In the cartoon world, dogs and cats are natural enemies. In that two-dimensional universe, cats are smarter than dogs. And the humans all have three fingers and a thumb.

You can't use the cartoon world to determine which are smarter, cats or dogs. In my house, which is inhabited by two cats and a dog, I would have to say that the dog is the smarter creature.

Even though she sometimes tries to walk through doors that are only open a crack, therefore shutting them on her head, my dog clearly demonstrates her superior intelligence by following me everywhere I go and generally making me feel like the center of the universe. That's a smart thing to do because it guarantees many treats and lots of affection.

The cats pretty much ignore me except when they're hungry. The male cat has, however, trained my husband to let him out every morning at the brutal hour of 5 AM, which means the cat--at least in some ways--is smarter than my husband.

I know my household is not a science lab. The intellectual pecking order we have established won't necessarily hold up against the rigors of scientific inquiry.

It's an important question, though, one that Cat People and Dog People have debated forever. If you're a Cat Person, you know that cats are smarter because they're independent and clean, and they have an uncanny sense of where they are and how to get home. If you're a Dog Person, you know that dogs are smarter because they're easier to train. In fact, dogs are so smart they sometimes even wear police badges and perform important jobs for people with disabilities, among other things.

Is one of our favorite pets smarter than the other? Can we finally put this question to rest? I think I have an answer. But we need to get a bunch of other stuff straight first.