4 ms·

Yes, the theories in that article don't make a lot of sense. For example this about cats: > settling into a mutually-beneficial relationship in which they hunt

Yes, the theories in that article don't make a lot of sense. For example this about cats: > settling into a mutually-beneficial relationship in which they hunted and ate rodents in exchange for food. Cats mostly hunt birds, because rondents are smarter, faster, stronger and have weapons (teeth). Also humans and primates throw rocks and sticks at predators. Early dogs must have been caught as puppies, or their parents killed by humans and their flesh eaten. The whole model has been domesticated to portray a cartoony interaction.

ajb 2y ago
"Cats mostly hunt birds, because rondents are smarter, faster, stronger and have weapons (teeth)." Where did you get that from? I'm pretty sure it's not accurate, both from reading and personal experience. Cats don't tackle rats often, and they are at a low risk of being bitten by mice (the hunting technique for mice involves first stunning the mouse by whacking it as hard as possible, ideally using body weight). Mice are smaller than most birds. Cats do have instincts for rodents, birds and fish. But in most areas rodents are more available, so the cats don't get very good at hunting the other two.
- readyplayernull 2y ago
  My cousins from the countryside have several cats, and there is plenty of mice and birds. Mostly every prey the cats bring home are birds. Birds are easier to track, nest in visible places, while mice hides better, they are good detectors by smell and sound. Maybe in the city birds are harder to reach. The more I think about the article the less it makes sense. Humans would have eaten all their preys' meat, and thrown the bones they didn't use to build tools and accesories into pits, would have burned the rest to avoid bringing predators. Proto-dogs would have been like pigs to them, they are still like such in Asia. It's just that their decendants are good alarms and defenders, and can be trained to help in hunting and other tasks.
  - wiredfool 2y ago
    I've had outdoor cats -- at one point two brothers. One was a complete terror for birds. He'd go after them all, including hummingbirds. Left bits everywhere. Then we lost him due to something bigger and sharper. The other one couldn't be arsed to hunt anything, until we moved a couple miles into the country and the house had rodents (due to the previous owner feeding birds). Over the course of the first year, he got 25 and I got 2 with traps. Never saw any evidence of dead birds. So, it varies. By the cat.
  - tssva 2y ago
    I own a horse farm and have several barn cats. They aren't there to keep the bird population down.
    - ajb 2y ago
      That reminds me of a story. The author Elizabeth Moon and her husband kept horses, and one year they decided to get oats for the winter instead of hay. They didn't realise that oats need to be stored differently, not just in a pile on the barn floor. They took one of their horses to the vet because he developed a persistent cough; the vet asked a few questions. When he heard how they were storing the oats, his eyes widened, and he leaned forward. "You need to get rid the oats. Now." Then he explained why... So as soon as they got back they started shoveling the contaminated pile of oats into bags to depose of it. And as they did so, first a few, then a stream of mice started running out of the pile of oats. Their hair was standing on end from disgust, but they had to keep shoveling. At the sound, the cats came from all the nearby farms, so that they were at the centre of a ring of cats; but by the end all the cats had eaten so many mice that they were stuffed; and could only lie there, and watch the mice go by.

ajb 2y ago

"Cats mostly hunt birds, because rondents are smarter, faster, stronger and have weapons (teeth)." Where did you get that from? I'm pretty sure it's not accurate, both from reading and personal experience. Cats don't tackle rats often, and they are at a low risk of being bitten by mice (the hunting technique for mice involves first stunning the mouse by whacking it as hard as possible, ideally using body weight). Mice are smaller than most birds. Cats do have instincts for rodents, birds and fish. But in most areas rodents are more available, so the cats don't get very good at hunting the other two.

readyplayernull 2y ago
My cousins from the countryside have several cats, and there is plenty of mice and birds. Mostly every prey the cats bring home are birds. Birds are easier to track, nest in visible places, while mice hides better, they are good detectors by smell and sound. Maybe in the city birds are harder to reach. The more I think about the article the less it makes sense. Humans would have eaten all their preys' meat, and thrown the bones they didn't use to build tools and accesories into pits, would have burned the rest to avoid bringing predators. Proto-dogs would have been like pigs to them, they are still like such in Asia. It's just that their decendants are good alarms and defenders, and can be trained to help in hunting and other tasks.
- wiredfool 2y ago
  I've had outdoor cats -- at one point two brothers. One was a complete terror for birds. He'd go after them all, including hummingbirds. Left bits everywhere. Then we lost him due to something bigger and sharper. The other one couldn't be arsed to hunt anything, until we moved a couple miles into the country and the house had rodents (due to the previous owner feeding birds). Over the course of the first year, he got 25 and I got 2 with traps. Never saw any evidence of dead birds. So, it varies. By the cat.
- tssva 2y ago
  I own a horse farm and have several barn cats. They aren't there to keep the bird population down.
  - ajb 2y ago
    That reminds me of a story. The author Elizabeth Moon and her husband kept horses, and one year they decided to get oats for the winter instead of hay. They didn't realise that oats need to be stored differently, not just in a pile on the barn floor. They took one of their horses to the vet because he developed a persistent cough; the vet asked a few questions. When he heard how they were storing the oats, his eyes widened, and he leaned forward. "You need to get rid the oats. Now." Then he explained why... So as soon as they got back they started shoveling the contaminated pile of oats into bags to depose of it. And as they did so, first a few, then a stream of mice started running out of the pile of oats. Their hair was standing on end from disgust, but they had to keep shoveling. At the sound, the cats came from all the nearby farms, so that they were at the centre of a ring of cats; but by the end all the cats had eaten so many mice that they were stuffed; and could only lie there, and watch the mice go by.