While cats are a certified plague on wildlife, they actually suck as pest control. [1]. Mostly because they tend to go after easier prey. And animals like rats merely get more careful about showing themselves in the open, which may have led to the erroneous belief that cats lower their population.
That's about the effects of feral cat populations on large urban rats. Farm mousing cats take a little training but they do hunt differently because of it. Cats are also good pest control on small-medium boats.
A good mouser will spend hours, all day if it has to, haunting a specific spot where it knows there's an animal that doesn't have another path out. It's impressive to watch.
That people need more than food and drink, they also need entertainment? And working for that is no less valuable than farming? But how is that related to cats?
I guess cats can provide companionship, which is valuable to a nomadic society. But so can dogs, and dogs have a bunch of other benefits. Cats are more useful when mice and rats start eating your food stores, and happily that's also when humans become useful to cats
Indeed, dogs are useful. IIRC humans domesticated dogs before plants and other mammals.
I read that in “Guns, Germs and Steel” by Jared Diamond. It’s a good read if anyone is interested in how Eurasia got so dominant.
I guess cats hunt pests, so they could be useful for many early societies
While cats are a certified plague on wildlife, they actually suck as pest control. [1]. Mostly because they tend to go after easier prey. And animals like rats merely get more careful about showing themselves in the open, which may have led to the erroneous belief that cats lower their population.
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327915473_Temporal_...
That's about the effects of feral cat populations on large urban rats. Farm mousing cats take a little training but they do hunt differently because of it. Cats are also good pest control on small-medium boats.
A good mouser will spend hours, all day if it has to, haunting a specific spot where it knows there's an animal that doesn't have another path out. It's impressive to watch.
1 reply →
Tom and Jerry's friendship makes more sense now.
In germany there is a kid book about Fridolin the little mouse.
He doesn't work and doesn't prepare for the winter and his friends do and complain to him.
After a while in their winter dominicil, Fridolin starts to talk about the sun and sky.
You know were i'm going right?
That people need more than food and drink, they also need entertainment? And working for that is no less valuable than farming? But how is that related to cats?
I guess cats can provide companionship, which is valuable to a nomadic society. But so can dogs, and dogs have a bunch of other benefits. Cats are more useful when mice and rats start eating your food stores, and happily that's also when humans become useful to cats
Yes companionship.
But your answer with mice and rats add clear benefit to it too.
No.
Companionship.
Happy people live better/longer.
2 replies →