• JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
    28·
    7 days ago

    I don’t buy this because cats will react totally differently to cats than people. Regardless of posture. If my cat sees someone walking down the street she doesn’t get angry. If my cat sees a cat outside she’s already on the defense.

    • Fedizen@lemmy.worldEnglish
      10·
      6 days ago

      I think people are leaving out purring and kneading as behavior. Both are kitten behaviors. Suggesting to humans they click into “kitten mode”

  • Aggravationstation@feddit.ukEnglish
    15·
    6 days ago

    I’ve heard this a few times and doubt it. At least with my cat. He howls at other cats and tries to attack them. He loves humans.

  • Zerush@lemmy.mlEnglish
    10·
    7 days ago

    A dog is an herd animal and need an lider to follow, a cat (except lions) are lone hunters, they don’t even have the concept of an lider, the can have anarchistic groups and friendships when they have with it advantages to obtain food.

    The dog thinks, he takes care of me and feeds me, he must be a god

    The cat thinks, he takes care of me and feeds me, I must be a god

  • switcheroo@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    6 days ago

    I’m fine with that. Better that being a tall ape descendant slash servant.

    Cats are great. 😊

  • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    6 days ago

    I can pick up my cat and hold them, my cat can’t pick me up.

    Who’s boss now? grabs the cat and cuddle them with a warm embrace

  • falseWhite@programming.devEnglish
    72·
    7 days ago

    he believes cats are semi-feral and that they think we are cats too

    Ok, so it’s just something someone believes, it’s not very scientific… They don’t really provide much evidence other than belief

    • Zerush@lemmy.mlEnglish
      14·
      7 days ago

      Cats don’t see you as cat, but also not as someone superior, they can see you as friend, but you have to gain it, if not, you are only an tin opener and food supply. They are anarchists by nature.

      • falseWhite@programming.devEnglish
        3·
        7 days ago

        They are more like little dictators.

        What the article implies is that they do not understand that we are different species. The relationship between cats and humans is a whole other area. But I don’t believe cats are stupid or have somehow evolved to believe humans are the same species as them.

        • Zerush@lemmy.mlEnglish
          8·
          7 days ago

          Certainly they are far from beeing stupid, but they simply don’t have an concept of leaders or hirarchy. You can even train them to do tricks, but it is more difficult as with dogs, not because they are more stupid, but because they must see a reason and have the desire to do it. It’s in their nature, in nature it’s up to their own strategy and decisions whether they’re going to eat or not, there’s no herd or a leader that tells them what to do. This is the difference with dogs, nothing to do with intellectual capacity, perfectly equivalent, females are usually somewhat smarter than males, but just as in dogs, there are individual differences, as it also happens with us humans.

    • massive_bereavement@fedia.io
      43·
      7 days ago

      Probably this is yet another case of a journalist spinning yarn out of some poor researcher’s paper summary, and then being quoted out of context.

    • mbfalzar@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      20·
      7 days ago

      The thing I’ve seen is that when they show dogs an image of their owner while the dog is in a PET scan, and show the dog pictures of other animals, the same part of the brain lights up, while showing the dog pictures of other dogs lights up a different but close area of the brain. Doing the same test on cats had one area lighting up for other animals, but the same part lighting up when shown their owner and when shown other cats

      • Johanno@feddit.orgEnglish
        10·
        7 days ago

        While it is scientific people should provide the context that we don’t really understand brains fully yet and this doesn’t mean that his belief or conclusion is correct

    • shalafi@lemmy.worldEnglish
      12·
      7 days ago

      3 college professors (1990) suggested we read Desmond Morris’ books. Don’t know how the science has stood up, but he believed this. Dogs and cats think humans are weird versions of their own species, that we’re basically their parents, and act accordingly. Nothing IRL has dissuaded me from that notion.

      One interesting idea I got from him; When we’re small we love huge animals, see them as parents. As we get older, we like small animals, see them as our children.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Morris

      Again, don’t know how it stands up, but The Naked Ape is damned thought provoking.

      • I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        7 days ago

        Nothing IRL has dissuaded me from that notion.

        Cats react differently when seeing an unfamiliar cat than they do when seeing an unfamiliar human.

      • over_clox@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        7 days ago

        Also, people should keep in mind, that kittens are born with their eyes still sealed shut for a while. So once they open their eyes and finally get to see the world, they naturally accept the creatures that have been and continue to care for them.

        • shalafi@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          7 days ago

          Think Morris touches on that! Been 35-years since I studied him though. Afraid to read it all again in case he turned out to be so very wrong.