4 ms·

> Dogs today are essentially a human creation, through genetic selection and breeding, not so much domesticated as, for all intents and purposes, created. And c

> Dogs today are essentially a human creation, through genetic selection and breeding, not so much domesticated as, for all intents and purposes, created. And cats, by and large, aren't. Perhaps there are differences in the degree in which humans have sculpted modern cats and dogs, but I don't see much fundamental difference.

Ultramanoid 7y ago
There is a remarkable difference in the time period of human intervention, for one thing. Dogs for around 30,000 years versus cats for 9,000. There are ten times more dog breeds than cat breeds, almost entirely due to humans. I'm trying to find for reference a recent study of cats' genome [※] that also mentioned how today's house cat is not much different genetically speaking from primitive feral cats, whereas as already said, plenty of dog breeds have never even existed in the past and are completely a product of human driven genetic selection. ( There ARE cat breeds also a product of human intervention, of course, but not in the numbers and variety of dog breeds. ) Edit : May as well add, human selection of dogs has altered them in fundamental ways. Selecting for co-habitation, so they don't attack farm animals, but protect them instead. Selecting for intelligence, so they can obey specific commands. Selecting for strength, so they can pull and carry. Etc. Most selection done with cats has been purely for aesthetic reasons, leaving behaviour aside. [※] Edit 2 : https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141110161042.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141110161042.h...
- speedplane 7y ago
  > There is a remarkable difference Yes, there are many differences between the domestication of cats and dogs, but not in any fundamental degree. Humans shaped these animals over time, albeit in different ways. The same is true for other forms of domestication, like cows, sheep, bananas, and wheat etc. Saying one is "smarter" than the other is silly. It's more that humans have selected and bread them for different traits.
  - Ultramanoid 7y ago
    I'm expanding on what the article already makes clear. Dogs have been intensely selected and bred, to the point of differing significantly from their ancestors, cats have not. As the article also says, cats have largely domesticated themselves. Humans have done next to nothing to change them, in absolute contrast with dogs. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. And it has nothing to do with intelligence comparisons. The point is that the animals being compared, while considered 'similar' domestication wise, are anything but.

Ultramanoid 7y ago

There is a remarkable difference in the time period of human intervention, for one thing. Dogs for around 30,000 years versus cats for 9,000. There are ten times more dog breeds than cat breeds, almost entirely due to humans. I'm trying to find for reference a recent study of cats' genome [※] that also mentioned how today's house cat is not much different genetically speaking from primitive feral cats, whereas as already said, plenty of dog breeds have never even existed in the past and are completely a product of human driven genetic selection. ( There ARE cat breeds also a product of human intervention, of course, but not in the numbers and variety of dog breeds. ) Edit : May as well add, human selection of dogs has altered them in fundamental ways. Selecting for co-habitation, so they don't attack farm animals, but protect them instead. Selecting for intelligence, so they can obey specific commands. Selecting for strength, so they can pull and carry. Etc. Most selection done with cats has been purely for aesthetic reasons, leaving behaviour aside. [※] Edit 2 : https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141110161042.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141110161042.h...

speedplane 7y ago
> There is a remarkable difference Yes, there are many differences between the domestication of cats and dogs, but not in any fundamental degree. Humans shaped these animals over time, albeit in different ways. The same is true for other forms of domestication, like cows, sheep, bananas, and wheat etc. Saying one is "smarter" than the other is silly. It's more that humans have selected and bread them for different traits.
- Ultramanoid 7y ago
  I'm expanding on what the article already makes clear. Dogs have been intensely selected and bred, to the point of differing significantly from their ancestors, cats have not. As the article also says, cats have largely domesticated themselves. Humans have done next to nothing to change them, in absolute contrast with dogs. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. And it has nothing to do with intelligence comparisons. The point is that the animals being compared, while considered 'similar' domestication wise, are anything but.