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The domestication of the cat says something important about our ancestors.

PersonAndStuff

PersonAndStuff

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,264
I found this theory in a documentary on Netflix whose name I can't remember. The common myth is that cats were domesticated to hunt mice. As a relatively minor beat in this doc, it posits that dogs already served this purpose, with several breeds specifically created for this purpose. And also, cats aren't very good at wiping out large infestations. They'll kill one mouse and then wait until they're hungry to kill another. The more likely scenario is that cats were picking through people's trash and people thought they were cute so they started feeding them.

The point being we tend to think of ancient people as very stoic and utilitarian. Then the Clinton administration happened and we got soft. But that's not true. With cats, the cuddles were always the point.

Here is the mandatory cat pic.

BKitWFn.jpg
 

UnderNewOwnership

Member
Dec 4, 2017
3,097
IIRC rats and mice (except those infected with toxo) are repelled by the smell of cat piss. Apparently dog piss isn't as strongly repellent.
 
LinkStrikesBack

LinkStrikesBack

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,350
PersonAndStuff said:
found this theory in a documentary on Netflix whose name I can't remember. The common myth is that cats were domesticated to hunt mice. As a relatively minor beat in this doc, it posits that dogs already served this purpose, with several breeds specifically created for this purpose. And also, cats aren't very good at wiping out large infestations.
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So I looked it up in actual literature and not a Netflix documentary. (Because What else would I do at 6am?)

The prevailing theory seems to be that the improvements in farming and the use of larger storehouses correlated with the cat-human relationship, as they were particularly talented at controlling pest populations given a small defined area to search)
See:

And further included references from their work.
 
The Adder

The Adder

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,093
LinkStrikesBack said:
So I looked it up in actual literature and not a Netflix documentary. (Because What else would I do at 6am?)

The prevailing theory seems to be that the improvements in farming and the use of larger storehouses correlated with the car-human relationship, as they were particularly talented at controlling pest populations given a small defined area to search)
See:

And further included references from their work.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Please please please do not fix that typo.
 
Poppy

Poppy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,269
richmond, va
cats are cool as fuck i would want to hang out with them too if i was chilling around cultivating wheat and barley and shit 4000 years ago
 
Pluto

Pluto

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,422
I thought the theory was that cats domesticated themselves, they realized there were tons of mice around humans and that humans could protect them from larger predators, so they pretty much decided to move in.
 
Inugami

Inugami

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,995
Pluto said:
I thought the theory was that cats domesticated themselves, they realized there were tons of mice around humans and that humans could protect them from larger predators, so they pretty much decided to move in.
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That'd still require acceptance on humankind's part. They weren't like cockroaches.
 
Dekuman

Dekuman

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,026
Cats had utilitarian purposes, like chasing mice.

Not a coincidence Cat featured prominently in Egypt where grain storage and management was on a vast scale in the ancient world.
 

mAcOdIn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,978
PersonAndStuff said:
And also, cats aren't very good at wiping out large infestations. They'll kill one mouse and then wait until they're hungry to kill another.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
They'll kill one mouse and wait until hungry to kill again? I think that's ridiculous, sorry. Maybe it wouldn't hunt for a mouse once it's full but cats fucking kill for fun, heaven help the poor bastard that runs around an area a cat's claimed while a cat's around, full cat or not.
 
aliengmr

aliengmr

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,419
I don't think that is a myth, as there are numerous examples of cats being used as pest control. I'd even go a bit further and say their solitary nature made them far more suited to the task than dogs.

Also domesticated cats do not only kill when they are hungry. In fact, they are the deadliest predators on the planet, killing far than other species and killing far more than they require. It's actually causing issues.
 
SquirrelSr

SquirrelSr

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,015
I honestly have no idea how humans domesticated cats. At least with dogs, we could selectively breed them until we get some that are comfortable around humans and won't try and kill us. Cats on the hand seem to do whatever the hell they want.
 
hibikase

hibikase

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,820
Uh no. Cats have always been efficient at deterring vermin. It's less about the actual killing and more about the presence. Cats can just occupy a given environment more efficiently and with minimal human care compared to a dog.

It's the whole reason why "bodega cats" are a thing, and not "bodega dogs".
 
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boris_feinbrand

boris_feinbrand

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,571
PersonAndStuff said:
I found this theory in a documentary on Netflix whose name I can't remember. The common myth is that cats were domesticated to hunt mice. As a relatively minor beat in this doc, it posits that dogs already served this purpose, with several breeds specifically created for this purpose. And also, cats aren't very good at wiping out large infestations. They'll kill one mouse and then wait until they're hungry to kill another. The more likely scenario is that cats were picking through people's trash and people thought they were cute so they started feeding them.

The point being we tend to think of ancient people as very stoic and utilitarian. Then the Clinton administration happened and we got soft. But that's not true. With cats, the cuddles were always the point.

Here is the mandatory cat pic.

BKitWFn.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Eh. Farms usually have and had a lot of cats. Infestations never get too big when 5 to 6 cats eat a mouse each a day.

Then again the fact that people lived close and with their animals meant that cats due to their social demeanour became more closely integrated in the household than sheep for example.
 
Gernau Morat Gurgeh

Gernau Morat Gurgeh

Member
Oct 31, 2017
10,041
I thought it was more likely that cats moved in with humans of their own volition, as human urban and farming practices created a niche for them. I would assume we then tolerated and accepted them as useful(ish) and pleasant(ish) companions.
 
Rassilon

Rassilon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,584
UK
PersonAndStuff said:
The point being we tend to think of ancient people as very stoic and utilitarian.
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It's funny how we often think of ancient folk as some 'other', films etc often make them seem like barbaric humourless aliens.

What is most likely, is that they were just like us; petty, silly, loving, hating, weird and all the rest.
 
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