depending on the breed. You can easily say, "Oh, well a cat is smarter because it doesn't follow orders," but what really makes that more intelligent? Not all dogs follow orders, does that make them more intelligent than the ones who do? You can also say following orders and coming crawling back to a person even if they beat you is a form of intelligence. Well, you do see it in humans; it's a survival mechanism.

    I've really never had a smart cat. Rebelliousness doesn't equal intelligence. My cat is not smart. At all.

    I have a very intelligent dog, though. (And a very idiotic dog as well.) Either way, I adore them both, because they're sweet to me. I also find very dumb dogs adorable. My cat on the other hand is a monstrous bitch.

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  35. People think dogs are smarter just because: "they OBEY more"; cats are too much independent, and they do what they want to do.
    One of my cats figure out how to open doors, another one says "mummy"; my blind kitty is very inteligent...
    How can we judge the intelligence of an animal?

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  36. humans are stupid, cats are aholes, dogs are just fine. best of all: arthropods

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  37. Tail chasing is not a sign of unintelligence. It's actually a common trait in very highly-intelligent herding breeds, like border collies or shepherds. It's usually a sign of stress, anxiety, or understimulation. It can also be a sign of OCD, which dogs can and do develop.

    I've worked in a the pet industry for awhile. I have met really smart dogs. I have met incredibly dumb cats. I don't think the intelligence of dogs and cats is even comparable. They are two totally different species of animals. Most dog breeds were developed for a certain job (hunting, herding, guarding). Intelligence was obviously required for dogs to learn these jobs. Cats were never really used to do jobs, and therefore developed and adapted very differently.

    I don't have cats now, but I had them growing up. I've also had lots of dogs. They were each smart and dumb in their own way. I don't think I could ever say one was smarter than the other, just like you couldn't really say that I'm smarter than my brothers or vice versa. Each animal is individual.

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  38. When I was in grade school, (old lady in her 40's, now), I was taught thet there were 4 'levels' of intellegence in animals, with humans being at level 4. I was taught that they don't use dolphins in dolphin shows, because dolphins are level 4 intellegence (I was taught they use simular looking sea mammal, I can't remeber what) - dolphins make independant descions each time they are presented with a situation, and therefore can not be ocunted on to respond to training the way you want. What they told me was, dogs were level 3 intellegence (highly trainable) and cats were level 4 (too smart to be trainable)

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  39. In general people seem to reflect their 'favourite' chioce of pet.
    Dog people are often dog-like, they are pack animals needing the pack's adulation or approval, they brown-nose and simper and fawn on those higher in the pack hierarchy.
    Cat people are often more independent, they need less approval and affirmation of their actions and rarely will compromise themselves for advancement.
    Guess which type I prefer to associate with...

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  40. cats also do tail cathcing dont be mean to dogs :)

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