Are Longhaired Cats Smarter?

Growing up, we had a wide variety of cats.  They would come and go because we lived in an area with lots of strays, so there always seemed to be a new face prowling around.  As a result, I got to know a lot of cat personalities.  There was Mama Kitty, our longhaired black cat who was not only very smart but friendly and beautiful too.  Her son, Seth, only lived to seven before succumbing to kidney failure.  He was longhaired and black too.

As a teenager, my first true love gave me Junior, who was renamed Ju-Ju by my toddler niece.  He was short haired and uncut, so he spent his time picking fights and jumping on the counter to tear into loaves of bread.  He ran off one day and was briefly spotted several years later, living wild on the farm.  After Ju-Ju, Seymour became my best friend and the sweetest, smartest cat I have ever known.  He lived to be a teenager, but lost a battle to cancer.  Did I mention he was longhaired too?

After I moved out on my own, I had a few cats through the years.  Most of these had short hair and short brains.  As I recall all of the cats who influenced my life the most, it seems to me they all have one thing in common – long hair.  Sure, we had several shorthaired cats through those years, and almost without exception, they were problem cats who didn’t use the litter box, jumped on the counter, or met untimely deaths by cars or coyotes.

So, what is it about longhaired cats?  Is it just my luck?  Are shorthaired cats more feral and closer to their wild ancestors?  What’s the deal, cat people?  Why are all the best cats longhaired?