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Are (aren't?) cats the only animal that kills for fun, rather than food? (Apart from the scum that are some humans...)

by mft_ 8y ago

TomMarius 8y ago
Depends on what you define as fun, what we're observing is more like "not for immediate need" and/or "not for food" - and when the immediate need for food arises, the first reflex is the cat food, but that obviously doesn't happen in nature. A dog is most certainly capable of attacking you even though it's not hungry or feeling unsafe.
jand 8y ago
Actually, there are quite a few. [1] Since it seems to me that "fun" or "malice" or other motivations cannot be measured that precisely in animal kingdom, i think it is fair to say that surplus killing covers your question. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_killing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_killing
coldtea 8y ago
>Are (aren't?) cats the only animal that kills for fun, rather than food? Obviously not. All kinds of animals kill. Also it's not "for fun" in the way we're having fun. They don't plan on entertaining themselves that way, weighing and ignoring the moral impact, etc. It's an instinct they have. It's training to hone their hunting skills -- which they need evolutionary to survive -- even if they we take there of them for the last 5-10.000 years (which is very little in evolutionary terms)
lstodd 8y ago
It's like you say my cats took and hidden my sunshades, car keys, electronic components from my lab desk to make fun of me. It's not, it's just their nature, which in other words is what they evolved to do.
girvo 8y ago
Lots of animals have been observed to kill others for no known or obvious reason; primates and dolphins are two I’m aware of. My working dogs would, too, considering they wouldn’t eat the pests they killed and there was no upside for them other than praise. That should count I think.
tenken 8y ago
... dolphins ...

Are (aren't?) cats the only animal that kills for fun, rather than food? (Apart from the scum that are some humans...)

by mft_ 8y ago

Are (aren't?) cats the only animal that kills for fun, rather than food? (Apart from the scum that are some humans...)

Depends on what you define as fun, what we're observing is more like "not for immediate need" and/or "not for food" - and when the immediate need for food arises, the first reflex is the cat food, but that obviously doesn't happen in nature. A dog is most certainly capable of attacking you even though it's not hungry or feeling unsafe.

jand 8y ago

Actually, there are quite a few. [1] Since it seems to me that "fun" or "malice" or other motivations cannot be measured that precisely in animal kingdom, i think it is fair to say that surplus killing covers your question. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_killing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_killing

coldtea 8y ago

>Are (aren't?) cats the only animal that kills for fun, rather than food? Obviously not. All kinds of animals kill. Also it's not "for fun" in the way we're having fun. They don't plan on entertaining themselves that way, weighing and ignoring the moral impact, etc. It's an instinct they have. It's training to hone their hunting skills -- which they need evolutionary to survive -- even if they we take there of them for the last 5-10.000 years (which is very little in evolutionary terms)

lstodd 8y ago

It's like you say my cats took and hidden my sunshades, car keys, electronic components from my lab desk to make fun of me. It's not, it's just their nature, which in other words is what they evolved to do.

girvo 8y ago

Lots of animals have been observed to kill others for no known or obvious reason; primates and dolphins are two I’m aware of. My working dogs would, too, considering they wouldn’t eat the pests they killed and there was no upside for them other than praise. That should count I think.

tenken 8y ago

... dolphins ...