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Posted: 29th December 2023

Dogs understand pointing better than cats, study finds
Dogs remained motivated throughout the test, while cats became less willing to choose.
Cats were also less likely to make choices.

The findings of a study have suggested that dogs may be better at understanding hand gestures, such as pointing, than cats are.

New research conducted by Eötvös Loránd University, compared how well dogs and cats responded to human pointing gestures when completing an object choice task.

The study involved domestic cats and dogs being offered a choice of two boxes, one of which contained a food reward. An experimenter then pointed to the container with the food, before the animals chose a container.

A total of 21 small-sized dogs and 32 companion cats took part in the study, with more feline subjects being assessed in anticipation of them dropping out of the study. Forty-three cats arrived for the pointing test initially, however nine were excluded for various reasons – including refusing to leave their box, failing a motivation test and biting their owner.

Both the cats and the dogs were allowed a habituation process to familiarise themselves with the laboratory conditions and the experimenter.

The animal was then held by its owner, only being released once the experimenter had gestured towards the correct container. They were then assessed on whether they made a correct, incorrect or no choice.

The trial was conducted 28 times, with optional ten minute breaks.

The results indicated that dogs responded better to the gestures than the cats. In laboratory conditions, all of the dogs made a choice for at least half of the trials while only 15 out of 33 cats did the same.

The researchers discovered that the dogs were much more skilled at finding the treats, discovering the treats significantly more often than the cats did.

Dogs also remained motivated throughout the entire test, in contrast to the cats, which became less willing to choose.

In case the cats were at a disadvantage in an unfamiliar environment, a sub-group of cats were later tested at home. The cats’ willingness to choose a container did not decline in home conditions, and their overall success remained lower than dogs.

Márta Gácsi, lead researcher of the study, said: "There may be several sources of these differences. Cats may have been less attentive, less motivated by food rewards, or frustrated by the unfamiliar environment or unusual handling during the test,”

She added: “All things considered, it's no surprise that it's less relevant for cats to rely on human communication cues"

The full study can be found in the journal Scientific Reports.

Image © Shutterstock



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