I had always thought that dogs were, in some ways, much smarter than us. But now I’m not sure about that or about the ranking of cats. I assumed they were putting on an act about being very wise. They’re not as willing as dogs to demonstrate their problem-solving ability and, for goodness sakes, they eat mice and rats!
We and our dogs eat hamburgers and steaks which are very tasty, but cows are not plague carriers like mice and rats. Cats can prevent epidemics! They could have been a great help during the Black Plague in Europe that killed millions, but cats had been exterminated because of a false assumption they are the partners of witches. Even today, a witch is pictured with her cat on Halloween cartoons.
I recently spent a week with a friendly cat named Dave and it was a learning experience. One morning Dave peered out the patio window at the combatants struggling to get at my tossed bird seeds. I noticed Dave’s preference for the squirrel’s dominance. He hissed at a chipmunk and scattered the little sparrows with a quick move. He seemed to sense the necessary chain of command. If a fox had turned up, I think Dave would have saluted.
According to the experts, dogs and cats are both about as smart as a two-year- old human being with IQ’s of about 100. While Fido will demonstrate his brain power in problem-solving exercises, independent Felix is not that cooperative.
Dogs have some unique physical advantages. No two of the millions of dog snouts in the world have exactly the same imprint. Their nose prints can be used for identification like fingerprints. These same super snouts allow dogs to smell 40,000 times better than humans. Some can detect medical problems by sniffing a human’s breath and can reveal contraband inside innocent-looking packages and luggage.
But I don’t envy Fido’s super smellability. Without thumbs he can’t hold his nose when the atmosphere gets to be super unpleasant. Rousing a skunk must be a catastrophic event for Fido.
Although puppies are said to be born deaf, they can eventually hear four times better than us. I once lived in a thin-walled apartment house and super hearing would have been a real problem. Oh sure, ear plugs would have helped block the neighbors’ loud arguments, but then I’d have had to learn to read lips to enjoy television.
Many dogs can predict the near future and don’t need clocks to tell them it’s supper time or the kids will be home from school any minute.
Cats have also been said to possess the ability to predict the future. There’s the tale of Jenny, the mascot on board the Titanic, who is said to have jumped ship with her new litter just before the ship lifted anchor to begin her doomed voyage.
One thing’s for sure. If you’re going to adopt a dog or a cat, either way you’ll be getting more exercise than you’re getting now. Fido will expect daily walks and will want to roam the neighborhood to locate the fire hydrants for his DNA checks.
A roving or escaped Felix can turn you into a cross-country runner. If you’re the sedentary type, maybe you should adopt a turtle. You can be proud of your 5-yard dash victories.
Imagine That 