4 ms·

Cats aren't really apex predators though. Dogs kill them, foxes kill them, coyotes kill them, I've watched a hawk kill a cat in my neighborhood when I was a ch

Cats aren't really apex predators though. Dogs kill them, foxes kill them, coyotes kill them, I've watched a hawk kill a cat in my neighborhood when I was a child... I don't know of many predators that seem to kill just to kill like cats seem to? I'm certainly not claiming to be an expert in this regard but all my dogs that have killed animals appeared to do it as an instinct to "provide" for the social group while I've known cats that appeared to kill not due to hunger or any inherent interest in bringing a "present" to anyone like they sometimes do. I guess I wonder what your response would be to these thoughts, as you might provide clarity to someone with my imperfect understanding. This is sincere as well: I know that what I've written could be construed as sarcastic but I'm not interested in anything other than sincerity.

kjs3 11y ago
Apex predator doesn't mean nothing else kills them, especially when you're mixing domains. An animal that's unmatched in one domain might be distinctly disadvantaged in another (e.g. polar bears in a vanishing ice cap). But quibbling over that definition is willfully obfuscating the point. > I don't know of many predators that seem to kill just to kill like cats seem to? I've seen a dog kill another dog and walk away. I've seen crows kill a squirrel and only pick out it's eyes. Hell, I've seen a squirrel kill all the baby birds in a nest and only eat one, in case you didn't think squirrels ate meat. Does that mean dogs, crows and squirrels are murderers or do it for fun? The problem with cats is they live in close proximity to us, so we see first hand what they're up to, and they have a set of routine behaviors that don't exactly match our human perception of how predators are "suppose" to behave. But instead of trying to understand them in context, some people anthropomorphise them and make the cat "evil", a "murderer" or whatever.

kjs3 11y ago

Apex predator doesn't mean nothing else kills them, especially when you're mixing domains. An animal that's unmatched in one domain might be distinctly disadvantaged in another (e.g. polar bears in a vanishing ice cap). But quibbling over that definition is willfully obfuscating the point. > I don't know of many predators that seem to kill just to kill like cats seem to? I've seen a dog kill another dog and walk away. I've seen crows kill a squirrel and only pick out it's eyes. Hell, I've seen a squirrel kill all the baby birds in a nest and only eat one, in case you didn't think squirrels ate meat. Does that mean dogs, crows and squirrels are murderers or do it for fun? The problem with cats is they live in close proximity to us, so we see first hand what they're up to, and they have a set of routine behaviors that don't exactly match our human perception of how predators are "suppose" to behave. But instead of trying to understand them in context, some people anthropomorphise them and make the cat "evil", a "murderer" or whatever.