this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world 28 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (4 children)

I hated cats. Then a cat decided he lived in my house. He changed my life. Now I have another trash cat living with me and I love them both so much.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 6 points 4 days ago

I also love them so much 😻

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[–] the_q@lemm.ee 49 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Further proof that if you're cute enough you can get anything you want.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 52 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I have one cat and a doggy door so it can go in and out as it pleases. A stray cat figured out it could use the doggy door.

I have two cats.

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[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 55 points 5 days ago (5 children)

DO NOT feed strangers cats. Water is fine. If you feed it, at best you're fucking up its diet, at worst you're basically abducting the cat.

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 78 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (24 children)

Pet cats should live inside, with plenty of toys and people that care for them, not out killing bird populations and risking getting run over, etc. Outdoor cats have much shorter life spans...

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[–] zephorah@lemm.ee 17 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The cat is abducting itself. They’re not dogs. They’re rarely loyal.

[–] ProvableGecko@lemmy.world 35 points 5 days ago (4 children)

They’re rarely loyal.

I condemn this anti-feline propaganda

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[–] Steve@startrek.website 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Back when my cat was alive I got occasional reports that he would enter various other houses nearby and meow by the fridge until he was given a cold cut.

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[–] JayObey711@lemmy.world 48 points 5 days ago (5 children)

Well I mean i would probably take in an alligator if it came through my window

[–] IndiBrony@lemmy.world 33 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Alligator can have the whole house, actually. It's okay, I'll move πŸ‘

[–] RedAggroBest@lemmy.world 16 points 4 days ago

But then the alligator will be lonely :(

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[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 31 points 4 days ago (1 children)

My favourite origin myth for human over-civilization is we're the science project of cats. They saw our ancestors tossing their own feces at each other, and thought, I wonder...

[–] _____@lemm.ee 25 points 4 days ago

actually what they say is "I live here meow"

[–] nossaquesapao@lemmy.eco.br 15 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Doesn't work on me, I just shoo them away. Gotta evolve harder if they wanna try manipulating me.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 7 points 4 days ago (2 children)
[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

For some reason I have the sudden urge to built a carpeted tower...

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[–] Jake_Farm@sopuli.xyz 30 points 5 days ago (8 children)

I don't know about that human baby thing.

[–] SpruceBringsteen@lemmy.world 51 points 5 days ago (2 children)
[–] LeFrog@discuss.tchncs.de 31 points 5 days ago (7 children)

Yeah that seems really far fetched. Humans are generally bad at communicating with mostly body posture and scent. We have no tail to wiggle, no easily movable ears and no chance to use cat pheromones.

So naturally the cat has the best chance to get a response by using vocalication/sounds. It is just coincidence that their kittens do also mostly respond to sounds in their first weeks.

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[–] Wetstew@lemmy.world 24 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

IIRC, it's more that they over time figure out what sounds and actions get their owner's attention. We respond better, unconsiously or otherwise when they meow at us.

My old cat figured out, before I did, that if she knocks shit off the coffee table I get up and check if her bowl is empty.

Generally wild/feral adult cats are more or less mute outside of anger/mating/territory calls, but domesticated cats keep their kitten vocalizations if we respond to them.

My current cat is very vocal and we responded playfully to his meowing as he grew up.

Edit: Here's a scientific american blog/article about it. I don't think it's something we have confirmation on, just a good hunch.

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[–] Emmie@lemm.ee 21 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (5 children)

I can’t tell if I hate cats or love cats but they are never neutral. In fact there is a wild one in my house right now

I don’t even know why is he in my house or how it happened but at this point I think we tolerate each other pretty good. He gets the hose sometimes, I get his piss hose on the floor sometimes. He gets the snacks, I get the purr and fluffiness. I guess I can live with this chaotic balance.

I guess for someone who likes to control things cats could be a nightmare as they will never be some obedient pets but that may tell more about the owner than the cat.

Kinda sucks that my floor and sofa is ruined tho, it’s like a mini tiger, wildlife in your house. I guess this is the pleasures of completely feral cats. It’s possible that with this experience I could take on some caracal or serval. Of course I am not crazy nor I approve to do this but I have a glimpse of what mindset and work it would take

The Cat is also a menace that cannot stand sight of any other cat and goes straight for the throat. Little fluffy psycho, quite lovely

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[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Cat meowing is the main reason why I redeveloped my echolalia. Yes, I meow back at cats.

[–] Siegfried@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

You can have deep conversations with siameses. Those dudes are super smart

[–] frezik@midwest.social 17 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Did they model their meows, or did they have a trait that happened to work in a new environment and then pass it on?

[–] lugal@sopuli.xyz 24 points 5 days ago (2 children)

From my understanding, wild cats only meow when little and domesticated cats keep this juvenile trait into adulthood

[–] MeaanBeaan@lemmy.world 17 points 5 days ago (4 children)

Yes, but the question is if they model their meows to sound like human infants. We know they changed their behavior to meow when wanting attention from us. But I'd be willing to bet they didn't model their meows to sound like that. They just happen to sound like that because they're small animals with high pitch voices.

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[–] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 days ago

I've been witness to the great cat distribution system.

Our current cat has moved house with us twice. The first house at lived at, we were on the ground floor of the place and this furball just waltzed in and took over. Much to the dismay of the cat we already had.

The preexisting cat was similar. She would hang out at a bus stop that my SO would frequent to get to work, didn't take long before she followed my SO home. She was a shit, but she was cute enough to get away with it. Rest in peace Zora.

Anyways, I would submit that the only reason we haven't had more cats distributed to us is that we lived on the fifth floor of an apartment for a long while. We recently moved into a house so that might change.

They can also hop on your dad's chest while he is sleeping so he can wake up thinking he is having a heart attack

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