If you’ve ever wondered why your dog seems to instantly understand when you point at their toy while your cat completely ignores the same gesture, science has confirmed what many pet owners have long suspected: dogs are significantly better at reading human pointing cues than cats. But the reasons behind this difference—and what it means for communicating with your pets—are more fascinating than you might expect.
This research, published in Scientific Reports, represents the first controlled comparison of how dogs and cats respond to human pointing gestures. The findings reveal fundamental differences in how these species interpret human communication and offer valuable insights for improving interactions with both cats and dogs.
Research Background
While dogs’ ability to follow human pointing has been extensively studied, cats have received much less attention in comparative cognition research. This gap is surprising given that cats are the world’s second most popular pet, and understanding their communication abilities could improve human-feline relationships.
Previous research suggested that dogs evolved enhanced abilities to read human gestures through thousands of years of selective breeding for cooperation and communication. However, cats also have a long history of domestication, raising questions about whether they might possess similar—but perhaps less obvious—skills for interpreting human cues.
Study Details
Researchers designed a controlled experiment to directly compare dogs’ and cats’ abilities to use human pointing:
- Participants: 43 pet cats and 21 pet dogs from loving homes
- Task design: Object-choice test where a treat was hidden under one of two containers
- Human cue: Experimenter pointed clearly toward the container with the hidden reward
- Measurement: Success rate in choosing the correct container following the pointing gesture
- Controls: Multiple trials with randomized positioning to ensure animals weren’t using other cues
- Individual assessment: Both group statistics and individual performance were analyzed
The experimental setup ensured that success could only be achieved by accurately interpreting the human pointing gesture rather than using scent, sound, or other potential cues.
Key Findings
Dogs Excel at Human Communication
Superior Performance: Dogs significantly outperformed cats in following human pointing gestures to find hidden rewards. When humans pointed to the correct container, dogs successfully chose it far more often than would be expected by chance.
Consistent Individual Success: Not only did dogs perform better as a group, but individual dogs also showed more consistent success across multiple trials, suggesting genuine understanding rather than lucky guessing.
Immediate Response: Most dogs readily participated in the task and showed clear attention to the human’s pointing gesture before making their choice.
Cats Show Different Engagement Patterns
Participation Challenges: Many cats were described as less “testable”—they often refused to participate in the task altogether or lost interest quickly. This wasn’t necessarily a sign of inability but rather different motivation and engagement patterns.
Limited Success: Cats that did participate were less successful than dogs at using human pointing cues to find the hidden reward, performing closer to chance levels.
Age Factor: Interestingly, older cats performed slightly better than younger cats at understanding pointing gestures, suggesting that experience with humans might improve this ability somewhat.
Species-Specific Communication Styles
Evolutionary Differences: The results support theories that dogs evolved enhanced human-communication abilities through selective breeding for cooperation, while cats retained more independent behavioral patterns.
Attention Patterns: Dogs showed focused attention on human gestures, while cats were more likely to be distracted by environmental factors or simply uninterested in the experimental setup.
Implications for Pet Owners
What This Means for You
These findings have practical implications for how you communicate with your dogs and cats:
Dogs Are Naturally Attuned: Your dog’s ability to understand your pointing isn’t just training—it’s an evolved capacity that makes them naturally responsive to human gestures. This is why dogs often seem to “get” what you want more quickly than cats.
Cats Aren’t Deficient: Your cat’s tendency to ignore pointing isn’t stubbornness or lack of intelligence—it’s a reflection of different evolutionary pressures and communication styles. Cats evolved as more independent hunters and didn’t develop the same human-focused communication abilities.
Communication Strategies Should Differ: What works for dogs may not work for cats, and vice versa. Understanding these species differences can help you develop more effective communication with each pet.
Effective Communication Strategies
For Dogs:
- Use pointing gestures confidently—most dogs will understand them
- Combine pointing with verbal cues for enhanced communication
- Take advantage of dogs’ natural attention to human gestures during training
- Use directional cues to help dogs find toys, treats, or navigate spaces
For Cats:
- Replace pointing with more direct cues like tapping objects or surfaces
- Use treats or toys to guide attention rather than relying on gestures
- Make targets more obvious through movement or sound
- Be patient—cats may need more time to understand what you want
Alternative Communication Methods:
- Visual cues: For cats, try moving objects slightly or using laser pointers
- Sound cues: Tapping or clicking near the target location
- Scent trails: Using treats to create obvious paths or directions
- Physical guidance: Gently leading cats toward desired objects or locations
Training Considerations
Dog Training: Take advantage of their natural pointing comprehension by incorporating directional cues into obedience training, agility work, and daily interactions.
Cat Training: Focus on other forms of communication and positive reinforcement. Cats can learn complex behaviors, but may respond better to different types of cues than traditional pointing.
Patience with Both: Remember that individual animals vary within species—some cats might be more responsive to pointing than others, and some dogs might need more practice.
Study Limitations
While this research provides valuable insights, it’s important to note some limitations. The study used a specific experimental setup that might not reflect all real-world communication scenarios. Additionally, cats’ lower participation rates might have affected the results, as only the most cooperative cats completed the full testing protocol.
The research also focused on pet animals in controlled settings, so findings might not apply to feral animals or those with different human exposure levels.
Bottom Line
This research confirms what many pet owners have observed: dogs and cats communicate with humans in fundamentally different ways. Dogs’ superior performance at following pointing gestures reflects their evolutionary history of cooperation with humans, while cats’ different approach reflects their more independent evolutionary path.
The key insight: Don’t expect your cat to respond like your dog, and don’t interpret cats’ different communication style as lack of intelligence or affection. Instead, adapt your communication methods to work with each species’ natural abilities and preferences.
Practical takeaway: Use pointing and directional gestures confidently with dogs, but develop alternative communication strategies for cats. Tapping, sound cues, and movement-based guidance often work better for felines than traditional pointing.
Understanding these species differences can actually strengthen your relationship with both cats and dogs by helping you communicate more effectively with each. When you work with your pets’ natural communication abilities rather than against them, interactions become more successful and enjoyable for everyone involved.
This article summarizes peer-reviewed research for educational purposes. Always consult with your veterinarian for personalized advice about your pet’s health and behavior.