Current theory is cats self domesticated themselves. If you grant them rights (cats not PETA) then you must respect their decision to be domesticated.
To quote Monty Python; “There I’ve run rings around you logically.”
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As long as it’s possible to buy and sell one’s organs and tissue on the open market, this isn’t a very farfetched metaphor at all. Just because you don’t ingest the material through your mouth, doesn’t exempt it from being canibalism…
I sincerely doubt cats are ever really domesticated as much as they are tolerant of their human staff.
They just kinda hung around people because we saved them the trouble of hunting the small critters they liked to eat. Humans kept them around because they didn’t like the small critters cats like to eat. Especially since such critters had a nasty habit of eating the same food as us.
They have already proven their dominance over humans in the modern age in their complete conquest of the internet.
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No, it doesn’t. The last time there was an elephant in Alaska, Juno was still playing in the theaters.
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Nope.
Unconditional love-kits are mandatory because humans are fickle unconditional lovers…
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Slave or not, I’d love to be my friend’s cat.
Lots of sleep, all the petting you want, and regular feeding. And if you screw up and break something, just purrr and look cute and you get away with anything.
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Human-herder
When we’re out with the dog and one of us goes into a shop or something, the dog’s default inclination is We’re staying right here until she goddamn well comes out of that shop. Get used to it. Amusingly, this also happens with other people–even people she’s just met–when we have friends look after her when we go away. If we didn’t live in the city, I think we’d have to buy her her own cow.
Shoe-destroyer
She doesn’t chew or eat them, she’s craftier than that. A few months ago, I was complaining to my wife that my shoes wear out amazingly quickly these days. She pointed out that it might be somehow related to the monthly ~100 miles of dog-walking…
Tour guide
When you do that much dog-walking, you really get to know the neighbourhood. We moved to a new neighbourhood ten days ago. By the time we’ve lived here for three months, I’ll be able to give directions to taxi-drivers…
Foreign language tutor and social coordinator
I’m a barely-functional-in-French Anglo living in France. In excess of 90% of the conversations I have in French with strangers that don’t take place at the marché or boulangerie are dog related.
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Very belated reply but… this reminded me of this.
I have two cats. But in their case, are they our pets, or are we theirs?
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It’s all fun and games until the talking Apes take over the world.
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There’s a lot of complexity in there. The thing is mammalian and avian meat is horrifically inefficient. For each meat calorie produced, it takes far more energy and resources than a plant calorie. It’s simple thermodynamics. There’s a lot of energy loss to the environment.
But on the other hand, most PETA-types believe locally grown and consumed, “organic”, non-gmo crops are the only morally acceptable choice for food, and that’s utterly unsustainable for the current configuration of our planet. Millions, and likely BILLIONS of people would have to starve to death if the whole package of ideas has to be achieved. While plants are a far more efficient source of human-usable calories than animals, PETA’s members hobble themselves through irrational ludditeism.
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Yeah… Ever since my labrador died a couple months ago, the major practical impact of his death is that I now have to clean up my own food messes.
When he was alive, I could stand to be messy in the kitchen. Most food is okay for a dog his size in small amounts, and labs will eat anything you offer to them. Or at least try to eat it.
Accidentally dropped a single chocolate chip? Whistle the dog over.
A bunch of breadcrumbs on the cutting board? Just swipe them on the floor and tap your foot three times.
A glob of ketchup fell from your burger on your shirt? Just call the dog over.
Yes, he’s indispensable for the love he gives you, and the companionship, and his quirky antics, but practically, he’s an combo autonomous garbage can and vacuum for small edible messes that exclude key components like grapes and raisins.
I trained the family to never give him table scraps, but if they drop something not explicitly toxic, the dog can clean it up. And him being a lab, he did a very thorough job.
He was a great dog. You could just offer him his pills, and he’d eat them because “master says they’re food. I REEEEEEEALY like food.”
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That’s a terrible idea? Have you ever ate bear that’s been into garbage? I’m pretty sure humans who eat garbage will taste just like that too. GIGO as they say.
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It somewhat works with pigs.
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The closest I have come to bear in my life was either behind a glass partition/zoo enclosure or hearing their distant growl while hiking (I quickly got off that trail and towards a more populated one, following the “bear & sneakers rule”).
So I have never even come close to being that near one, let alone eating it.
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I figure when it gets to that point I will “Armando” or “MacDonald” up and collaborate with my simian overlords.
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