Question for those with multiple cats or dogs? Do you notice differences in IQ?

[Liberal_in_LA]

if you have multiple cats, do you suspect that one is smarter than the others?

[kedrys]

1. It's not so much whether one is smarter - it's more like

they're all smarter than the humans. :P My 5 cats are all related, and they evidently all inherited their dad's big brain (he crossed the bridge in 2008), plus another genius cat helped us raise them. We're totally outnumbered.

[david13]

2. It seems like it. But they all have different personalities, and

different tastes, desires, motivations, pursuits, and attitudes. So it may not be they are less intelligent, just that they are not interested in the topic that may be used to test them.
dc

[Fast Dude]

3. It has been my experience that mutts

Are generally smarter than a purebred.

[Kali]

4. oh hell yes

example: we have dog named Dumbass. Yes he is.

[LeftyMom]

5. One of my cats is, to put it gently, a bit slow.

I love her, she's adorable and sweet and very loving, but she's about as sharp as Nerf sword. My other cats, including her sister, are clearly much smarter.

[av8rdave]

6. Definitely

Guiness is pretty analytical...he seems to figure out cause and effect quickly, and he "reads" people really well. He also is fast at understanding scheduling/timing - when he can expect to get fed, for example.

Murphy, on the other hand, is as dumb as a month old oyster fart. Sorry, that's how it is. A soap dish has more mental agility. However, he has a much more lovable personality. I have never seen a creature more happy to see me.

[tango-tee]

16. "is as dumb as a month old oyster fart".

Oooooh, my sides are aching. Freshly brewed, boiling hot coffee is still somewhere in my nasal cavities. Shame on you.

:spank:

[av8rdave]

25. I read somewhere that is actually good for your sinuses

You can thank me later.

:hi:

[tango-tee]

29. If my mind isn't completely giving out on me courtesy of kerosene fumes,

I'm reading you as "aviator dave". Hey, I'm a jet engine mechanic. How 'bout them apples? Tell me more!

[Sanity Claws]

7. Not sure if it's an IQ or personality difference

One cat is very emotional. The second cat thinks and figures things out.
They may have similar IQs but the second cat relies on his smarts more.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. I'm not sure if some are smarter than others or if it's just personality differences.

Only one of my three cats has figured out how to get the food out of the device I got them that's supposed to develop their mental skills -- it's a food bowl that has holes in it so they have to fish it out with their paws. Only Milo, the oldest of the three, immediately figured out the trick, but maybe he's just more motivated by food than the others. Jeoffry has an obsession with socks, and he has figured out which dresser drawer they are kept in (by watching me, I suppose), and how to get the drawer open so he can steal them. And Pixie is the only one of the three who drinks out of the bathroom sink by allowing water to run over the top of her head so she can lap it out of the bowl. I'm not sure if that's smart or really stupid.

[Arugula Latte]

9. Two smart kitties and one ... um ... well ... hmmm

He's super sweet, though!

[mnhtnbb]

10. No question that there is a range of intelligence among dogs and cats. Yes, I've seen it.

[crispini]

11. Oh yes

One of them opens doors, seems to understand cause and effect, knows her name, and generally is very clued in to what's going on around her.

The other one is sweet, but is as dumb as a post.

[Liberal_in_LA]

30. I had a cat who figured out when to push or pull on a slightly open door, that

he needed to insert his paw upwards under a door that's opens toward him and pull it TOWARDS him. Current cats have not figured out this out.

[applegrove]

12. I have one with a much smaller head than the other. She's much less in my face. I guess she's

in her own world till bedtime when she sits right on top of me.

[Jamastiene]

13. Yes

Sunday Girl is clearly smarter, but Yogi is more affectionate. So, Sunday Girl knows what you say to her and gets a twisted, deranged thrill out of making you scream in pain when you are playing with her. Yogi hasn't a clue, but he'll love you like no one else. He's a sweet boy. Between those two cats, I get to laugh(Sunday Girl is funny sometimes), cry(Sunday girl likes to hurt you), awwwwww(Yogi is sweetness personified, er, in cat form), beg Sunday Girl to let go of my hand, and have a constant companion in Yogi.

So, yes, one is smarter than the other, but they both have their own unique qualities that make them interesting and fun.

[emilyg]

14. Yes.

[grasswire]

15. sure

Zelda is quite a bit smarter than the other two cats, and smarter than the Border Collie.

[Mind_your_head]

17. Yes, the old *boring* cat is the 'wise one'....

the younger "Miss personality plus cat" is the one everyone notices, thinks is 'cute', and people comment/inquire about.

The old *boring* cat is the 'better/wiser one', in fact.

[MiddleFingerMom]

18. My favorite dog breed by far is the yellow labs.

.
All the yellow labs I have had experience with have been the
sweetest, loyalest, playfulest, warmest, lovingest, funnest
dogs in the whole wide world.
.
But they have also been, to put it kindly, the S-L-O-W-E-S-T
specimens of their species. Also by far.
.
Could be why we got along so well.
.
Bless their big wonderful ol' dumbhead hearts.
.

.

[murielm99]

23. You are right.

The dumbest dog I ever had was a yellow lab. I loved him dearly and he was very loyal.

But that dog was dumb. If I was working in the garage, he would find a way to get tangled up in a rope or find a way to knock something over. If he found a bug to sniff, it would be something with pinchers and it would end up hanging off his nose. If he ran around in a field, he would step in a hole or back into the electrified fence. He was scared of storms. He would get tangled up in a lamp cord and knock the lamp over while trying to hide under a table. For awhile he was hiding all his milk bones in the back of my dryer. I had a hell of a time getting them out of there. I don't know why he didn't just eat them.

I loved that hapless dog and I still miss him.

[femmocrat]

34. That pretty much describes my Golden Retriever, too.

He had to repeat basic obedience and still didn't "get it". Sweet, lovable, and dumb as they come.

[Inchworm]

19. Some dogs are just dumb...

trust me on this'n :P

:hi:

[XemaSab]

20. I have three dogs

Maddy is small and fast and the most likely to get into trouble. She's stolen things off the stove before. :o I took her to puppy class, and she learned a lot, but she's got too much energy to be a "good" dog.

Pippi is the most well-behaved. She came to us knowing things like stay, and she won't come in the house unless she's invited. She is a very serious dog, and a very good dog.

Bailey is lazy and stubborn, but he's also very motivated by food, so training him to do things is easy. He's also the only dog who has figured out how to open the doors. He's also the quickest to figure out when you're up to something, like when you want to give him meds.

Who is to say which dog is the smartest? They are all smart in their own ways.

[TrogL]

21. Of course

The tuxedo is affectionate but fairly dim.
The Russian Blue is brilliant, but like a mad scientist.
The big black tabby is pretty smart.
The white one is brighter than the tuxedo, but not by much.

[petronius]

22. Yes, no question. One of our cats is dumber than a broken hammer. The other is

not particularly smart, but she at least has cat sense (street smarts). However, I have known cats that I would consider smart - as in they demonstrated skills at reasoning and planning...

[wickerwoman]

24. Er...

This is my cat hiding in a clear plastic jumbo bag of toilet paper rolls.

But the dog is even dumber.

[Liberal_in_LA]

31. lol n/t

[rug]

26. One cat stares at a light bulb until he falls over.

So the answer is yes.

[backwoodsbob]

27. have father and son Shepperd's

daddy is smart as a tack...son is dumber than shit

[Arugula Latte]

28. Kinda like Mike Wallace and Chris Wallace

[Corgigal]

32. What I noticed, and I first read about this

is the dog whispers books, is how my two Chihuahua's know they are the same breed. I also have two Corgi's who also they are the same breed. I actually never thought they would be aware of this, besides being just a dog. I was wrong and it shows me how much more they know about each other and me then I give them credit for. I also have a dachshund, who is not stupid but so damn independent it almost the same darn thing.

[femmocrat]

33. Hi Corgigal! Nice to see you!

:hi:

My corgis know they are the same and they recognize other corgis. Of course, we have tipped them off by saying "Ooooh, Corgis!" whenever we see other corgis at the shows!

I swear they look at other breeds with distain--- well, maybe disinterest is a better word. My female is afraid of all big black dogs, since one scared her at Puppy Kindergarten. They are definitely the world's smartest dogs.