Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

If people claim a dog is more intelligent than a cat, they’re usually just basing it on the fact that a dog will fetch a stick while a cat doesn't even acknowledge your existence. It’s a shallow way to judge intelligence, and honestly, it says much more about the person making the claim than it does about the animals...

Joseph Clark37 said:So, what color are your dog's little coats?

Prika, stop snooping through my closet.

The School of Unknown ☕

brightpilot6 said:I have to agree; dogs are essentially just pets that happen to be a bit dim-witted.

Compared to their owners, 😂

😂

Boss, take it easy, we’re going to have to adjust the levels for your palms again ☕

🤣🤣🤣

Sorry, I just can't deal with this anymore 😁

I've got a dog, two cats, and a rabbit.

The cat is definitely the coolest, while the rabbit is easily the most high-maintenance. Honestly, if you want a companion for any kind of social situation, a dog is hands down the best animal out there. Personally, though, I vibe way more with the cat and its whole lifestyle.

And seriously, who on earth buys a cat? You should be rescuing them from the streets. 😍

Animals are truly in a league of their own. Life with them is just so much richer and more engaging...🙂

Larry Fox5 said:So, apparently cats are smarter than dogs now. You can only find this kind of nonsense on a random internet forum... Exclusive, I guess.

They’re different because they come from different backgrounds. Dogs are pack animals; they listen to a "master." Cats don't give a damn about having an "owner"—they just force you to adapt to them, rather than adapting themselves to you.

Paul Sanders5 said:I've got a dog, two cats, and a rabbit.

The cat is definitely the coolest, while the rabbit is easily the most high-maintenance. Honestly, if you want a companion for any kind of social situation, a dog is hands down the best animal out there. Personally, though, I vibe way more with the cat and its whole lifestyle.

And seriously, who on earth buys a cat? You should be rescuing them from the streets. 😍

You don't even have to go that far.
My cat simply climbed through my window and decided to move in.

When you actually stop to think about it, he’s already the second person to move in and settle down. At least he had the decency to chip in a little every single day.
This other one, right before his post... I’m fast asleep, and suddenly I wake up to find a Cat sleeping right at my feet. I look down at her, she looks back up at me, and... well, that's that. What choice do you really have?
Someone else tried that exact same move right before her, but I managed to shut it down.

Matthew Young35 said:They’re different because they come from different backgrounds. Dogs are pack animals; they listen to a "master." Cats don't give a damn about having an "owner"—they just force you to adapt to them, rather than adapting themselves to you.

It’s like you're getting the absolute worst parts of a marriage ☕

Matthew Young35 said:They’re different because they come from different backgrounds. Dogs are pack animals; they listen to a "master." Cats don't give a damn about having an "owner"—they just force you to adapt to them, rather than adapting themselves to you.

I already posted this a few years back—about that Max Planck study in Leipzig where they actually proved animal intelligence for the first time using a domestic pet. It was a Border Collie named Rico.
The dog knew all ten of his toys, which were laid out in a circle. When given a command to fetch a specific toy, he’d go straight to the exact one. Then, they threw a completely new toy into the mix and gave it a name for the first time. Using simple elimination, the dog figured it out and brought the new toy right over. They kept shuffling the toys around so they weren't always in the same spot, and he still nailed it every single time.

He even managed to memorize the name of that new toy after a few months.

Until then, science basically assumed that kind of "rapid identification" through logical reasoning was strictly a human thing.
Rico proved there's an intelligence there that's—honestly—on par with a three-year-old kid.

Scientists think canine intelligence evolved specifically because of how closely we’ve lived alongside humans. Unfortunately, by living with us, they picked up our diseases too. As for cats, they couldn't develop those same cognitive skills as dogs simply because that deep connection just isn't there.

That’s exactly why dogs are used in search and rescue, rehab centers for kids with special needs, police work, the military, helping the blind... you get the idea. You just can't compare a dog's role in our society to a cat's. And that’s not just true today—it’s been that way for the last 3,000 years.
Denying all of this is just plain stupid.

I honestly can't imagine an average member of the VB16 community actually passing this test.

Larry Fox5 said:I already posted this a few years back—about that Max Planck study in Leipzig where they actually proved animal intelligence for the first time using a domestic pet. It was a Border Collie named Rico.
The dog knew all ten of his toys, which were laid out in a circle. When given a command to fetch a specific toy, he’d go straight to the exact one. Then, they threw a completely new toy into the mix and gave it a name for the first time. Using simple elimination, the dog figured it out and brought the new toy right over. They kept shuffling the toys around so they weren't always in the same spot, and he still nailed it every single time.

He even managed to memorize the name of that new toy after a few months.

Until then, science basically assumed that kind of "rapid identification" through logical reasoning was strictly a human thing.
Rico proved there's an intelligence there that's—honestly—on par with a three-year-old kid.

Scientists think canine intelligence evolved specifically because of how closely we’ve lived alongside humans. Unfortunately, by living with us, they picked up our diseases too. As for cats, they couldn't develop those same cognitive skills as dogs simply because that deep connection just isn't there.

That’s exactly why dogs are used in search and rescue, rehab centers for kids with special needs, police work, the military, helping the blind... you get the idea. You just can't compare a dog's role in our society to a cat's. And that’s not just true today—it’s been that way for the last 3,000 years.
Denying all of this is just plain stupid.

There was also a recent study conducted on cats which concluded that they actually do recognize when someone calls them by their name... It's just that sometimes they choose to react, and other times they choose to ignore you.
Behavior isn't necessarily a reflection of intelligence.

Take my Cat, for example. The little jerk can actually open doors. I've seen him do it several times. He jumps up on the dresser next to the door, turns the handle, and walks right out. But the thing is, he won't open it just to go somewhere; he wants me to open it for him. It’s not because he’s stupid—it’s because he’s manipulative.

As far as I know, recent research is either inconclusive or leans in favor of the cats. It's just that dogs behave in a way that makes more sense to humans.

Joseph Clark37 said:Animals are truly in a league of their own. Life with them is just so much richer and more engaging...🙂

Your life might feel more interesting to you, but maybe ask a dog if their life feels that way. Since we’ve had a pet before and will probably get one again, I definitely love animals too. Still, I sometimes wonder if they suffer or if there's actually any purpose to their lives if they're just here for our entertainment. Working animals at least have a role, even if they don't fully grasp why they're doing what they're programmed to do, so there's some logic to investing in them. Our dog mostly just spent half the day home alone while we were at work, staring blankly at the floor or the couch. It seems kind of absurd that an animal can spend such a huge chunk of its life without any real function or engagement. Dogs, especially, come from pack animals that lived active lives in nature, yet today millions of them are just lonely pets stuck in apartments waiting for owners. They almost seem more like toys than living beings. I'm moving soon and thought about getting a large aquarium, but I decided against it. I guess it doesn't make much sense to have a few fish swimming aimlessly in a glass tank just so I can have a slightly more sophisticated decoration in my living room. I don't know, I suppose there are two sides to every story.

brightpilot6 said:I honestly can't imagine an average member of the VB16 community actually passing this test.

So, what about Quique's cows?🤷

Larry Fox5 said:I already posted this a few years back—about that Max Planck study in Leipzig where they actually proved animal intelligence for the first time using a domestic pet. It was a Border Collie named Rico.
The dog knew all ten of his toys, which were laid out in a circle. When given a command to fetch a specific toy, he’d go straight to the exact one. Then, they threw a completely new toy into the mix and gave it a name for the first time. Using simple elimination, the dog figured it out and brought the new toy right over. They kept shuffling the toys around so they weren't always in the same spot, and he still nailed it every single time.

He even managed to memorize the name of that new toy after a few months.

Until then, science basically assumed that kind of "rapid identification" through logical reasoning was strictly a human thing.
Rico proved there's an intelligence there that's—honestly—on par with a three-year-old kid.

Scientists think canine intelligence evolved specifically because of how closely we’ve lived alongside humans. Unfortunately, by living with us, they picked up our diseases too. As for cats, they couldn't develop those same cognitive skills as dogs simply because that deep connection just isn't there.

That’s exactly why dogs are used in search and rescue, rehab centers for kids with special needs, police work, the military, helping the blind... you get the idea. You just can't compare a dog's role in our society to a cat's. And that’s not just true today—it’s been that way for the last 3,000 years.
Denying all of this is just plain stupid.

I feel like this is all a bit much; it's like discovering air instead of hot water. Dogs descended from wolf-like animals that lived in groups for thousands of years—communicating, hunting, eating, sleeping, mating, playing, and everything else. They have the bodies of hunters and led very dynamic lives with psycho-physical qualities sufficient to make them apex predators in their territory. Now, some institute full of people who need to write doctoral theses wants to measure their intelligence by having them pick toys in a circle. These animals have the intelligence to hunt you down and eat you, not to pick out toys. We are trying to measure human-like behavior in non-human animals; I guess what we call "intelligence" is just something we invented to measure exactly what we're looking for. I think I've mentioned this on the forum before, but in California, there are pine trees that are 5,000 to 10,000 years old. They don't know how to pick toys or solve crosswords, but they'll outlive anyone who does. That's their "intelligence." Even after 50 years of studying dolphins, humans still can't communicate with them because we insist on them talking to us, when dolphins don't see "communication" or "conversation" the way we do. They are aquatic animals with a totally unique lifestyle, way of thinking, and method of communication that evolved to suit life underwater. But some institute really wants them to talk to us—I guess why?

In that case, there’s really no point in you wasting your breath discussing it on some random forum.

Just let us be in peace while we flirt with the local stray Cat.

bluebison47 said:So, what about Quique's cows?🤷

That’s a fair question to ask. It’s a bit of a toss-up, really.

brightpilot6 said:In that case, there’s really no point in you wasting your breath discussing it on some random forum.

Just let us be in peace while we flirt with the local stray Cat.

Well, keep playing with them if you want, though cats don't really serve much of a purpose. A trained dog might actually save someone or help guide someone down the street (even if they don't quite get what they're doing, they're still useful to us), but cats mostly just mess around and scratch everything. I guess we all just indulge ourselves; these animals are basically just a way for us to pass the time so we aren't staring at a wall all day. It seems like we try to shape other animals to fit our own domesticated lifestyles.

Matthew Young35 said:There was also a recent study conducted on cats which concluded that they actually do recognize when someone calls them by their name... It's just that sometimes they choose to react, and other times they choose to ignore you.
Behavior isn't necessarily a reflection of intelligence.

Take my Cat, for example. The little jerk can actually open doors. I've seen him do it several times. He jumps up on the dresser next to the door, turns the handle, and walks right out. But the thing is, he won't open it just to go somewhere; he wants me to open it for him. It’s not because he’s stupid—it’s because he’s manipulative.

As far as I know, recent research is either inconclusive or leans in favor of the cats. It's just that dogs behave in a way that makes more sense to humans.

My Cat does the exact same thing with doors—leaps at the handle, twists it until it clicks, and strolls through. How did he figure it out? Simple. He watched me doing it.

Dogs are great and all, but anyone who’s lived with a cat isn't going to spend much time debating who’s the sharper intellect. Then again, hanging out with less intelligent creatures is part of life. I mean, we still hang out with Real Madrid fans, don't we? ☕

Just because dogs are in search and rescue, the military, or police work, does that make them smarter? That’s like claiming Mitch Bucannon, Steven Seagal, and Sylvester Stallone are somehow more intelligent than the rest of humanity. The feline mind is superior; the dog comparison just doesn't hold water.

Jessica Gonzalez said:Well, keep playing with them if you want, though cats don't really serve much of a purpose. A trained dog might actually save someone or help guide someone down the street (even if they don't quite get what they're doing, they're still useful to us), but cats mostly just mess around and scratch everything. I guess we all just indulge ourselves; these animals are basically just a way for us to pass the time so we aren't staring at a wall all day. It seems like we try to shape other animals to fit our own domesticated lifestyles.

Cats actually serve a purpose.
They are total pests, though.
A friend of mine lives in a house on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., and his old cat passed away—rest in peace. At first, they just had some mice appearing around the house, which isn't the end of the world, just a few mice here and there. But after the mice showed up, damn snakes followed right behind them.
Where there's a cat, mice usually stay away.
That’s essentially how cat domestication began: once we started stockpiling food.
That is why cats hold such a status. They don't need to do much; being present is enough to keep the mice at bay.
In the Middle Ages, when the plague hit the cities, they used to kill cats because they thought God was angry at these creepy creatures and was sending the plague through them. Brilliant move, right? Fewer cats meant more mice and rats, and the plague was happy as a child.