4 ms·
i wish i could understand how cats became so popular, given -> Fleas. As far as i can tell, anti-flea treatments have existed for about 50 years. I get that cat
by jibbit 3y ago
i wish i could understand how cats became so popular, given -> Fleas.
As far as i can tell, anti-flea treatments have existed for about 50 years.
I get that catching mice is a huge plus, but a house full of fleas also kinda sucks.
- CuriouslyC 3y agoIndoor cats is a newish thing. Farm cats were outdoor creatures that slept in the barn or another enclosure. Outdoor cats catch rodents and have basically no downsides.
- jjgreen 3y agoFarm cats are hard bastards. I stopped in a friend's farm for a couple of days, each morning there would be a half-rabbit on the doorstep (the back half) by way of a "present".
- dragonwriter 3y agoRats, like cats, have fleas that bite humans, too, and while cats mostly don't kill rats the way they do mice, they do drive them away.
- CapitalistCartr 3y agoCats kill rodents, protecting stored grain. And parasites were a fact of life.
- euroderf 3y ago... and grain cultivation & storage became a necessity when brewing was figured out.
- Hizonner 3y agoIt doesn't suck as much as starving to death, which could happen if the rodents went crazy on your food supplies. Anyway, if your house is loaded with mice and rats, you will also have fleas. Unlike the rodents, your cat will even let you comb it. Also people weren't necessarily clear on fleas or whatever being something you caught. They were more seen as things that just showed up under certain circumstances.
- idlewords 3y agoTwo points: 1) I think you underestimate how bad a rodent problem can get, and how quickly. 2) Healthy cats are decent groomers, and also flea magnets. Fleas go to them preferentially. If the cat isn't a lap cat and doesn't sleep on your bed, it's going to be doing most of the interacting with fleas while you relax in your mouse-free study.
- postexitus 3y agoWhat kind of super-hygienic environment are you imagining they had in those times that fleas would be a major annoyance?