Memory test

We know that the ability of cats to investigate new environments is legendary, but it has also been proven that their ability to retain information is superior to that of other domestic animals. In a test of canine-versus-feline intelligence, Dr. Maier, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and Dr. Schneirla, curator at the Dept. of Animal Behavior, American Museum of Natural History, compared I.Q. as a function of memory in dogs and cats. Both species were shown a large number of boxes and taught that food could only be found under the one with a lighted lamp on top. Once the training was complete, researchers turned the lamp on briefly. Then to test the animal's memory, the researchers prevented them from going to the box for a period of time. Canine recall lasted no more than five minutes. Cats, however, returned to the correct box as long as 16 hours later, exhibiting a power of recall superior to that of monkeys and orangutans.