Who is smarter, the dog or cat?

Cat owners will not agree, but according to new research, dogs are the smartest pets.

A study of the scientific evidence on the intelligence of the favorite pets of the human being - dogs and cats - found that the first ones win, although only by a point.
The research - published in New Scientist magazine - compared the results of scientific experiments that have been carried out to measure the abilities and cognition of these two animals.
Eleven categories were evaluated: brain, domestication, affect capacity, popularity, understanding, problem solving, vocalization, adaptability, supersensives, more ecological and usefulness.
The final score: 6 to 5. The winner: the dog.
Although neither dogs nor cats, readers say
"There are several difficulties in trying to use science to solve this perennial dispute," says Kate Douglas, author of the report.
"Every pet owner knows that the furry relative of his family is a unique and special being with his own talents and weaknesses."
"However, scientific research tends to look at the species as a whole and to treat it in terms of averages and trends when trying to quantify its characteristics," he adds.
Very different
Scientists agree that it is very difficult to compare -in scientific terms- two species as different as felines and canines.
But the new study decided to face the challenge and measure the skills and the capacity of learning and interaction of each one.
For example, in the measurement of the brain, it is obvious that the dog is larger. However, scientists claim that brain size is not a reliable measure of intelligence.
And although to analyze how smart an animal is it is better to measure its behavior, there is a measure that can be taken into account to evaluate the capacity to process information: the number of neurons that it has.
Here, cats are winning as they have 300 million neurons, compared to the humble 160 million dogs.
As for the history of the domestication of both animals, the dogs win.
Comparative studies of the dog's DNA with that of the wolf-its closest ancestor-have not been able to agree on the exact date but indicate that domestication may have occurred 16,000 years ago.
Although the domestication of the cat is also confusing, it is believed that the little feline entered our homes for the first time 9,500 years ago.
In the category of affective capacity or creation of affective bonds, the scientific evidence arises that the bond between a master and his dog is as close as that of a father and his son.
Even the owner of the most beloved cat will admit that this animal likes its "space" and independence, because by nature, researchers say, the cat is a solitary being.
Dogs, on the other hand, are group animals and have the instinct to join. And when a puppy is given a choice between a human companion or a dog, he will always choose the human.

Debatable
In terms of popularity, which is measured in terms of how many people have one or the other, the cat is a clear winner.
There are not many global figures but studies carried out in 10 cat-loving countries reveal there are 204 million pet cats.
In the top 10 dog-loving countries there are 173 million of these animals.
In understanding, "Fido" is the winner. The dog is able to follow human gestures, such as a pointing finger or a head that affirms or denies to find food.
They can also maintain eye contact with the human being and seem willing to look for information in a face.
Although "Felix" can also understand certain human gestures, it is not as applied as Fido to find a hidden object following those signals.
For vocalization, although dogs have more vocal flexibility, cats seem to be better able to use more effective vocal "subtleties" when trying to communicate.
The cat also has better senses and is friendlier to the environment, but Fido is more useful, more adaptable.
At least that's what scientific studies say. Every owner of a dog or a cat will undoubtedly know more.