In the argument between cat lovers and dog lovers, I’m more or less neutral. I like both. But about the specific question of which is smarter, I think dogs clearly have it. Cat lovers can only fall back on the argument that the reason cats don’t appear to be all that bright is that they’re so smart they don’t want us to know how smart they are, or some variation on that idea.

Right. Well, whatever the real truth is, there’s no doubt that dogs demonstrate a great deal of intelligence, especially when it comes to reading people. Here’s an account of a study which showed that dogs use some of the same face-reading techniques with us that we use with each other. And here’s another that shows they’re better than chimpanzees at locating something by following a human’s gaze.

I’m always experimenting with our dogs to see how subtle I can make the signal that they’re about to get something to eat or about to go for a walk, and am amazed at how little it takes.

However, cats are more beautiful.