Science and Nature of Cats

Question
Date: 4/28/05 4:29  PM

Hello. I have some queries for you:

Are cats smarter than dogs?
Is a cat's sense of smell, sight and hearing keener than a dog's?
Do cats age the same way dogs do? (One year=seven dog years)
What is the fastest breed of cat?
Can cats see color?


Please let me know. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jason Goldman
JGoldman10@yahoo.com

Answer
Hello, Jason.

Your first question is very controversial.  The answer all depends on who you ask.  We tend to judge the intelligence of animals based on what we believe intelligence is.  For example, some believe dogs are more intelligent because they learn commands and obey.  And others feel cats are more intelligent because they don't simply peform because they're trained, but they think independently.  What it all comes down to is, comparing the intelligence of cats to that of dogs is like comparing apples to oranges.  It can't be done.  Dogs learn more commands and usually understand more words than cats.  But cats are much more in tune with their surroundings.  Cats can find their way home from miles away, while dogs usually can't.  Cats are far more dexterous than dogs.

A cat's sense of smell is 14 times more sensitive than a human's, while a dog's is 10,000-100,000 times more sensitive.  So dogs win on that one, hands down.

As far as sight, this is also hard to compare.  A cat can see much better in the dark than a dog can.  And cats perceive depth far better than dogs do.  However, most dogs have a wider field of view than cats do because their eyes are placed on the sides of their head.  Cats do see color, but dogs see color better.  Both seem to detect motion and see fixed objects at distances about the same.

A dog is more sensitive to sound, but cats hear a wider range of pitches.  They can hear pitches 1-2 octives higher than a dog can.

It's not really accurate with cats to estimate that one of our years is equal to seven of their years.  The first year of a cat makes them about 15.  Each subsequent year adds a slightly lower ratio of years.  Here's a good chart to determine your cat's age:

http://www.hdw-inc.com/felinefun.htm

The Egyptian Mau is the fastest breed of domestic cat, and the American Shorthair follows.