Cats vs Dogs, or Cardboard Approximations vs Real Creatures

Discussion in 'Biology & Genetics' started by superluminal, Aug 19, 2006.

  1. Oniw17 ascetic, sage, diogenes, bum? Valued Senior Member

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    Qualifies the cat as a leader? Of? Or the CEO as not a team member?
     
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  3. Theoryofrelativity Banned Banned

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    Dogs are not independant thinkers, they are clever 'sheep', they follow.

    Cats are independant thinkers, they hear and understand an instruction, then pause and decide at their leisure and your inconveneince whether to obey or stick their tail in the air in a truely 'up yours' motion as they swagger off.

    I have trained a cat before and observed cat 'theft' initiated after clearly a plot to 'steal' had been hatched, followed by recognition of 'wrong doing' evidenced as stolen item was taken at lightening speed to cats home turf and immediately concealed under a bed. Cat then demosntrated sophisticated 'acting' ability by looking all 'oblivious' when said stolen items wherabouts were questioned.

    However, as one approached the location of hidden stollen item, he then attempted to guard and further conceal his 'booty'!

    A dog would merely 'fetch' when requested to do so. None of the acting, skull duggery ' demonstrated by the cat! Name of Ziggy!

    Ziggy had often admired my cats cat nip sock upon visiting, so one day fast as lightening he leapt through the window, located cat nip sock and took it upstairs to his own home, zipped past his owners sunbathing on the patio, and went to their bed where he 'hid' the sock underneath.

    cunning and devious and dishonest! The qualities of genius.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2006
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  5. wsionynw Master Queef Valued Senior Member

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    One of my cats used to paw away from himself when I gave him food he didn't want to eat (in a similar way that they bury their urine and faeces). Effectively telling me he thought the food was shit!
    Of course I'm anthropomorphising here, but it makes me giggle all the same. I cannot but wonder if he was trying to communicate this fact to me or whether it was his natural reaction to being given something that he disliked?
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2006
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  7. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Not uncommon. I had a cat who did the same when offered cat food. She wanted our food!

    I have a black tabby tom who is about 4 years old. He likes to eat only one kind of fish (fresh) which is available only in Mumbai. (We feed our cats fresh fish since we live on the coast and it's dirt cheap).

    This is a very soft, very delicious fish, when fresh.

    http://www.bombay-duck.co.uk/background.htm

    So, anyway, he loves this fish and always wants more than his share. In fact he'll first steal from the others before eating his own.

    As soon as we call out his name in exasperation, he'll leap in the air and run off at full speed (he hates being reprimanded, spoiled rotten that he is) and go and sulk on one of our lofts. But if we stand below and call hin very sweetly, he'll look over the edge of the loft and complain loudly before coming down and making friends and deigning to eat his lunch again.

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    We found him during the rains; he was just a few days old and had been abandoned (?) by his mother. Even then he was very vocal! Another one of his quirks is that he likes to run at full speed and then jump up and strafe against the walls. Probably fancies himself a ninja, influenced by all the Jet Li and Jackie Chang movies we watch, no doubt!
     
  8. wsionynw Master Queef Valued Senior Member

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    Yes it seems that cats (like us humans) eat for pleasure almost as much as they eat to survive. Of course we spoil them but that's hardly their fault (we are after all easliy manipulated by cats)!
    My cats often box each other just before they get fed, which could be out of frustration from waiting for their humans to feed them, and also yet another way of showing us that they are hungry.
     
  9. Hapsburg Hellenistic polytheist Valued Senior Member

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    So do ants, but they're dumb a pin. Effective and efficient, but dumb.
    Dogs are like soldiers. Cats are like the 007 secret agent dudes. One is a group of gruff idiots who follow orders because they mostly lack independent thinking; the other is a lone hunter, stealthy and dangerous, yet inconspicuous due to their charming nature. Respectively.
     
  10. Roman Banned Banned

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    Has anyone attempted to explain the differences between cats and dogs biologically, or are you still anthropomorphizing and drawing parallels between people and beasts?
     
  11. Prince_James Plutarch (Mickey's Dog) Registered Senior Member

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    Evolutionarily speaking, the cat is, in fact, on the wrong course compared to dogs. We humans emerged from social predator/omnivores, and dogs (through wolves) are one of the greatest examples of social carnivores/omnivores.

    I believe only lions, and then not very well, have developed social attitudes amongst the big cat species.
     
  12. Roman Banned Banned

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    Cats and dogs fill different niches.

    Dogs are diurnal predators that chase their prey, cats are nocturnal stalkers.

    It does not fit a nocturnal stalker to pack hunt– the idea of stalking is not to be noticed due to incessant yapping, panting and running around.

    Daytime hunters that run down their prey greatly benefit from group behavior, as they can out manoeuvre their prey.

    Dogs selected for group socialism due to their hunting strategy (or vice versa?). Cats selected for solitary behavior due to their hunting strategy.
     
  13. greenberg until the end of the world Registered Senior Member

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    It's not good for cats to eat raw fish.

    Cats that are regularly fed tuna become "tuna junkies", they become addicted to the tuna fish.
    http://www.cat-world.com.au/FeedingFish.htm
     
  14. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Hmm our vet always marvels at our cats' health (and temperament).

    To be sure, they also eat cooked fish, but the bombay duck has very soft bones and they love to chew on it.
     
  15. greenberg until the end of the world Registered Senior Member

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    It's important that animals have a varied diet so that they get all the necessary nutrients.
     
  16. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    no fear there.

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  17. greenberg until the end of the world Registered Senior Member

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