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Actually very few animal species kill for fun, you pretty much mention the only two other than humans. Chimps are the one species outside of humans known to kil

Actually very few animal species kill for fun, you pretty much mention the only two other than humans. Chimps are the one species outside of humans known to kill their own kind for sheer cruelty; they'll attack opponents to the brink of death and then leave them to suffer, usually dying days or weeks later from their injuries. Orcas do appear to play with their food for amusement, usually it's their last catch. However, the catch seems to be donated to the youngest member who is learning the beaching techniques and the behavior is not usually seen in Orcas that don't beach, which either gives them different social and cultural mores between the two distinct groups of Orcas (nomadic and sedentary) or it serves a purpose in training the young to hunt. The domestic cat frequently behaves in the same way as a lion or tiger cub that hasn't been taught to hunt. When any cat is taught to hunt by its mother (big or small) it's obvious that they don't play with their food. Mature fully trained Orca's seemingly play with their food, however mature fully trained cats never play with their food. All domestic cat's 'play' behaviors with its prey, are exclusively hunting tactics. I don't exactly see how humans being the only animal killing for sport is moot, it's not wholly accurate but it's damn near so. As these are all mammals it means the behavior is exhibited on a roughly 1:1300 of species that kill for fun and species that don't. For all the species that apparently present morality to have evolved it on their own is highly unlikely. This means that it has a biological underpinning, which means potentially every mammal on the planet could exhibit some form of morality. Which then means only 4 species (currently only 2 confirmed) out of roughly 5400 have the ability to disregard morality.

IsaacSchlueter 17y ago
But domestic cats kill far more than necessary for food. I've had cats that were very aggressive hunters, but never ate their prey, and another cat that preferred her kills to what we fed her, but nonetheless killed far more than she ate. If this wasn't for "sport", then what was it? Did I just happen to have extra sociopathic pets? It seems more likely to me that they just liked killing little things, and this behavior is not unusual in felix domesticus. Note that domestic cats are rare among felines in this, and they kill for fun even when they go feral. It seems likely that it's a trait that humans helped to encourage, by feeding the cats than brought home the most mice. The question of whether or not it's "moral" for a cat to kill a mouse he isn't going to eat is bigger than this conversation, and clearly not self evident.
- electromagnetic 17y ago
  While it's very true cats can kill more than they need, they'll often donate the catch. My cats frequently brought gifts, when you find a 2-3 lb rat on your doorstep in the morning and a cat looking all pleased it's often quite hard to reward the critter. I think the very nature of domestic cats largely exceeds our understanding. The question of morality in a species specifically bred as verminators is complex. Especially when cats are one of the few species that is commonly seen adopting other species. One of my childhood cats even taught the puppy we got how to hunt birds, although ten years older and he's yet to catch one. I think the study of morality in other creatures, especially our domesticated species is a key philosophical and ethical question. I think proving morality in our domestic pets would help give more power to the SPCA's to protect species from the immorality of us. I don't know the effect it would have on the food production industry, but as a whole I think we've largely ignored the moral and ethical issues there for long enough that we'll still manage to ignore it for a lot longer.

IsaacSchlueter 17y ago

But domestic cats kill far more than necessary for food. I've had cats that were very aggressive hunters, but never ate their prey, and another cat that preferred her kills to what we fed her, but nonetheless killed far more than she ate. If this wasn't for "sport", then what was it? Did I just happen to have extra sociopathic pets? It seems more likely to me that they just liked killing little things, and this behavior is not unusual in felix domesticus. Note that domestic cats are rare among felines in this, and they kill for fun even when they go feral. It seems likely that it's a trait that humans helped to encourage, by feeding the cats than brought home the most mice. The question of whether or not it's "moral" for a cat to kill a mouse he isn't going to eat is bigger than this conversation, and clearly not self evident.

electromagnetic 17y ago
While it's very true cats can kill more than they need, they'll often donate the catch. My cats frequently brought gifts, when you find a 2-3 lb rat on your doorstep in the morning and a cat looking all pleased it's often quite hard to reward the critter. I think the very nature of domestic cats largely exceeds our understanding. The question of morality in a species specifically bred as verminators is complex. Especially when cats are one of the few species that is commonly seen adopting other species. One of my childhood cats even taught the puppy we got how to hunt birds, although ten years older and he's yet to catch one. I think the study of morality in other creatures, especially our domesticated species is a key philosophical and ethical question. I think proving morality in our domestic pets would help give more power to the SPCA's to protect species from the immorality of us. I don't know the effect it would have on the food production industry, but as a whole I think we've largely ignored the moral and ethical issues there for long enough that we'll still manage to ignore it for a lot longer.