Dogs Have Bigger Brains Than Cats Because They Are More Sociable, Research Finds

Science Daily ^ | 11/28/10 | Staff

[Nachum]

Over millions of years dogs have developed bigger brains than cats because highly social species of mammals need more brain power than solitary animals, according to a study by Oxford University. For the first time researchers have attempted to chart the evolutionary history of the brain across different groups of mammals over 60 million years. They have discovered that there are huge variations in how the brains of different groups of mammals have evolved over that time.

[Nachum]

Yo! Hey dog, let's go watch the game and have a brew. I'll save a bone for you...

[BenLurkin]

And chickens come from eggs.

No, wait.

Eggs come from chickens.

But then.....

[goldstategop]

My cat is very sociable. He likes my lap and follows me around like a dog!

[WVKayaker]

Did somebody say bone?

[TruthHound]

Bigger brains. Bigger stools. That you have to pick up when you walk them.

[GOP Poet]

My cat Sammy is very social and also highly intelligent. He is high maintenance as a result as he is always manipulation and challenging since he was a kitten.

Even the Vet commented when he had to stay through out the day for observation he was watching the surgeries etc in a way other cats never have and that he was clearly highly intelligent.

I wonder—given the social aspect discussed in the article—if Sammy is a dog in disguise :-). (or maybe just a dog in a cat body. lol)

[Mears]

Thank God for science.

I’ll sleep better tonight now that I know this.

[VeeP22]

Knowing both dogs and cats through the years, I don’t buy it.

[Paleo Conservative]

The brains of more solitary mammals, such as cats, deer and rino, grew much more slowly during the same period.

Finally a scientific theory to explain the behavior of RINOs.

[Happy Rain]

Nooooo,dogs have bigger brains than cats cause so much of their attention is focused on kissing human butt!

Cats are way too proud and too cool to evolve additional gray matter for that kind of embarrassing behavior.

[GeronL]

or maybe they are more social because they have bigger brains??

huh??

[taillightchaser]

WHERE DOES OSSAMA BIN OBAMA RATE ON THIS LIST? BELOW THE DUMBEST DOG ON THE LIST I WOULD GUESS.

[JoeProBono]

[dfwgator]

Just remember, dogs have owners....cats have staff.

[RnMomof7]

I wonder—given the social aspect discussed in the article—if Sammy is a dog in disguise :-). (or maybe just a dog in a cat body. lol)

We had a dog in a cats body that socialized our dogs so THEY thought they were cats ...

[Allegra]

I’ve decided that my coffee table is smarter than my doorknob.

[boomop1]

This has been bothering me for a long time. for sure

[bigheadfred]

This suggests that the cooperation and coordination needed for group living can be challenging and over time some mammals have evolved larger brains to be able to cope with the demands of socialising.'

Soooo, people who resist Obama and his social programming have bigger brains than the ones who meekly fall in line...

[OrangeHoof]

That’s idiotic. Dogs have bigger brains than cats because they have larger skulls and normally the brain grows to fit the skull. I won’t debate that they have larger brains but to debate that dogs have larger brains because they are sociable is pure speculation.

J U N K S C I E N C E

[The Magical Mischief Tour]