3 ms·

Cats prefer to get free meals rather than work for them

19 points by zolbrek 3y ago

MattGaiser 3y ago
I am surprised that most animals prefer to work for it. While feeding wildlife is probably still unwise, does it change behaviour as much as people claim it does then?
- Iulioh 3y ago
  I think the problem with feeding wildlife is not them begin "lazy" but the familiarity they now have with humans thst they shouldn't have (for their and our safety)
- defrost 3y ago
  It makes wild dingoes bolder, less likely to fear people and more likely to bite and kill people. https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/kgari-fraser/about/wongari-dingoes/dingo-interactions https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/kgari-fraser/about/wongar... There weren't many pack killings of tourists until they started to get fed regularly, now decisions have to be made ablout whether to cull the dingoes or the tourists.
klyrs 3y ago
> Delgado said the food puzzles used in the study may not have stimulated their natural hunting behavior, which usually involves ambushing their prey. I'm curious what "work" the contrafreeloading animals were doing, in making the comparison. Because yeah, domestic cats are lazy as hell but when a mouse got into our house, our cat was more interested in finding it than getting free treats.
- toast0 3y ago
  Did your cats want the mouse as a fun thing to play with and maybe eat or as something to eat and maybe play with?
  - klyrs 3y ago
    She played with it and killed it when she finally caught it. But no, she didn't eat it. But it flips the observation of the study: she preferred to work for non-food (but I suspect there's a latent food-instinct driving this) rather than get a free meal.
Miiko 3y ago
> Most animals prefer to work for their food—a behavior called contrafreeloading Want about humans? are humans contrafreeloading animals or not?
- zolbrek 3y ago
  Depends on the human. Some can live their entire lives on welfare, others would rather rot on the streets than accept any form of goverment help.
az09mugen 3y ago
Lol because humans do not ? Cats are very lazy creatures. Didn't need a study to state that.

19 points by zolbrek 3y ago

I am surprised that most animals prefer to work for it. While feeding wildlife is probably still unwise, does it change behaviour as much as people claim it does then?

Iulioh 3y ago
I think the problem with feeding wildlife is not them begin "lazy" but the familiarity they now have with humans thst they shouldn't have (for their and our safety)
defrost 3y ago
It makes wild dingoes bolder, less likely to fear people and more likely to bite and kill people. https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/kgari-fraser/about/wongari-dingoes/dingo-interactions https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/kgari-fraser/about/wongar... There weren't many pack killings of tourists until they started to get fed regularly, now decisions have to be made ablout whether to cull the dingoes or the tourists.

klyrs 3y ago

> Delgado said the food puzzles used in the study may not have stimulated their natural hunting behavior, which usually involves ambushing their prey. I'm curious what "work" the contrafreeloading animals were doing, in making the comparison. Because yeah, domestic cats are lazy as hell but when a mouse got into our house, our cat was more interested in finding it than getting free treats.

toast0 3y ago
Did your cats want the mouse as a fun thing to play with and maybe eat or as something to eat and maybe play with?
- klyrs 3y ago
  She played with it and killed it when she finally caught it. But no, she didn't eat it. But it flips the observation of the study: she preferred to work for non-food (but I suspect there's a latent food-instinct driving this) rather than get a free meal.

Miiko 3y ago

> Most animals prefer to work for their food—a behavior called contrafreeloading Want about humans? are humans contrafreeloading animals or not?

zolbrek 3y ago
Depends on the human. Some can live their entire lives on welfare, others would rather rot on the streets than accept any form of goverment help.

az09mugen 3y ago

Lol because humans do not ? Cats are very lazy creatures. Didn't need a study to state that.