Are Cats Really Wild Animals?

[Agschmid]

Experts clash over whether they count as a domesticated species.

[center][/center]

The other night, before my wife and I put our 2½-year-old twins to bed, she began reading them one of their favorite books, Where the Wild Things Are. Juliet, in Dalmatian pajamas, asked, “Mommy, where are the wild things?” My wife glanced over at our gray-and-white tabby curled up on a chair nearby. “Well,” she said, “Jasper’s a wild thing.” Juliet looked incredulous. “Jasper’s not a wild thing,” she said. “He’s a cat!”

The dispute is understandable. Though cats have lived with us for nearly 10,000 years and are the world’s most popular pet, experts disagree about whether they’re actually domestic animals. Our feline companions don’t really need us, after all: They can hunt for themselves, and they go feral without human contact. A scientific paper published last year uncovered some of the first genes responsible for domestication—all in the cat genome—yet still referred to cats as “semi-domesticated.” Other scientists vehemently disagree with that designation. “There’s no difference between a domesticated cat and a domesticated anything else,” says Greger Larson, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford who has studied the domestication of pigs, dogs, and a variety of other animals. “Good luck trying to get a goat or a sheep to spend the night in your house.”

At the heart of the debate is the heart of our relationship with cats. Sure, they were gods in ancient Egypt, but ever since a paranoid pope linked them to witchcraft in the 13th century, felines have been vilified as evil, unpredictable, and untrustworthy—stereotypes that persist even in this age of the adorable Internet cat video. So the question must be asked: Are cats just like dogs but in slinkier form, eager and able to be part of the human family? Or is there something truly feral about them—something wild and unknowable that will forever keep them from blending into our tribe? Put another way, are cats with us or against us?

Even early legal scholars debated the question, as I discovered while writing Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship With Cats and Dogs, which traces the journey of pets from wild animals to members of the family. In 1894, a Baltimore man was arrested for stealing his neighbor’s cat. But as the judge prepared to sentence him, Maryland’s attorney general stepped in. “A cat,” he declared, “is not legal property. … It is as much a wild animal, in a legal sense, as are its relatives—the tiger and the wild-cat.” The judge was forced to let the thief go. In the eyes of the law, a man who had stolen a cat had stolen nothing at all.

No she isn't trying to cuddle, she is plotting your demise!

[IVoteDFL]

1. Of course they can be domesticated

My big 'ol boy can't hunt for food. I'm like positive. He wont even clean his own butt.

[hifiguy]

2. Cats allowed themselves to be domesticated.

Better food, soft places to sleep and the big pluses of ear-scratches and belly rubs.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

57. Except for my friend over here who will get all "ferile" on my

ass if I even attempt to rub her belly.

[Calista241]

59. Why not? They're in the top 1% of cats.

The other 99% don't have shit!

[Cleita]

3. Having been owned bY cats most of my life, I've had many different

ones with as many different personalities. I had some so sweet and domesticated that they never learned to hunt or wanted to all the way across the spectrum to the one I have now that is super hunter and probably should have lived a short life as a combative feral cat. Instead I tried to tame him and after a few trips to the ER after being attacked, I have semi-succeeded into coming to understanding with him as to how we will co-habit. We have been together fifteen years and old age is slowing him down making him more agreeable.

[RiverLover]

4. What that judge in MD did was despicable.

He should be disbarred!

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. I think, after sharing the home with two certified wild animals, well three

(parrots), that cats can be domesticated, but not all are.

Yes 10,000 years, but some traits are still there. I have no idea if this makes any sense though. But some cats are like dogs, like to cuddle, like to be with you. Others are just like one of my birds, distant, aloof and at times down right territorial.

[haikugal]

16. Very true Nadin..

Mine tend to be like dogs...but not dogs...

[Aerows]

62. I've taught every cat I ever owned how to fetch

It's funny.

Not sure why they do it, but they do.

[haikugal]

65. All of mine have too..

It's a game I enjoy and they seem to as well. My last cat (oh how I miss him) was a real pall..he walked with me everywhere I went and would lay near me as I worked. He was lovely in every way. He was a rescue that came to my door in the middle of winter, starving, with no claws. Someone cruel had dumped him after being declawed. Sometimes I wish they could talk in words.

He didn't fetch though but he loved to play.

[Arugula Latte]

6. They are domestic but most retain at least a scrap of wildness under the surface...

dangle a string or throw a mousie for Fluffy and you will see her/his eyes go all-black and wild in an instant ... and that is just one reason they are the coolest, cutest, and best life forms on the planet.

[Agschmid]

9. The minute that string comes out mine goes crazy!

Action shot...

[Arugula Latte]

10. Awww! She is an adorable widdle tortiekins!

I mean -- uh -- what a fierce predator!

[Agschmid]

11. Haha something like that... Don't stroke that ego of hers too much.

[haikugal]

15. Ha...like my terrier with the vacume!

[Liberal_in_LA]

23. lol. "action shot" indeed

[Yo_Mama]

7. My bulldog claims they they are feral and highly dangerous

She also claims to be an expert on the subject.

[lunatica]

8. Humans and their garbage attract mice and rats and cats hunt and eat them

The relationship is obvious. We're a disgusting species who are surrounded by wild animals who live off of us.

[ozone_man]

13. Just last night, there was a scurry

In the living room. One of three cats chasing a mouse. This morning, the prize delivered at the foot of the bed. They are feral. 10,000 years haven't bred that out.

[Laffy Kat]

45. Ah, breakfast in bed!

I got that once, except it was delivered on my chest and Not. Quite. Dead. Hope you appreciated the effort, zone_man.

[shanti]

68. was the mouse eviscerated?

my son once had a large cat that would protect him from rats at night (not my house!!) in the morning, DS would wake up to a deat rat with his innards splayed out, like the cat had just slashed him open for him as a gift. good kitty!

[NickB79]

12. All domesticated animals can go feral in the right situations

Wild pigs, for example, are a prime example, as are goats and horses. So I don't understand the argument there.

[haikugal]

14. They are family as much as dogs.

My cat would accompany me when I was in the yard, working on fences feeding animals, he'd be there. Another cat would wake me up if I slept through my alarm and retrieve a thrown toy so I would throw it again. I have hunted with them...the cat stationed at the end of a board while I lifted the board from the other end...the mouse would run down the board right into the cats mouth. Cats are part of the family...are we domesticated?

[Agschmid]

21. Mine also retrieves her toy so that I can throw it again.

I love that behavior.

[Aerows]

17. Many humans aren't domesticated either

So I don't know what that proves.

[cwydro]

18. I'm certainly not.

No doubt that's why I get along so well with the feral cats I've adopted, the wild dogs who are now pets, my geese, my ducks, my chickens, and the damn rooster with his wife, the hateful guinea hen.

I think the geese are the tamest in my family. They keep me calm.

[seveneyes]

19. Einstein and Cats

You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat.

[Solly Mack]

20. You should feed them, love them, take them to the vet and let them have the run of your house.

They will anyway.

[okasha]

22. They are very gentle and benevolent,

as long as we freely accept them as our overlords and do their bidding.

[dembotoz]

24. Love that cat of mine but deep down I understand she is wired different than a total domesticated cr

[Hutzpa]

25. Cats can be vicious all right.

Try backing one up in the corner and you will see, but rest assured vicious cats can be tamed with a mofo stick.

Some times cats can have pimps too, kthxbai.

[Aerows]

27. What in the hell is a mofo stick?

If you have a cat and you need to beat it with one, it does not belong with you.

Hell, I have to run animals OFF (raccoons, deer, damn rabbits eating my eggplants) with repellent, not keep them close. I've had a few get so damn friendly and close that it is a daily occurrence. I don't beat them. I can't imagine living in a place where you have the opportunity to experience animals and think beating an animal is the way to go.

That is animal abuse if you have to beat them to make them "tame" or "stay".

The rabbit problem was solved when the owl moved in. It was a huge owl, and hooted, and was comical. It comes back, too, to breed, and takes care of errant rabbits.

The deer and raccoon problems have fairly interesting challenges to stop them from becoming a menace. Fencing off the plants prevents the deer from just marching on up and deciding to enjoy the buffet, but raccoon populations are a bit harder.

[Jamastiene]

42. If you ever outsmart the raccoons, please let me know how you did it.

The ones here routinely outsmart me. I am beginning to wonder if the raccoons at my house are some alien hybrid species bred for intelligence and cunning.

[Aerows]

43. If I gave you the impression

that I solved the raccoon problem, believe me, I'm looking for it, too.

Hybrid alien species likely have less guile and intelligence than the damn raccoons around my area. I'm pretty sure that sooner or later they are going to figure out how to exploit the entire world and take it over.

[RKP5637]

26. My cat faked being domesticated, but loved me deeply. n/t

[Warpy]

28. Domestic cats who weren't taught how to hunt by their mothers

aren't able to support themselves through hunting. Mostly, they eat garbage and the occasional bug and they don't live very long once humans boot them out.

But yes, people who have known cats well know they are not property. They live with us, they are affectionate toward us, but they always have the option of going elsewhere.

[Aerows]

29. Mine was well taught

She was surviving on vermin.

The tributes that I received on a daily basis ... were interesting.

Now she's just fat and pretty much lives in doors.

[Warpy]

31. My cats used to terrorize mice to the point they moved out

but they never left me any presents.

As soon as HRH got old, they started to move in. I'd know where they were because she'd sit in the area and growl. She was great at telling me where to set the traps. Gooood kitty. I miss her.

[Aerows]

38. If you've never had a cat

mumble meow at you when you are looking for her, reach down and realize there is a huge GOD DAMN THING in her mouth, you just haven't lived.

There was a point in my cat's life when it wouldn't have shocked me if she dragged home a pit bull.

She's thankfully lazy as hell now, but gets fired up on occasion. She ran off a dog that was barking (about golden retreiverish size) and leapt on a raccoon with all four claws and teeth bared.

She is absolutely sweet as pie to her person, though. She can't stand to be more than a few feet away from me.

[Warpy]

44. One of my cats brought me a squirrel. She was indecently proud of herself.

She should have been, she got it all the way up to a second floor porch, and it was a tough city squirrel.

Of course I praised her to the skies and when she got done showing it off and went in to check out her dish, I toed it off the porch. By morning, only bones were left.

[Aerows]

46. I got a half dead opossum

bleeding everywhere, and of course it is convulsing into the thing that they do where they pretend to die (though it was half dead) and emit a horrible bile substance so that nobody, including the cat, is happy about it.

That leaves the owner to use about 12 bags to cocoon the body that has freely flowing not just blood but noxious fumes, to deal with it while she is licking herself like she just won the World Cup.

The Gold you brought home, dearest, is silver, half dead and bleeding out on the porch. And intentionally stinks, because that is one of the defense mechanisms of this big ass thing you brought home.

Mummify the dead huge opossum in Walmart bags, and intern it in the big garbage can to be sent to the garden of Hades along with some cat litter, old pizza, and leftovers that Osiris couldn't tolerate. Dead opossum probably could, would and be thankful to be sent on such a voyage with all that.

You just have to gaze at nature in wonder and despair.

[Le Taz Hot]

56. My little Ghostie (who never got out of catlet stage)

brought home a freshly-killed parakeet one time. Probably someone's pet. We didn't tell anyone.

[Aerows]

61. What can you say?

They just bring you these "gifts".

What do you do? Thank you, Roma, I appreciate the dead things, and let me put them in the trash immediately.

[arcane1]

30. The dispute clearly proves they are superior beings beyond the wild/domesticated dichotomy

[trueblue2007]

32. we have 5 cats. ANNIE, TAFFY, INKY, SADIE & SALLY. Annie chases her tail like a dog does.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

33. They've still got a wild streak, all right.

An angry cat is like a hairy chainsaw. Do not piss off the kitteh.

[davidpdx]

36. I agree and found that out the hard way

I've had cats all my life and never, ever had a problem with a cat attacking me. We have a male cat that is very aggressive. He will come up and bite you on the back of the leg for no reason at all. A few years ago my wife rescued a female cat and brought it into our home. The second cat likes no one but my wife (in fact she hisses at me). The two fight and the male cat bites her. I've made the mistake of trying to separate them only to have the male cat go completely berserk on me. The result was scratches and bites on my right leg and arm that were really bad, and a few on my left leg. As a result the female cat is going to be put up for adaption and we are going to try to find other ways to calm the male cat.

[Aerows]

41. The two were probably trying to mate

but yeah, the female cat needs to go because she wasn't properly spayed. I don't know if they can do it a second time, but occasionally, they are "fixed" but still aren't fixed.

Another home without a cat will probably be ideal.

Did she pee on everything?

It has been my experience that you can move the sun, the stars and have 12 litter boxes and it won't fix the behavior if they get to the pissing everywhere stage. I tried.

I don't know what to tell you except you are giving your problem to somebody else.

Poor kitty .

[davidpdx]

52. The fact that the female cat was a street cat is probably why she's never been completely tame

She has gotten quite fat, so I suppose a botched job when she was spayed is not out of the question. It seems like a second one would risk the cat's life too much. She doesn't pee on anything and uses the box. I've been canvassing the rescue shelters here in Korea and not had much luck yet. Too many abandoned animals unfortunately which means the shelters are full.

We are planning on getting a cat tower for the male cat so that he has something to climb and spend energy on as well as his own "space" where he can be alone when he wants to. Probably should have done that years ago.

I told my wife that the next place we live I want to have a window looking directly outside for him. The two windows we have don't. One looks on to the hallway in front of our door and the other on the small veranda (which is way too cold in the winter). Sometimes in the spring or summer he is out on the veranda and the window is open and we'll get a larger birds that lands on our air conditioner, which is interesting to watch.

[BrotherIvan]

50. Some cats like being only cats

I had a male Burmese that was tiny but would fight anything big or small. One time he opened the screen door and tore after another cat all around the apartment complex. I finally got to all 8 pounds of him kicking the shit out of a giant orange male. I mean that cat was huge, but not fierce. I picked my cat up and he tore up my arm and bit through an artery. I had to go to the emergency room. He just could not stand another cat in his eyesight. I did learn that a hose or throwing or spraying water is more more effective to break up a fight.

But he was the best cat I've ever had and I have had pets all my life. He was so smart he could turn a doorknob, open any cabinet, turn on and off the lights, play fetch and hide and go seek. And he loved people. People would freak when they met him and say he was sort of human, which he was.

So I hope you find a good home for your female cat. It will probably be best for both of them because she's probably tired of getting attacked.

[Aerows]

60. Throwing water on a raccoon

makes them run away, too. Unfortunately, I've had to learn how to deal with the critters.

[BrotherIvan]

64. Yes, I heard about your raccoon encounter

and keep a very wide birth now for the one that comes when I feed the feral cats. They are so damn cute though it's such a hard thing to do. I've always wanted one as a pet and keep looking up websites that talk about having one. But I know this is just a dream and I don't want to get bitten!

[3catwoman3]

37. A hairy chain saw!

That is a great description!

[jrandom421]

34. Having a variety of cats around for the past 20 years

I can honestly say there are no such things as "house cats". I've had house lions, house tigers, house leopards, even a couple of house cheetahs. They purr and trill like "house cats" would, and they are loving and affectionate as "house cats" are expected to be, but I've seen them hunt, fight, chase and guard territory like their full size cousins. The only differences are their size and tolerance for the wait staff.

[Aerows]

39. I have a house

Jaguar

Her jaws when she gets hold of prey is frightening, disgusting, and rather awesome. She cracks the skulls like her bigger brethren and sisters do. Oh god, the sound of her biting directly into a mouse or rat skull - she is so pleased with herself she brings them HOME to *show* you.

Nothing like her.

Water does not phase her. I'm still puzzled over "something" wet and animal-ish she dragged home. I like to identify animal and plant species as a hobby, but I still have no idea what that was.

[jrandom421]

53. Here is the quote that sums it all up

" God made the cat in order that humankind might have the pleasure of caressing the tiger."

Author: Fernand Mery

Also, not only do we get the "gifts" for the poor hunting-impaired mommy and daddy humans, they then go through a thorough re-enactment as a demonstration to "teach" us slow learners the proper stalking, hunting, pouncing and killing techniques.

[CountAllVotes]

35. From Mark Twain, Cat Lover Extraordinaire

Kinda says it all IMO. You mess with a cat, the cat messes back sooner or later.

[Jamastiene]

40. Domesticated just means we have appropriated them for our use.

I would think all animals are wild until they are tamed. Then they are tame, but will still go wild at times.

I know every cat I have ever lived with seems to wake up and "go wild" at approximately 3:00 am. Niko and Zoey like to go their wildest at around 2:00 am, but they are super kittens, in the advanced intelligence class. They are always ahead of schedule. They routinely outsmart me. I know they know how to operate me already. They have me wrapped around their little fingers.

[valerief]

47. Are silver foxes wild?

Love this domestication program. Only took 3 generations of breeding to make a domesticated fox.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b30_1372049732

Here are two beautiful tame foxes.

[TreasonousBastard]

48. They are beautiful!

[AZ Progressive]

49. Domestic Cats haven't changed much from their ancestor

The African Wildcat of course

[Aerows]

63. She looks exactly like my cat

Long body, huge haunches and ears + claws for days.

I'm pretty sure my huntress did could kill them all.

[yuiyoshida]

51. My Cat is a TIGER...

He will let you know every day when it comes to eating my SHRIMP!

[Emelina]

54. Cute and all but very destructive to the environment.

They are not native to most parts of the world, kill massive numbers of native wildlife without being subject to the laws of nature themselves and yet most people live in denial of the fact.

Think a lot of people are infected with that brain parasite cats carry?

[Arugula Latte]

67. Humans are not native to most parts of the world either ...

We're a recent species and perhaps we should have stayed in Africa.

...and talk about destructive to the environment...

[JCMach1]

55. Researchers were obviously DOG LOVERS!

[stevenleser]

58. After watching lions, cheetas and other smaller wild cats up close and personal, I concluded that

house cats are only with us and deal with us because of our size. Their mannerisms are exactly like the bigger cats. The only thing that keeps bigger cats from attacking and consuming some animals is their size i.e. Elephants and Adult Giraffes and some Hippos.

If we were a quarter of the size we are or less, what we call house cats would view us as prey and attack us accordingly.

I think they view us as large protectors/enforcers/bodyguards.

[KamaAina]

66. A Facebook friend has a Savannah cat

the familiar Felis catus crossed with a serval, an African wild cat.



He even has his own blog!

http://bobthesavannahcat.blogspot.com/

Apparently they're banned in NYC.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

69. "You fox eared asshole!"