Xorkoth
Bluelight Crew
Perhaps we are missing the point a bit in comparing actual intelligence. Dogs have lived alongside humans long enough for both species to co-evolve. Its thought that dogs/canines lived at the periphery of humans for several thousand years, scrounging on our scraps and possibly guarding large kills, before being actually domesticated. Humans domesticated dogs primarily for utilitarian purposes, as protection, extension of sense, strong workers... We selected animals recipient to humans, with little fear and bread out human-specific agression. Dogs have shown the ability to learn the context behind word-sounds after one iteration of it. They can respond weeks later to it. This demonstrates a certain refined contextual and associative memory more then intelligence. If a feral domesticated dog pack has territory within the same range as a wolf pack, they tend to move their own homebase closer to human habitation, understanding that wolves, being wary of humans, will keep away. Dogs and humans have had a symbiotic relationship to the extent that we have both exerted selective pressure on each other.
The same cannot really be said about cats. In a sense, I think cats have a more refined sense of self and awareness, but they don't have a whole lot of use for humans, besides ornamentation. Their capacity to keep down populations of vermin shouldn't be discounted, but by and large they have existed with humans for aesthetic pleasure. They seem to have a wider intelligence then dogs, and a more refined physical intelligence, but it is an intellect that offers less value to humans, and might therefore appear to be less potent.
They are both creatures who have innately beautiful characteristics. I love the loyalty and eagerness of dogs, their desire to please and their desire to find fun and joy wherever they happen to be. I love how cats can be dramatic and showy, performing actions which seem redundant but have a degree of theatre to them (random grooming, sudden diversions from predictable behaviour), as if they are trying to tell us to be alert. Dogs are very subservient, or can be, whilst cats have little interest in subservience. I imagine they utterly dismiss the idea.
I pretty much agree with what you said here. And yeah, dogs are amazing too, I love them both. I grew up a dog person and then when I got cats 11 years ago I became a cat person too (previously I had known a few cats I thought were cool but I didn't really get them or want them. My ex sort of forced us to get my cats and as soon as I met my little boy I utterly fell in love with him. The first time he saw me, at like 2 weeks old, he locked eyes with me really intensely and took his longest walk thus far, across the room, climbed up my leg, up my chest, and started nuzzling my face. Love at first sight for us both.
). Dogs are beautiful in their sweetness and devotion, and awesome for their silliness and excitement. A cat is more like someone who lives with you who you feed, but they are capable of a lot of love too, and my cats are hilarious and silly. They have complex personalities. They're really interesting to watch because they are so purposeful with what they do - they're always doing something when they're up and active, something very deliberate. For example, my girl cat always finds socks around the house and arranges them in formations on the floor, pointing to various things.In Russia they've domesticated foxes... apparently they make great pets. I bet a fox would be awesome to know, they're like an intermediate species between dogs and cats.
