CidVicious@sh.itjust.works
on 08 May 20:22
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Incidentally I donāt think this is actually evolution; more learned behavior. They repeat the tone we respond to the most. My cat also bites my foot when he wants attention because he has learned that itās hard for me to ignore.
A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world
on 08 May 20:28
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Thatās a worthy distinction. The genetic vs the social. Iāll allow it.
Cats were perfectly positioned to coexist with humans - they eat the pests that feed on our grain, arenāt large enough to be much of a threat, arenāt a good food source, and are soft and nice to pet. Explains why they self-domesticated more than once in different parts of the world!
They could find a way out but they donāt because they like us and I think that makes them special. Like even if a neighbor feeds them itās us they come back home to so their love is not motivated by just food and shelter.
I once had a cat that learned to imitate my text message notification sound (at the time it was Tiny Tina saying āpooowā) just to get my attention. He would also scream his lungs out if he thought no one was home.
flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works
on 08 May 23:18
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Thatās a great tone!
A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world
on 08 May 20:28
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Supervisor194@lemmy.world
on 08 May 21:47
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I donāt think they sound particularly like a human baby because I canāt stand the sound of a human baby crying but when my cat talks I melt into a useless gibbering idiot food dispenser.
Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org
on 09 May 00:18
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Yeah itās one of those internet myths. What they do is mimic their own baby sounds aka meow even when theyāre adults but thatās not really a manipulation tactic. We infantilize them by caring for them and they in turn display some of their infant behaviours. Adult tigers in captivity meow too.
Worse than that, itās something incels tell each other about why women arenāt having babies. Because they have cats that satisfy the maternal urge.
For the record, babies crying- doesnāt matter if Iāve given birth to it or not- is not a ācuteā sound. It is an enraging sound. It makes us move quickly because we hate it.
If we thought baby cries were cute things we wanted to listen to, we wouldnāt hurry to help the child, and that would completely defeat the purpose of it.
insaneinthemembrane@lemmy.world
on 09 May 07:04
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If we loved the sound of babies crying weād have foxes not cats.
Mimicry in nature is never intentional on the conscious part of the mimic though (ok exception is maybe octopi). It evolves like that because it works. Perhaps cats are evolving to become more cute.
Belyaev was correct that selection on tameness alone leads to the emergence of traits in the domestication syndrome. In less than a decade, some of the domesticated foxes had floppy ears and curly tails (Fig. 2).
Over the course of the experiment, researchers also found the domesticated foxes displayed mottled āmutt-likeā fur patterns, and they had more juvenilized facial features (shorter, rounder, more dog-like snouts) and body shapes (chunkier, rather than gracile limbs) (Fig. 3).
Mimicry not, but a lot of ācuteā behaviour is absolutely learned. If our dog wants something, she pokes you with her paw while making a cute face. Must have learned that from her previous owners. Our previous dog (who we had for much longer) never did that. That shit is 100% conscious effort, as in she observed humans tapping each other on the shoulder and figuring out that it works for her as well.
Apytele@sh.itjust.works
on 09 May 01:02
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Tricks monkey into providing food and shelter like a boss
ā¦by murdering any creature it sees thatās less than half is size for fun, even if it ultimately decides not to eat the guts after ripping them out.
Itās not like theyāre capable of understanding good and evil. Many creatures murder things for āfunā - it clearly serves an evolutionary purpose even if they donāt eat the kill
Weāre gonna get to the bottom of this, right after these treats!
ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world
on 09 May 08:10
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My cat taught me to be patient in the face of stupidity, and that sometimes you will love something that is fully out of your control and unpredictable. Sheās very cuddly though, so everything is forgiven, lol.
threaded - newest
I welcome my new
overlordpet with open arms š„°Incidentally I donāt think this is actually evolution; more learned behavior. They repeat the tone we respond to the most. My cat also bites my foot when he wants attention because he has learned that itās hard for me to ignore.
Thatās a worthy distinction. The genetic vs the social. Iāll allow it.
Cats were perfectly positioned to coexist with humans - they eat the pests that feed on our grain, arenāt large enough to be much of a threat, arenāt a good food source, and are soft and nice to pet. Explains why they self-domesticated more than once in different parts of the world!
Domesticated is a bit of a stretch, especially when we often hope they still hunt rodents. š
They tolerate us, and maybe often love us, but would not hesitate to survive without us.
Cats are independent people that choose to continue to live with you because itās nice. Most of them can find a way out if they want it.
They could find a way out but they donāt because they like us and I think that makes them special. Like even if a neighbor feeds them itās us they come back home to so their love is not motivated by just food and shelter.
I once had a cat that learned to imitate my text message notification sound (at the time it was Tiny Tina saying āpooowā) just to get my attention. He would also scream his lungs out if he thought no one was home.
Thatās a great tone!
Best variation yet
Why not both???
I donāt think they sound particularly like a human baby because I canāt stand the sound of a human baby crying but when my cat talks I melt into a useless gibbering
idiotfood dispenser.Yeah itās one of those internet myths. What they do is mimic their own baby sounds aka meow even when theyāre adults but thatās not really a manipulation tactic. We infantilize them by caring for them and they in turn display some of their infant behaviours. Adult tigers in captivity meow too.
Worse than that, itās something incels tell each other about why women arenāt having babies. Because they have cats that satisfy the maternal urge.
For the record, babies crying- doesnāt matter if Iāve given birth to it or not- is not a ācuteā sound. It is an enraging sound. It makes us move quickly because we hate it.
If we thought baby cries were cute things we wanted to listen to, we wouldnāt hurry to help the child, and that would completely defeat the purpose of it.
If we loved the sound of babies crying weād have foxes not cats.
Somebody should infiltrate the incel community and convince them that they can get women by dressing up like cats and making baby sounds
That sounds like the Florida Man headline Iād like to see xD
Iām pretty sure we provided them food and shelter because they catch rodents, not because they āmimic babiesā (??)
Mimicry in nature is never intentional on the conscious part of the mimic though (ok exception is maybe octopi). It evolves like that because it works. Perhaps cats are evolving to become more cute.
They probably are, but thatās because of selective breeding.
I think baby-like facial features are just a part of the domestication syndrome. There has been this long-going domestication experiment with silver foxes that could show that when only selected for tameness the foxes still expressed most of the traits found in other domesticated animals, too.
Mimicry not, but a lot of ācuteā behaviour is absolutely learned. If our dog wants something, she pokes you with her paw while making a cute face. Must have learned that from her previous owners. Our previous dog (who we had for much longer) never did that. That shit is 100% conscious effort, as in she observed humans tapping each other on the shoulder and figuring out that it works for her as well.
ā¦by murdering any creature it sees thatās less than half is size for fun, even if it ultimately decides not to eat the guts after ripping them out.
Itās not like theyāre capable of understanding good and evil. Many creatures murder things for āfunā - it clearly serves an evolutionary purpose even if they donāt eat the kill
What is fun but an evolutionary drive?
Weāve tricked, weāve been backstabbed, and quite possibly, OMG ITS SO ADORABLE, LEMMY PET IT š
Weāre gonna get to the bottom of this, right after these treats!
My cat taught me to be patient in the face of stupidity, and that sometimes you will love something that is fully out of your control and unpredictable. Sheās very cuddly though, so everything is forgiven, lol.
The process of cats domesticating humans was a a very long con job.