By ‘absolute way’ I mean looking at intelligence overall and not qualifying it and breaking it down. Just looking at raw intelligence. The objective: to get a handle on cat intelligence. We know that cats are less intelligent than humans but how intelligent are they especially in rational thought? I know my cat takes his time to process ‘commands’ that I give him. I think this is not an unwillingness to comply. It is because a cat needs more brain ‘processing time’ to think it though.
It is agreed that in some areas of intelligence cats are superior to humans perhaps partly because the domestic cat is ‘nearer to nature’ than humans. They are more in tune with nature than us as they are not far in terms of behaviour to their wild cat ancestors while humans have by and large become distanced from nature. We are nature’s orphans.
Below the infographic I look at both an absolute comparison and some special areas of intelligence.
Comparing cat and human intelligence in an absolute way is challenging because intelligence is multi-dimensional and species-specific. However, we can break it down into key cognitive functions:
1. Problem-Solving Ability
- Humans: Exceptional at abstract reasoning, critical thinking, and long-term problem-solving. We can create tools, build civilizations, and solve complex mathematical problems.
- Cats: Skilled at immediate problem-solving within their environment, particularly related to hunting, navigation, and manipulating small objects. They lack abstract reasoning and long-term planning.
➡️ Absolute Winner: Humans.
2. Memory
- Humans: Possess long-term episodic memory, allowing recall of past events in detail. Humans also have working memory for complex tasks.
- Cats: Have strong associative and spatial memory, remembering locations, routines, and people for years. However, their memory is primarily instinct-driven rather than abstract.
➡️ Absolute Winner: Humans, due to abstract recall and long-term planning.
3. Communication
- Humans: Complex spoken and written languages, allowing detailed expression of thoughts and emotions.
- Cats: Use vocalizations, body language, and pheromones to communicate. They can recognize human tone and intention but lack a structured language.
➡️ Absolute Winner: Humans.
4. Social Intelligence
- Humans: Highly social, capable of forming deep emotional connections, working in large groups, and understanding social hierarchies.
- Cats: Social within limits, recognizing individuals and adjusting behavior, but generally more independent.
➡️ Absolute Winner: Humans.
5. Adaptability
- Humans: Can adapt to almost any environment through technology and learning.
- Cats: Highly adaptable in survival settings but limited in abstract adaptability.
➡️ Absolute Winner: Humans.
6. Instinctive Intelligence
- Humans: Rely less on instinct and more on learned behavior.
- Cats: Superior in instinctual behaviors like hunting, survival, and self-sufficiency.
➡️ Absolute Winner: Cats (in this category only).
Final Conclusion
In an absolute sense, humans far surpass cats in intelligence due to abstract reasoning, problem-solving, communication, and adaptability. However, cats excel in instinctual intelligence and survival skills, making them highly specialized for their niche.
Would you like a comparison based on different intelligence frameworks, such as Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences?
And now a comparison based on different intelligence frameworks, such as Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences:
Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory categorizes intelligence into different domains. Let’s compare cats and humans across these categories:
1. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (Problem-Solving, Reasoning)
- Humans: Exceptional in abstract reasoning, mathematical calculations, and logical problem-solving.
- Cats: Good at cause-and-effect learning (e.g., opening doors, using puzzle feeders) but lack abstract reasoning or numerical skills.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
2. Linguistic Intelligence (Language, Communication)
- Humans: Master complex languages, including writing, reading, and symbolic thinking.
- Cats: Communicate through vocalizations, body language, and scent but lack syntax or structured grammar.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
3. Spatial Intelligence (Navigational & Visual Skills)
- Humans: Excellent spatial awareness, map reading, and 3D conceptualization.
- Cats: Superior natural navigation, excellent night vision, and precise movement coordination.
➡️ Winner: Cats 🐱 (especially in instinctive navigation)
4. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (Motor Skills, Physical Control)
- Humans: Highly dexterous, capable of fine motor control (e.g., playing musical instruments, sports).
- Cats: Masterful in balance, agility, and coordinated movement (e.g., jumping six times their height, always landing on their feet).
➡️ Winner: Cats 🐱 (especially in agility, but humans excel in fine motor skills)
5. Musical Intelligence (Understanding Sound & Rhythm)
- Humans: Create, appreciate, and interpret complex musical structures.
- Cats: Can recognize rhythms and respond to certain sounds but do not engage in music.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
6. Interpersonal Intelligence (Understanding & Interacting with Others)
- Humans: Form complex social relationships, read emotions, and engage in teamwork.
- Cats: Can recognize human emotions, understand social cues within their own species, and manipulate humans to get food or affection.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆 (though cats are socially clever in their own way)
7. Intrapersonal Intelligence (Self-Awareness, Reflection)
- Humans: Have deep self-awareness, self-reflection, and personal growth.
- Cats: Exhibit individual personalities and preferences but lack introspection.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
8. Naturalistic Intelligence (Understanding & Adapting to Nature)
- Humans: Study and manipulate the natural world scientifically.
- Cats: Instinctively attuned to their environment, excel at hunting, and sense environmental changes.
➡️ Winner: Cats 🐱 (in raw instinct and survival skills)
Final Verdict
Humans dominate in abstract reasoning, language, music, and social intelligence, while cats excel in spatial awareness, agility, and instinctual intelligence. If intelligence is measured by complexity and versatility, humans are the clear winners. However, if survival-based intelligence is prioritized, cats hold their ground in a different way.
Would you like an even deeper comparison in a specific intelligence domain?
And now a look at comparing rational thought process:
Comparison of Rational Thought Processes: Cats vs. Humans
Rational thought involves reasoning, logic, decision-making, and problem-solving beyond instinct. Let’s break it down:
1. Abstract Reasoning
- Humans: Can think about hypothetical scenarios, apply logic, and solve abstract problems (e.g., philosophy, mathematics).
- Cats: Limited to concrete, experience-based learning. They do not think abstractly (e.g., they won’t wonder about “what if” scenarios).
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
2. Cause-and-Effect Understanding
- Humans: Understand complex causal relationships, like “If I save money today, I can buy something in the future.”
- Cats: Can learn basic cause-and-effect through conditioning (e.g., “If I knock over a glass, it falls” or “If I meow, I get food”).
- Limitation for Cats: They do not grasp delayed consequences or abstract causality.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆 (though cats are clever in immediate problem-solving)
3. Planning & Foresight
- Humans: Can plan for long-term goals, anticipate future problems, and adjust strategies accordingly.
- Cats: Can make short-term tactical adjustments (e.g., stalking prey) but do not plan for long-term outcomes.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆 (long-term planning is uniquely human)
4. Logical Deduction
- Humans: Use formal logic (e.g., “If all men are mortal, and Socrates is a man, then Socrates is mortal”).
- Cats: Can make practical deductions, like recognizing patterns (e.g., “When the human puts on shoes, they leave the house”).
- Limitation for Cats: Their deductions are based on associative learning, not structured logical reasoning.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
5. Decision-Making
- Humans: Weigh multiple factors (ethics, risks, emotions, long-term effects) before making choices.
- Cats: Make decisions based on instinct and experience (e.g., “Should I fight or flee?”).
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆 (cats excel in instinct-driven decisions but lack complex reasoning)
6. Self-Awareness in Thought
- Humans: Can reflect on thoughts, question beliefs, and experience metacognition (“thinking about thinking”).
- Cats: Show situational awareness (recognizing themselves in space) but fail the mirror test (indicating limited self-awareness).
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
Final Verdict: Rational Thinking
Humans far surpass cats in rational thought due to:
✔ Abstract reasoning
✔ Logical deduction
✔ Complex decision-making
✔ Long-term planning
✔ Metacognition (self-awareness of thought)
Cats, however, are exceptional at:
✔ Quick instinct-based decisions
✔ Practical, experience-based learning
✔ Pattern recognition
While cats are intelligent survivalists, they lack the ability to think rationally in an abstract sense. Humans are the only species known to engage in fully rational, reflective thought.
Would you like a comparison in a specific type of reasoning (e.g., emotional intelligence, moral reasoning)?
And now comparing moral reasoning:
Moral Reasoning: Humans vs. Cats
Moral reasoning involves understanding concepts like right and wrong, fairness, justice, and ethics. Let’s compare how humans and cats process morality.
1. Understanding Right & Wrong
- Humans: Have complex moral frameworks influenced by culture, philosophy, and emotions. Humans make ethical choices based on principles, such as fairness or harm avoidance.
- Cats: Do not have an inherent sense of morality. A cat does not understand that scratching furniture is “wrong”—only that it may result in punishment.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
2. Empathy & Compassion
- Humans: Can feel deep empathy, not just for their species but for others (e.g., caring for pets, helping strangers).
- Cats: Show emotional sensitivity (e.g., comforting a sad owner) but lack moral-driven compassion. Their actions are instinctual rather than based on moral principles.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆 (though cats do form emotional bonds)
3. Justice & Fairness
- Humans: Develop legal systems and ethical guidelines to enforce fairness. Humans can debate concepts of justice and fairness.
- Cats: Do not understand fairness. A cat will not share food out of fairness—only if they have no choice. However, they recognize dominance hierarchies in multi-cat environments.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
4. Altruism (Helping Without Reward)
- Humans: Will help others, even when there is no personal benefit (e.g., donating to charity, saving an animal in danger).
- Cats: Sometimes display what appears to be altruism (e.g., bringing food to kittens, “gifting” prey to humans). However, this is likely instinct rather than moral reasoning.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
5. Guilt & Conscience
- Humans: Experience guilt and shame, which influence moral behavior. Humans reflect on past actions and make amends.
- Cats: Do not feel guilt in a moral sense. When a cat appears “guilty” (e.g., after knocking something over), it is responding to human reactions, not experiencing remorse.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
Final Verdict: Moral Reasoning
Cats lack true moral reasoning because their behavior is based on instinct, conditioning, and survival strategies, rather than an internal sense of right and wrong.
Humans are the only species known to engage in complex moral reasoning, debate ethics, and establish justice systems. Morality is a human construct that does not exist in the animal world in the same way.
Would you like to explore another cognitive comparison, such as emotional intelligence or creativity?
And now comparing creativity:
Creativity: Humans vs. Cats
Creativity involves imagination, innovation, problem-solving, and artistic expression. Let’s compare how humans and cats engage in creative behaviors.
1. Problem-Solving Creativity
- Humans: Can think outside the box, invent new tools, and apply creativity to problem-solving (e.g., engineering, science, technology).
- Cats: Show situational creativity, like figuring out how to open doors, escape enclosures, or reach hidden food. However, this is more about trial and error than true innovation.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆 (though cats are clever improvisers)
2. Artistic & Expressive Creativity
- Humans: Create art, music, literature, and storytelling as forms of self-expression and imagination.
- Cats: Do not engage in creative expression. While they may “paint” by walking on wet surfaces or play in a seemingly artistic way, they do not create with intent.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
3. Play & Improvisation
- Humans: Engage in creative play, role-playing, and strategic thinking.
- Cats: Play creatively with toys and objects, adapting them in new ways (e.g., a box becomes a hiding spot). Their play mimics hunting, meaning it’s more instinct-driven than imaginative.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆 (though cats are playfully innovative)
4. Tool Use & Innovation
- Humans: Invent and improve tools for various functions, from simple hand tools to AI and space travel.
- Cats: Rarely use tools but can adapt objects for practical use (e.g., using paws to manipulate a door handle). However, they do not modify or create tools intentionally.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
5. Imagination & Abstract Thought
- Humans: Imagine fictional worlds, create myths, and speculate about the future.
- Cats: Lack abstract imagination. Their behavior is tied to the present and direct experience rather than envisioning possibilities.
➡️ Winner: Humans 🏆
Final Verdict: Creativity
Humans overwhelmingly surpass cats in creativity. While cats show cleverness and improvisation, their actions are driven by instinct and immediate problem-solving rather than imagination or artistic intent. True creativity, as humans define it, is unique to our species.
More: Animal intelligence
