Incidentally I don't think this is actually evolution; more learned behavior. They repeat the tone we respond to the most. My cat also bites my foot when he wants attention because he has learned that it's hard for me to ignore.
They repeat the tone we respond to the most.
I once had a cat that learned to imitate my text message notification sound (at the time it was Tiny Tina saying "pooow") just to get my attention. He would also scream his lungs out if he thought no one was home.
That's a great tone!
That's a worthy distinction. The genetic vs the social. I'll allow it.
I don't think they sound particularly like a human baby because I can't stand the sound of a human baby crying but when my cat talks I melt into a useless gibbering
idiotfood dispenser.Yeah it's one of those internet myths. What they do is mimic their own baby sounds aka meow even when they're adults but that's not really a manipulation tactic. We infantilize them by caring for them and they in turn display some of their infant behaviours. Adult tigers in captivity meow too.
Worse than that, it's something incels tell each other about why women aren't having babies. Because they have cats that satisfy the maternal urge.
For the record, babies crying- doesn't matter if I've given birth to it or not- is not a "cute" sound. It is an enraging sound. It makes us move quickly because we hate it.
If we thought baby cries were cute things we wanted to listen to, we wouldn't hurry to help the child, and that would completely defeat the purpose of it.
I welcome my new
overlordpet with open arms 🥰I’m pretty sure we provided them food and shelter because they catch rodents, not because they “mimic babies” (??)
Mimicry in nature is never intentional on the conscious part of the mimic though (ok exception is maybe octopi). It evolves like that because it works. Perhaps cats are evolving to become more cute.
Mimicry not, but a lot of "cute" behaviour is absolutely learned. If our dog wants something, she pokes you with her paw while making a cute face. Must have learned that from her previous owners. Our previous dog (who we had for much longer) never did that. That shit is 100% conscious effort, as in she observed humans tapping each other on the shoulder and figuring out that it works for her as well.
The process of cats domesticating humans was a a very long con job.
My cat taught me to be patient in the face of stupidity, and that sometimes you will love something that is fully out of your control and unpredictable. She's very cuddly though, so everything is forgiven, lol.
Tricks monkey into providing food and shelter like a boss
...by murdering any creature it sees that's less than half is size for fun, even if it ultimately decides not to eat the guts after ripping them out.
It’s not like they’re capable of understanding good and evil. Many creatures murder things for “fun” - it clearly serves an evolutionary purpose even if they don’t eat the kill
What is fun but an evolutionary drive?
Best variation yet
Why not both???
