I know it’s a meme com, but they really aren’t. In this case it’s more about humans being “dumb”. They try to apply the same methodology they use with dogs to cats. And that in itself is dumb. There are studies out there that treat cats as cats and yield actual results.
Another thing is there’s much, much more funding for dog research simply because dogs are far more useful to humans than cats. E.g. guide dogs for blind people, other service dogs, bomb sniffer dogs, rescue dogs, etc.
And then we have mink trained to exterminate rats together with dogs. That might be the most entertaining way of rat extermination to watch.