People usually think dogs are more intelligent than cats. Researchers at Japan's Kyoto University questioned this idea. They found cats were as smart as dogs at certain memory tests. Cat lovers have always known this. They looked at how well 49 cats could recall a past event. This is called episodic memory. The cats ate from different bowls. The team found that after a 15-minute break, the cats could recall what bowl they had eaten from.

The cats were as good as dogs in responding to gestures and facial expressions. A researcher said cats think about past events similar to the way we do. She said: "They may enjoy actively recalling memories of their experience, like humans." She said episodic memory is a form of introspective or deeper thinking. The research may suggest a type of consciousness in cats. Understanding cats more will help to establish better cat-human relationships.