Cat People, Rejoice: New Study Shows Cats Are Just As Smart As Dogs

Every dog has its day — but now it's time to give the cats some credit!

That's because, according to a new Japanese study, cats may be just as intelligent as dogs. Researchers came to this conclusion after the cats in their experiment demonstrated the ability to remember which containers had food in them even after a 15-minute lapse in time. Going back to the containers they ate from before indicates cats have what's called an episodic memory—much like dogs and humans.

Saho Takagi, a psychologist at Kyoto University, told BBC News that the study "may imply a type of consciousness in cats." She added that one "interesting speculation" from the research is that cats "may enjoy actively recalling memories of their experience like humans." In other words, cats are capable of remembering the "what" and "where" that led them to a positive experience. And according to the researchers, the feline mind might even be able to remember much longer than the study shows.

Cats' cleverness doesn't end here, though: As the researchers who conducted this study told BBC News, cats are able to match dogs on more mental tests — including responding to our gestures, facial expressions and emotions.

So what does all this mean, aside from being a big win for cat people everywhere? Well, according to Takagi, "Understanding cats more deeply helps to establish better cat-human relationships."

Not to rain on anyone's puppy parade, but it looks like man's best friend might have more competition from the cat than we previously thought!

First Photo Credit: Lottie via Flickr