this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2026
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Science Memes

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[โ€“] Denjin@feddit.uk 53 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

There's not many animals that haven't been domesticated because they're cunts. And zebras are one.

[โ€“] nesc@lemmy.cafe 24 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Cats on the other hand are domesticated despite being cunts and we absolutely adore them.

[โ€“] Krauerking@lemy.lol 23 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Oh, no. As the scientists of the Smithsonian put it,
"scientists think the house cat is only domestic when it wants to be"

[โ€“] mech@feddit.org 20 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

We didn't domesticate cats. They domesticated us.

[โ€“] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 weeks ago

They kept rats out of our food storage and we viewed it as adequate enough to not kick them out.

[โ€“] limer@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

We only adore cats because of the parasites controlling our minds.

There is a distinct correlation between cats taking over homes and the spread of that thing

[โ€“] angrystego@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I've been tested - don't have it, and I love cats. Part of the cat magic is they're not really cunts and many people can see it. Also, the parasite doesn't need you to love cats, it just needs you to not run away from them and to go get eaten by them. If you have a paper showing the correlation, I'd be really interested though - I have a soft spot for this topic, because I got close to a research group focused on it at the uni.

[โ€“] limer@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

Honestly I was only being snarky. There is definitely more parasites the more cats there are, but probably are not responsible for me finding then cute

[โ€“] GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Humans can have unconditional love for cats, but the opposite is not true

[โ€“] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I bet house cats would never have been a thing if they didn't house-train (bury their feces) instinctually.

[โ€“] nesc@lemmy.cafe 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

They are extremely useful and adorable. I think it's the violence that makes them so magical, like they are extremely cute cold blooded killing machines.

[โ€“] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

The usefulness is dubious for most house cats. Most households don't have mouse infestations, and cats who go outside actively endanger wildlife (and yes, that is an issue for humans as well).

I do agree that they're extremely cute, probably very useful on a psychological level, and honestly I don't know any other cute pet animals that are as cleanly with their feces (dogs can relatively easily be trained to not shit on the carpet, but not to shit in a dog toilet).

[โ€“] nesc@lemmy.cafe 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Most households where? Even in rich modern nations mice and rodents were a problem very recently. Like in the lifespan of some users on this network.

[โ€“] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Most households in rich nations I guess. I haven't ever heard of anyone I personally know that they have a rodent infestation in their home.

[โ€“] LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago

Oh, we had. Rats are common in all cities, and mice in the countryside. Sure, nowadays you'd just get an exterminator, but having a cat would prevent that as well. Our dog caught a rat in our basement once, and I'm pretty sure we avoided mice due to her presence as well.

The usefulness is dubious for most house cats. Most households don't have mouse infestations, and cats who go outside actively endanger wildlife (and yes, that is an issue for humans as well).

I'd say our cats are useful. These are their stats:

Number of birds killed by cats in my household over the last 5 years: 1
Number of birds killed by going full speed, beak first, into a closed window, then tried being passed off as a successful prey: 2 Number of mice killed: +500
Other wildlife known to have been affected: 1 mole

Can other wildlife have been affected? Possibly, but we're confident with regards to birds. And the only other weve seen cats go for are mice. Not even rats, I guess they're too big.