Mmmm... Yeah. It checks out.
from ekZepp@lemmy.world to science_memes@mander.xyz on 29 Sep 23:49
https://lemmy.world/post/36664478

cnet.com/…/scientist-cats-think-you-are-just-a-bi…

#science_memes

threaded - newest

over_clox@lemmy.world on 29 Sep 23:55 next collapse

Can confirm, am big stupid cat. 😺

MadMadBunny@lemmy.ca on 30 Sep 00:18 collapse

Talk for yourself

over_clox@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 00:22 next collapse

Meow

Korne127@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 01:55 collapse

Bark

over_clox@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 01:58 collapse

Hisss

somethingsnappy@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 05:24 collapse

Snap

Nikls94@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 06:59 collapse

Ribbit

ColdWater@lemmy.ca on 30 Sep 13:04 collapse

Huf Huf pant pant pant

knightly@pawb.social on 30 Sep 00:24 next collapse

Mow

FerretyFever0@fedia.io on 30 Sep 01:41 collapse

Mo

Fedegenerate@lemmynsfw.com on 30 Sep 00:13 next collapse

Easy test at home. Bring a strange human into your house, note the reaction. Bring a strange cat into your house, is the reaction the same? If not then cats are smart enough to mark a distinction between people and cats.

lectricleopard@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 01:41 collapse

I agree and disagree. If you did a large enough trial with many animals and people, for each of many test cats in homes, then the data might show this. I just think that even if this hypothesis is true, the reaction to every cat/person won’t be the same for a given test cat. That could be a noisy signal.

Fedegenerate@lemmynsfw.com on 30 Sep 02:20 collapse

It was more a plea to cat owners that know their cat. The cats I know don’t tolerate cats on the street outside their house, let alone inside, plenty of people around though. I’m sure there’s exceptions, I don’t know cats well. As a rule, I think they’re intolerant of strange cats being in “their” space, less so humans. We don’t smell like cats, we don’t sound like cats, we don’t act like cats. Cats aren’t dumb (except orange ones), they know we aren’t cats (even the orange ones)

lectricleopard@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 02:37 next collapse

I see what you mean. I have 3 cats, all girls and spayed. Our neighbor has an outdoor cat (socially acceptable animal cruelty imo), a boy and intact.

They make goo goo eyes at each other through the windows. I dont know what would happen if I let them out, but they look like they’d be friends.

quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 30 Sep 13:55 collapse

Why is an outdoor cat animal cruelty?

agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works on 30 Sep 14:57 next collapse

One of the big things is their robust appetite for murder. Domesticated cats destroy bird populations. At minimum they should have a collar with a bell.

ganryuu@lemmy.ca on 30 Sep 19:50 collapse

It’s not as clear cut as this, a lot of the studies that suggest this don’t stand up to scrutiny, with for example some having numbers of estimated birds killed by cats over the total estimated bird population. Also the fact that the majority of kills by cats are already weak or sick animals, animals that would die soon either way, and not really affect the total population. The only ones that seem legit and suggest an effect on the population are from small islands.

lectricleopard@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 18:46 collapse

They live much shorter lives outdoors. Im not sure how someone could not care about the length of life of something they care about.

quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 30 Sep 22:19 collapse

Maybe they care more about their quality of life than their life span. I my opinion it is the other way around, the socially acceptable cruelty is to have them confined their entire lives, doesn’t matter how big and comfortable is the cage.

lectricleopard@lemmy.world on 01 Oct 01:14 collapse

Yeah, I qualified it as my opinion because I know not everyone agrees. I make sure our cats have many litter boxes, places to nap and places to scratch, and a couple cat buddies. I hope that they do not feel something is being withheld from them. Thats my goal.

DaTingGoBrrr@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 07:22 collapse

I have never seen a cat beg another cat for food. I have seen plenty of cats beg humans for food. I am pretty sure cats are smart enough to realize we are not cats. For one, we have hands we can use to open doors and give pets

primrosepathspeedrun@anarchist.nexus on 30 Sep 00:18 next collapse

The difference between a domestic cat and a wild cat is like 90% size.

boydster@sh.itjust.works on 30 Sep 00:42 collapse

May I present to you: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusty-spotted_cat

sbeak@sopuli.xyz on 30 Sep 01:46 next collapse

very smol

primrosepathspeedrun@anarchist.nexus on 30 Sep 06:32 collapse

I would like five and dont care what they scratch or pee on.

Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone on 30 Sep 00:29 next collapse

No, they have absolutely no idea about nuclear war and apparently no clear sense that we might be some other species, despite not quite having the strokably hairy torsos they enjoy.

Speak for yourself, my torso hair is luxurious.

Uli@sopuli.xyz on 30 Sep 02:16 next collapse

My cat knows about nuclear war. He simply hasn’t chosen to exercise the knowledge.

ignotum@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 11:54 next collapse

True, it’s common knowledge that all cats know the exact time and date when the first bombs are going to fall, leading to the fall and eventual extinction of the human race
But they all refuse to tell us because they’re silly furry goobers

agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works on 30 Sep 14:53 collapse

Common misconception. Not all of them, just the ones that change colors around radiation.

EffortlessEffluvium@lemmy.zip on 30 Sep 12:40 collapse

I would insist on a regular inspection protocol. Cat could have an underground relocation system for averting defensive preemptive strikes.

SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 30 Sep 13:27 collapse

This will totally dox myself to anyone who might be in or know someone in an old friend group.

I’m a very furry person - I joke that I put the hair suit in hirsute - but at least it’s soft! Years upon years ago, I had a one night stand with my then future partner’s (now ex’s) best friend. It was bad. Really, awkwardly bad. The kind of bad where I woke up the next morning and, instead of trying for another go, groaned inwardly because they were still there, a living reminder of how bad it was.

I took out my phone and hastily messaged my best friend, asking her advice on politely dealing with this. Unbeknownst to me, my guest was awake, messaging my future partner. She described being barely awake in the early morning, petting my cat. I didn’t have a cat or any pets. As she became more aware, she realized she was petting my chest.

Apparently some humans think I’m a big stupid cat too.

P.s. She also thought the sex was awful.

prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works on 30 Sep 14:20 collapse

Thank you for sharing this story.

sad_detective_man@sopuli.xyz on 30 Sep 00:34 next collapse

They only meow at humans

TeamAssimilation@infosec.pub on 30 Sep 00:39 next collapse

And they KNOW humans provide sustenance on a regular basis, and protection, so I can’t believe they think we’re just giant hairless monstrous cats. They’d have to think everything else is a cat otherwise. Look at the flying cats, mom! I’m gonna catch and eat one!

psud@aussie.zone on 02 Oct 11:04 collapse

Perhaps they think we’re too stupid to realise they’ve grown up and could feed themselves, just so long as they pretend to be kittens by meowing

AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space on 30 Sep 15:39 collapse

Kittens meow, but adult cats in the wild don’t. So they literally speak baby talk to us.

FUCKING_CUNO@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 30 Sep 00:43 next collapse

Did I miss the explanation of why this person thinks such a fuckin stupid thing?

shalafi@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 01:26 next collapse

3 college professors (1990) suggested we read Desmond Morris’ books. Don’t know how the science has stood up, but he believed this. Dogs and cats think humans are weird versions of their own species, that we’re basically their parents, and act accordingly. Nothing IRL has dissuaded me from that notion.

One interesting idea I got from him; When we’re small we love huge animals, see them as parents. As we get older, we like small animals, see them as our children.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Morris

Again, don’t know how it stands up, but The Naked Ape is damned thought provoking.

over_clox@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 01:53 next collapse

Also, people should keep in mind, that kittens are born with their eyes still sealed shut for a while. So once they open their eyes and finally get to see the world, they naturally accept the creatures that have been and continue to care for them.

shalafi@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 02:04 collapse

Think Morris touches on that! Been 35-years since I studied him though. Afraid to read it all again in case he turned out to be so very wrong.

I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 12:56 collapse

Nothing IRL has dissuaded me from that notion.

Cats react differently when seeing an unfamiliar cat than they do when seeing an unfamiliar human.

mbfalzar@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 30 Sep 02:02 collapse

The thing I’ve seen is that when they show dogs an image of their owner while the dog is in a PET scan, and show the dog pictures of other animals, the same part of the brain lights up, while showing the dog pictures of other dogs lights up a different but close area of the brain. Doing the same test on cats had one area lighting up for other animals, but the same part lighting up when shown their owner and when shown other cats

Johanno@feddit.org on 30 Sep 10:11 collapse

While it is scientific people should provide the context that we don’t really understand brains fully yet and this doesn’t mean that his belief or conclusion is correct

LuxSpark@lemmy.cafe on 30 Sep 00:51 next collapse

I don’t need my cat judging me.

FerretyFever0@fedia.io on 30 Sep 01:41 collapse

Too late.

falseWhite@programming.dev on 30 Sep 01:20 next collapse

he believes cats are semi-feral and that they think we are cats too

Ok, so it’s just something someone believes, it’s not very scientific… They don’t really provide much evidence other than belief

massive_bereavement@fedia.io on 30 Sep 01:32 next collapse

Probably this is yet another case of a journalist spinning yarn out of some poor researcher's paper summary, and then being quoted out of context.

REDACTED@infosec.pub on 30 Sep 06:54 next collapse

When I had a dog, I used to think my dog thinks he will grow just as big as me and will join my daily routine, which was a bit depressing when you think about it

Zerush@lemmy.ml on 30 Sep 12:42 next collapse

Cats don’t see you as cat, but also not as someone superior, they can see you as friend, but you have to gain it, if not, you are only an tin opener and food supply. They are anarchists by nature.

falseWhite@programming.dev on 30 Sep 12:48 collapse

They are more like little dictators.

What the article implies is that they do not understand that we are different species. The relationship between cats and humans is a whole other area. But I don’t believe cats are stupid or have somehow evolved to believe humans are the same species as them.

Zerush@lemmy.ml on 30 Sep 14:32 collapse

Certainly they are far from beeing stupid, but they simply don’t have an concept of leaders or hirarchy. You can even train them to do tricks, but it is more difficult as with dogs, not because they are more stupid, but because they must see a reason and have the desire to do it. It’s in their nature, in nature it’s up to their own strategy and decisions whether they’re going to eat or not, there’s no herd or a leader that tells them what to do. This is the difference with dogs, nothing to do with intellectual capacity, perfectly equivalent, females are usually somewhat smarter than males, but just as in dogs, there are individual differences, as it also happens with us humans.

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/bf275108-decc-4f48-8b58-374fb0fd025c.png">

MissJinx@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 13:45 next collapse

tbf i don’t think my cat is 100% domesticated lol

JackbyDev@programming.dev on 30 Sep 16:04 collapse

Ermmm actually you “just believe” the earth is round. /s /most obvious s

logicbomb@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 01:20 next collapse

I’ve seen people who treat their cats like they are little stupid humans.

over_clox@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 01:26 collapse

But they are!

They can’t even turn doorknobs, no matter how many months they try. But you give them a lever knob, that’s a totally different story…

YoSoySnekBoi@kbin.earth on 30 Sep 02:14 collapse

I had a cat as a kid that could turn doorknobs - my parents would send him to the basement at night because he had a bad habit of trying to mark furniture as his territory, and we had to start locking the door because he figured out how to open it

over_clox@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 02:29 collapse

Round doorknobs? Your kitty actually gripped and turned it?

Dang, ours tried tirelessly for like 2 months. He knew and understood exactly what we were doing, and we could literally see him trying to turn it, but he never could get a good enough grip.

My dad kept a latch lock on the front door though, eventually our cat learned all on his own to bat at and use as his own door knocker.

Not all cats are stupid, just limited in human abilities…

YoSoySnekBoi@kbin.earth on 30 Sep 03:02 collapse

Our cat would jump up and hang from the doorknob by both of his front paws and then wiggle back and forth until it opened. Our other cat at the time could never figure it out lol

over_clox@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 03:08 collapse

Ours had it fully figured out, I just guess your doorknob was probably a bit easier to turn than ours was…

AltheaHunter@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 30 Sep 03:29 next collapse

meowmeow

Zerush@lemmy.ml on 30 Sep 12:05 next collapse

A dog is an herd animal and need an lider to follow, a cat (except lions) are lone hunters, they don’t even have the concept of an lider, the can have anarchistic groups and friendships when they have with it advantages to obtain food.

The dog thinks, he takes care of me and feeds me, he must be a god

The cat thinks, he takes care of me and feeds me, I must be a god

AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works on 30 Sep 12:11 next collapse

Leader*

TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz on 30 Sep 12:48 collapse

*Litre

SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 30 Sep 13:26 collapse

LIDAR. Cats don’t even have the concept of it.

InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 13:38 collapse

Have they even started work on Maxwell’s Equations?

SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 30 Sep 13:51 collapse

I can’t even get one of my cats past intermediate algebra, and the other keeps confusing the Kronecker delta with the partial derivative delta. I’ll keep trying, I won’t fail them.

JackbyDev@programming.dev on 30 Sep 16:03 next collapse

an lider

psud@aussie.zone on 02 Oct 10:59 collapse

Also an 'erd animal

Redfox8@mander.xyz on 30 Sep 17:51 collapse

Dogs don’t need a leader - the whole alpha male wolf thing has long been disproven, by the original author none the less. Dogs are highly social and live in groups, yes, but there’s no boss dog. Very few animals have a concept of a leader. In fact I’d argue that none do and it’s a totally human idea.

I like your cat/dog thinking idea though. Cats very much think ‘me me me’!

village604@adultswim.fan on 30 Sep 18:39 next collapse

Elephant seals definitely have a leader, though.

Redfox8@mander.xyz on 30 Sep 22:57 collapse

Is that leadership or just breeding and/or social dominance though? Do they tell others where and when to hunt e.g.? I’m not so knowledgeable about seals of any species so a genuine question.

DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social on 30 Sep 22:31 collapse

This isn’t quite true, wolf packs do have leaders: the pack’s mom and dad.

Most wolf packs are a breeding pair and their children, and the children will break off and form new packs over time. Every time you hear pack you should legitimately just translate it to “family”

Redfox8@mander.xyz on 30 Sep 22:52 collapse

I’d argue that parents are different to a ‘leader’ as we perceive them, or as I read was suggested in the comment. Children will stick with their parents, up to the point at which they’re ready to start their own family, like you say, but is that leadership in the same sense?

But yes, I agree, pack = family is accurate.

bennypr0fane@discuss.tchncs.de on 30 Sep 12:55 next collapse

I’ve been wondering if that actually holds any water - or is it just some outdated, poor-quality study (or Sunday newspaper article) that was quoted so many times that everybody believes it now?

Buddahriffic@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 15:46 collapse

If it were the case, how would one prove it or even show evidence for it? And similar question for if it isn’t the case, how would you disprove or show evidence against it? I’m not even sure how one would prove that cats have a concept of species.

PissingIntoTheWind@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 15:52 next collapse

Let me ask my cat. She just keeps saying Mao. I guess she’s a communist.

some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 16:21 collapse

All cats are communists, obviously. They have no respect for concepts of “ownership” and expect to be housed and fed according to their needs.

DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social on 30 Sep 22:28 collapse

And according to their means they WILL return the favor in equivalent services of pest control and cuddles (cuddles and pest control may not be available in your area)

JackbyDev@programming.dev on 30 Sep 16:02 next collapse

Yeah it’s so dumb. Cats obviously don’t think the things over ten times their size that walk on a different amount of legs are the same as them.

Further, another “fun fact” I see a lot (equally questionable) is that cats meow only to communicate with humans, not cats. But that’s mutually exclusive with cats thinking humans are the same as them.

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 18:18 next collapse

my cat has a specific meow for each of us (including my wife’s cat) when she just woke up and is looking for a specific someone for post-nap cuddles. her “hey, Orange Dumbass! where are you!” is definitely a meow tho.

[deleted] on 01 Oct 02:40 collapse

.

psud@aussie.zone on 02 Oct 10:55 collapse

It should be pretty easy. See if cats act differently around humans and other cats

[deleted] on 30 Sep 13:25 next collapse

.

ivanafterall@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 13:27 next collapse

That’s pretty rich given that they’re the ones who are big, stupid cats. 😡🤬

Microtonal_Banana@lemmy.zip on 30 Sep 15:51 next collapse

I think my cat is a big stupid cat so we are even.

Fairgreen@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 16:02 next collapse

😂

QuinnyCoded@sh.itjust.works on 01 Oct 04:27 collapse

show cat pls

JackbyDev@programming.dev on 30 Sep 16:00 next collapse

I don’t buy this because cats will react totally differently to cats than people. Regardless of posture. If my cat sees someone walking down the street she doesn’t get angry. If my cat sees a cat outside she’s already on the defense.

Fedizen@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 17:28 collapse

I think people are leaving out purring and kneading as behavior. Both are kitten behaviors. Suggesting to humans they click into “kitten mode”

Aggravationstation@feddit.uk on 30 Sep 16:59 next collapse

I’ve heard this a few times and doubt it. At least with my cat. He howls at other cats and tries to attack them. He loves humans.

Fedizen@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 17:27 collapse

Because you’re his big bald kitten

Aggravationstation@feddit.uk on 30 Sep 19:00 collapse

Oh boy. You don’t know how right you are.

DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social on 30 Sep 22:27 collapse

So the conclave is in agreement, the cats (hopefully) think humans are gentle, bald, stupid giant cats.

djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 30 Sep 21:04 next collapse

stupid? nonono, I’m da giant cat that makes all of da rulez.

rdri@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 22:31 next collapse

Time to feed my babies.
youtu.be/1KIKrSG-Xzc

_AutumnMoon_@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 30 Sep 22:39 next collapse

what if the cats were right

captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works on 30 Sep 22:49 next collapse

I think my cat felidomorphizes me a little bit but she doesn’t think I’m a cat.

DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works on 30 Sep 22:52 next collapse

I can pick up my cat and hold them, my cat can’t pick me up.

Who’s boss now? grabs the cat and cuddle them with a warm embrace

psud@aussie.zone on 02 Oct 11:00 collapse

It has more effective finger nails

switcheroo@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 23:11 next collapse

I’m fine with that. Better that being a tall ape descendant slash servant.

Cats are great. 😊

NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone on 01 Oct 03:00 collapse

Clearly rubbish, as my cats don’t snuggle up to or pester each other for food.