The Choice For Domestication..
Three of my housemates are cats, and due to my experiences in living with them I've thought a lot about the phenomena of animals choosing to cohabitate with humans. For awhile we let our cats come and go as they pleased, and they always returned. No doubt they appreciate the food and shelter, but human beings are prone to sentimentality- and for that reason I've always suspected that there is something more at play.
Biologists label cats as "exploitive captives". This refers to the fact that they exploit their relationship with humans, rather than suffer from it. Unlike dogs they are generally not tethered to specific tasks that people expect them to perform (such as tracking, security, or simple companionship). It's true that they have served a useful purpose as rodent-killers, but I can attest to the reality that there are some domesticated cats that show little interest (or a degraded ability) as hunters. But cats have been known to hunt at least 1000 different species of animal for food. Yet archaeological research suggests that humans and cats have maintained a close proximity in living quarters for 8000 years.
The housecats we live with today are descendants of the Felis Lybica- the Arabian and North African form of the wildcat. Those feline progenitors simply moved into human settlements, presumably to take advantage of the easy food and escape from the elements. As humanity developed agriculture and confronted the problems of food storage, the indispensability of felines became apparent. Cats actively protected the food supply in the granaries, tracking down and consuming vermin such as rats and mice.
In Egypt, cats achieved the status of religious symblols. They were so venerated that to kill a cat was to commit a capital crime. The animals were offered the honor of mummufication before burial. It so happens that indigenous Peruvians also worshipped the cat- as a God of copulation and fertility. In North America, domestic cats were evidently introduced by European ships, upon which they were used as ratters. The majority of these were polydactyls (meaning that they had more than the ordinary number of digits), presumably chosen because the extra claws made them better hunters.
As successful as cats have proven to be at living among humans, they nevertheless retain the ability to revert to the wild conditions of their past. When left to their own devices, they often confound expectations by forming feral cat colonies. Many are under the misconception that cats are solitary animals, but that is not the case. In fact they are highly social... but without a pack mentality or social survival strategy. That means that they take care of their basic needs on their own. While they are territorial animals, they also recognize neutral territory and can co-exist quite nicely with other cats.
That's abundantly evident when I see my cats with their noses in each other's assholes.
I often find myself wondering what the next animal to choose domestication will be. I'm certain that rats and mice have already submitted their bids, but I can't think of any reason why they would be welcomed in most domestic situations. Perhaps the raccoon has a better chance. I know a guy who is often woken (in his bedroom) by a neighborhood coon tapping its claw against his leg. This usually happens when my friend has forgotten to fill the cat bowl. This interloping furry creature seems to be fairly gentle in its approach, and that makes me believe that it has potential as a pet.
Biologists label cats as "exploitive captives". This refers to the fact that they exploit their relationship with humans, rather than suffer from it. Unlike dogs they are generally not tethered to specific tasks that people expect them to perform (such as tracking, security, or simple companionship). It's true that they have served a useful purpose as rodent-killers, but I can attest to the reality that there are some domesticated cats that show little interest (or a degraded ability) as hunters. But cats have been known to hunt at least 1000 different species of animal for food. Yet archaeological research suggests that humans and cats have maintained a close proximity in living quarters for 8000 years.
The housecats we live with today are descendants of the Felis Lybica- the Arabian and North African form of the wildcat. Those feline progenitors simply moved into human settlements, presumably to take advantage of the easy food and escape from the elements. As humanity developed agriculture and confronted the problems of food storage, the indispensability of felines became apparent. Cats actively protected the food supply in the granaries, tracking down and consuming vermin such as rats and mice.
In Egypt, cats achieved the status of religious symblols. They were so venerated that to kill a cat was to commit a capital crime. The animals were offered the honor of mummufication before burial. It so happens that indigenous Peruvians also worshipped the cat- as a God of copulation and fertility. In North America, domestic cats were evidently introduced by European ships, upon which they were used as ratters. The majority of these were polydactyls (meaning that they had more than the ordinary number of digits), presumably chosen because the extra claws made them better hunters.
As successful as cats have proven to be at living among humans, they nevertheless retain the ability to revert to the wild conditions of their past. When left to their own devices, they often confound expectations by forming feral cat colonies. Many are under the misconception that cats are solitary animals, but that is not the case. In fact they are highly social... but without a pack mentality or social survival strategy. That means that they take care of their basic needs on their own. While they are territorial animals, they also recognize neutral territory and can co-exist quite nicely with other cats.
That's abundantly evident when I see my cats with their noses in each other's assholes.
I often find myself wondering what the next animal to choose domestication will be. I'm certain that rats and mice have already submitted their bids, but I can't think of any reason why they would be welcomed in most domestic situations. Perhaps the raccoon has a better chance. I know a guy who is often woken (in his bedroom) by a neighborhood coon tapping its claw against his leg. This usually happens when my friend has forgotten to fill the cat bowl. This interloping furry creature seems to be fairly gentle in its approach, and that makes me believe that it has potential as a pet.
posted by Merge Divide at 9:00 AM
1 Comments:
Birds.
Heres why: they are social animals. Modern society does not require domestic assistance. Birds offer companionship. Also, there is an increase in the ownership of companion parrots.
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