The historic challenge between cats and dogs seems to have finally found the winner! The beloved dog seems to have in fact won the top step of the podium. This according to what was published by the magazine New Scientist. Who is smarter between the two animals? And who is the most useful to man? Who understands the master more than him? And above all, who has the least environmental impact?
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
The historic challenge between cats and dogs seems to have finally found the winner! The beloved dog seems to have in fact won the top step of the podium. This according to what the magazine published New Scientist. Who is smarter between the two animals? And who is the most useful to man? Who understands the master more than him? And especially who has less environmental impact?
Many small challenges that saw the counterparts each win some battles, but which in the end led to the triumph of the dog. Actually not for a clear win, but for a measly 6 to 5. The dog is therefore better ”than the cat. Even if the beloved Fido, as we also saw in the study conducted by the Vale, has a much higher environmental impact than that of Micio. Eleven parameters that can be measured in some way at the laboratory level taken into consideration for this unusual dispute. Let's see them specifically.
Brain: with 64 grams of brain matter, dogs beat cats, whose brains weigh only 25 grams. But to be honest, size doesn't matter at all! It is the ratio of the total number of neurons and the plastic capacity of dendrites to make them communicate with each other which determines the ability to process information. Cats then win the first challenge by having 300 million neurons in the cortex against only 160 for dogs. Cats 1 - Dogs 0
Domestication: the first remains of a domestic dog, found by archaeologists, date back to 30 thousand years ago; the first remains of some kittens found in Cyprus can be dated to 9.500 years ago. The dog therefore has a longer history with humans. Draw
Bond with the master: when he is away from it, the dog really suffers like a similar one or, if you prefer, like a child waiting for its mother. On the other hand, the cat is much more independent and is less attached to its owner according to the models used by American researchers and also according to common opinion.
The dog therefore wins here too! Cats 1 - Dogs 2
Popularity: cats rejoice! According to recent studies in "Cat majority countries", there are 204 million cats, against the 173 million dogs estimated in "Dog majority countries". Draw
Ability to understand: the dogs here are unrivaled thanks to their proud champion Rico! Rico is a border collin 10-year-old can understand about 200 words. This is what a study by German researchers published in the American journal "Science“. Rico would also be able to expand his small vocabulary with the same speed as many children. Cats 2 - Dogs 3
Problem solving: while cats are disinterested in the tasks assigned to them being completely unmotivated with respect to the stimuli given by humans, dogs instead are more frequently able to solve problems thanks to their natural collaborative approach. The dog distances himself. Cats 2 - Dogs 4
Tractability: understanding the skills of cats is really difficult, since as seen above, humans don't give a damn about what they say (this side of the cat is not that bad!) and therefore having the opportunity to teach them something is really difficult. While with good and good-natured dogs this is much simpler.
Dogs closer to victory. Cats 2 - Dogs 5
Vocalizations: if it is true that dogs bark and whine very differently according to their mood, cats are exceptional in this respect! Of course both are capable of adopting different types of vocalizations to achieve something or to communicate with human beings. But cats even seem to be able to alter their voices to get humans to fill their bowl. But they have developed a meow with a frequency very similar to that of a newborn, which would act on the owners at a subliminal level. Karen McComb of the University of Sussex, author of the study speaks precisely of subliminal meow.
The comeback of the cats! Cats 3 - Dogs 5
Supersensi: if by sight and hearing it is known that cats have no rivals, it was thought that at least dogs had the better of smell. On the other hand, their big nose will be of some use! But no. In fact, new studies have shown that cats have 200 million olfactory receptors, many more than dogs. Cats 4 - Dogs 5
The ecological footprint: it could be said that cats are more "environmentalists" than dogs. The portion of land needed to feed the smallest of dogs, the Chihuahua, is 0.28 hectares, almost double what the cat needs, 0.15 hectares. Draw
Utility: here is the decisive proof that will see the challenge definitively won by the dogs. The latter in fact can hunt, shepherd or guard. Dogs are useful for many human activities, not least those of rescue, assistance (eg guide dogs for the blind) and police (hunting down drugs and explosives).
It is true that stroking the cat's fur decreases the level of stress but given their many specializations, dogs are truly unbeatable in this.
So, even if only briefly, dogs beat cats. Dogs are perhaps closer to humans and become more attached to him: this makes them more sympathetic to us because they are more active in fulfilling our needs and not just affective ones. Cats, however, with their independence, could be taken as an example precisely to overcome our excessive needs for dependence on others. What is certain is that the challenge, even if it has seen a winner, will always remain alive. And which side are you on?
Valentina Nizard
