Compared to other animals, human babies start life with a lot to learn. While some animals begin walking within hours of birth, human babies take months or years to master even the most basic functions.. Is it possible to compare the intelligence of cats and dogs Are These Pets Really Smarter Than Human Babies This is a complex question, and the answer depends on the measurement of animal and human intelligence, writes Live Science.

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According to Stanley Coren of the University of British Columbia, although it is impossible to make an exact comparison of the intelligence of dogs and humans, dogs do have some cognitive skills that roughly match those of young children.. For example, the average dog can understand about 165 words and signals. In exceptional cases, some dogs can learn significantly more words.

Most dogs can also " Research shows that dogs' brains react in a similar way to humans when they see the number of dots on a screen change, suggesting that they recognize when the number is increasing or decreasing.

According to Koren, many dogs have some internal understanding of basic counting.. By comparison, 14- and 18-month-old human infants are already able to distinguish between two and four objects when counted by an adult.

By analyzing cognitive functions, you can estimate the mental age of dogs by human standards.. The average dog has a mental age roughly equivalent to that of a 2.5 year old child. This is when it comes to cognitive skills such as vocabulary, numeracy and emotional awareness.

Understanding mental age can help dog owners understand their capabilities. For example, 2-year-old children are not yet fully able to experience and understand guilt, and dogs cannot do this either.. Therefore, the shy behavior of dogs after they have done something that the owner does not like is only a manifestation of fear of punishment.

Dogs' intelligence depends heavily on their breed and training, says Koren.

According to Jennifer Vonk of Oakland University in Michigan, there is much less research on the intelligence of cats, but there is still some data on the cognitive abilities of these pets..

It is known that cats can learn and gain new experiences, and they also adapt to new conditions in order to solve certain problems..

Research shows that cats have good memories and can detect food based on memory alone.. Cats also understand the concept of object permanence. This is the understanding that an object still exists even if it is no longer visible. Human infants typically learn the concept of object permanence between 4 and 10 months of age. Research also shows that cats can be even better at associating words with pictures than human babies..

According to Vonk, although various tests can be used to assess the intelligence of cats, it makes no sense to view the intelligence of these pets through the prism of human development.. After all, animals are not people, and they evolved to solve other problems in different environments.. As for cats, they are definitely better hunters than people and can distinguish smells better.

On the other hand, according to scientists, cats do not have the same motivation as people to improve their level of intelligence. According to Vonk, comparing the intelligence of cats and human babies does not make sense, because one cannot say that one is smarter, because they are different species.

Focus already wrote that scientists were able to find out whether crabs and lobsters feel pain when they are boiled alive.

Focus also wrote about dog breeds that have a positive character. These breeds have a cheerful character and love to spend time with their owners..