4 ms·
As anyone who'd read the full paragraph you're quoting knows, that's what they mean by "tolerating" cats. I.e. a non-friendly symbiotic relationship where they
by avar 11y ago
As anyone who'd read the full paragraph you're quoting knows, that's what they mean by "tolerating" cats. I.e. a non-friendly symbiotic relationship where they eat your mice and you don't kill them.
The question they're posing is why were they eventually fully domesticated, which is not the same thing, nor was necessarily required to get the practical benefits of domestic cats.
- caminante 11y agoTo add, domestication may've been counter-productive, diminishing the utility of cats as "mousers." [1] [1] http://cattime.com/cat-facts/lifestyle/1916-10-facts-about-cats-and-mice http://cattime.com/cat-facts/lifestyle/1916-10-facts-about-c... (admittedly not a great source)
- mirimir 11y agoIn agricultural areas, there's typically a "barn cat" variety that's less domesticated.
- anonbanker 11y agobut likely suffering from massive birth defects due to inbreeding.
- mirimir 11y agoMaybe. But cat mills do that too.
- caminante 11y agoSure. I think this thread's pointing out the nuance in the article -- i.e. if you don't need to domesticate a "barncat" to get its "mousing" benefits, then why domesticate at all? Clear as mud, right? ;-)
- mirimir 11y agoIn my experience, there's a major familial component to domestication of cats. I've adopted feral kittens. If you get them young enough, they tolerate people. But they aren't as friendly as typical house cats. However, their kittens tend to be friendlier.