Scientists offend cat owners with their new study

Researchers at Oxford University say they've finally discovered which is smarter cats or dogs... and cat owners aren't going to like it.

Boffins claim dogs have developed bigger brains than cats because highly social species of mammals need more brain power than solitary animals.

The team analysed data on the brain and body size of more than 500 species of living and fossilised mammals from the past 60 million years, according to NewsLite.

The report, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, explains that very social animals require more brain power than solitary animals. Animals with relatively big brains typically live in social groups. Cats tend to be loners and have slower-growing brains.

"Groups of highly social species have undergone much more rapid increases [in brain size across history] than more solitary species," the study's lead author, Dr Susanne Shultz, noted in a news release. "This suggests that the cooperation and coordination needed for group living can be challenging and over time some mammals have evolved larger brains to be able to cope with the demands of socializing", New York Daily News reports.