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Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: petelamana on 14/02/2018 12:37:35

Title: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: petelamana on 14/02/2018 12:37:35

Hello,

It has been said that dogs are domesticated, and that cats are not.  That is not to imply that your average house cat is a wild kitty, maybe it is in some regard, but if it's like mine then it is completely indifferent.  My dog, on the other hand, is just stupid.

Seriously, can the word "domesticated" be applied to cats in the same way that it is applied to dogs, horses, my neighbor's kids (sometimes), etc.?

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: Colin2B on 14/02/2018 12:51:38

I understand they can be trained to use a cat litter tray, which is pretty domesticated for some people.
Can your neighbours kids be domesticated? Tricky one that.

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: petelamana on 14/02/2018 12:57:36

LOL.   :)

As for the cats...  We do not train them to use the litter tray, they are taught that by their mothers, but we train a dog to do his business outside.  Is there anything that we actually train a cat to do, or do they perform because they want to?  A horse will stand at a hitching rail because it has been trained to do so, even if the lead is hanging at its side.

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: Colin2B on 14/02/2018 14:38:40

I know someone who bought a kitten that didnt know how to use a tray, so not taught by mother, it took about 4 weeks to sort it out.

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: Bored chemist on 14/02/2018 16:27:19

Quote from: petelamana on 14/02/2018 12:57:36

Is there anything that we actually train a cat to do,

Yes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_training

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: jeffreyH on 14/02/2018 17:37:34

If you could train the cat to go to work and do your shift for you that would be perfect.

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: evan_au on 14/02/2018 20:45:51

Are humans domesticated?

We feed the cat, empty the litter tray, provide warm and dry locations for it to sleep during the day (so it can go out and party all night...).

Clever, those cats... ;)

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: syhprum on 14/02/2018 22:50:56

Cats often learn to use toilets they often appear on Facebook doing it.

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: wolfekeeper on 14/02/2018 23:11:00

There's two things, there's tame, which means it's trained to not bite you or run away. And then there's domesticated, which means it's genetically different from the wild form to better interact with humans.

Dogs are domesticated and tame, they have different features from the wild form, they love humans and they have floppy ears which wolves don't have.

Cats... not so much. They have perky ears, and they like humans, particularly when you feed them, but they're mostly tamed, not domesticated, genetically, they're very little different to wild cats.

What have the ears got to do with it? Well, there's a human disease called Williams disease, which makes people that have it, very, very friendly, and good at communicating, but otherwise somewhat mentally impaired. It also damages collagen product which can cause heart disease and other problems. Dogs have this disease, and that a lot to do with why they like humans so much, and it makes their ears floppy.

Cats.. don't. And their ears are like wild cats.

Analysis shows that cats have very few genetic changes to fit them to humans, they haven't all been explained, but they're mostly genes for coat patterns.

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: petelamana on 15/02/2018 12:39:15

Is Williams disease prevalent in all canine breeds?  Does it affect canines adversely?

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: wolfekeeper on 15/02/2018 17:03:38

So far as I know, all dogs have it. When some Russians domesticated foxes they ended up with floppy ears, which suggests that they too have Williams syndrome.

My suspicion is that a lot of mammals can get it since humans and dogs aren't all that closely related, so I'm wondering what a cat with it would be like. I don't expect all dogs are equally affected, it may well vary a bit depending on details of their genetics. But a dog that doesn't have it, is probably a wolf not a dog and very difficult to handle. Wolves are tameable, but tend to only be friends with one human.

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: Bogie_smiles on 16/02/2018 02:48:41

I love cats. I think it is because they are independent and can be grateful. They are creatures of habit, and so having a routine is a way to relate to them and they to us. We know what to expect from each other. I'd say no, they are not domesticated, but they can be coerced to act as if they are, :).

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: wolfekeeper on 16/02/2018 04:12:34

On the cat thing, there is actually a cat breed with floppy ears, Scottish Fold cat and it's supposedly quite friendly and has similar health problems, so I wondered if that too is a type of Williams disease, but I checked and it's caused by a mutation on a different chromosome. I have my suspicions it might be giving similar effects.

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: evan_au on 16/02/2018 20:24:50

I heard cats and dogs compared in the situation where their owners move house.
- Dogs seem to cope better with it: Their "pack" has relocated, and they stay with their (mostly human) pack
- Cats often don't cope so well. They are wedded to their territory, which has not moved.
...plus, cats are better at climbing fences...

"Dogs have masters, cats have servants..."

Title: Re: Are cats domesticated?
Post by: petelamana on 16/02/2018 21:28:25

I agree completely, based upon being a dog and cat owner for most of my life. 

As an aside ... if the cat is female, well then...  For a number of years I had my wife, two daughters, a female dog, and TWO female cats.  There was a definite lack of testosterone in my home.   :'(