Have you ever had one of those days where you look at your pet and think, “I’d sure like to have his life.” Our 11-year-old, 20-pound cat, Sir Sir is sort of like Garfield – large, in charge, and always looking for his next meal. When it’s finally feeding time, he likes to lie down in front of his food bowl and eat one morsel of dry food at a time.
Shasta, on the other hand, our 6-year-old Pomeagle (Pomeranian and Beagle mix) gulps down her dinner the second the bowl hits the floor, while Sir Sir rolls his eyes and goes on savoring each bite. That’s the difference between dogs and cats. Shasta is grateful for food and eager to please, while Sir Sir acts like eating in our presence is his gift to us.
The dogs vs. cats debate has been going on for ages, but recently Carroll University in Wisconsin decided it was time to settle the score. They conducted a study to determine what pets reveal about their owners, and discovered that while dog lovers tend to be energetic, friendly, and outgoing, those who prefer cats are more sensitive, open-minded, and intelligent. Yup, that’s right. The researchers at Carroll University think that cat people are smarter than dog people.
Now I’m no scientist, but looking at Shasta and Sir Sir, I can see why they might have come to that conclusion. They’re both great pets and I love them to pieces, but it’s clear that Sir Sir has got a little more going on in that tiny head of his. It reminds of me of that old joke that compares the diaries of a dog and a cat.
The dog’s diary goes like this:
8:00AM: Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30AM: A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40AM: A walk at the park! My favorite thing!
The cat’s diary is a little different…
Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
In the end, I’m pretty sure that both dogs and cats are smarter than we think. After all, they’ve convinced us to house them, feed them, let them sleep on the furniture, and clean up their hairballs. Cat people may be smarter than dog people, but it’s safe to say that both dogs and cats are smarter than humans.
For more proof than pets are the smartest of all, here are 22 animals who think they’re human. Sir Sir’s not on this list, but he could be.
Are you a dog person or a cat person? Share your photos on our Facebook page, and answer carefully– you could be revealing more than you think!
Happy Monday,
Mary
