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Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you

bbc.com

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Re: Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you

#51

Post by jdking »

K0balt wrote: post #36
leetcrew wrote: post #19

there's also the obvious fact that a cat isn't a credible threat to a human. there's no point in "punishing" a creature that weighs 15-25 times as much as you do. would you try to "punish" an elephant if you were unarmed? conversely, any creature that a cat can credibly deter is not a lethal threat to a human. I imagine a large dog understands, at least on some level, that it can actually win a fight against a human.…

Actually up to a weight for weight match or even more in the case of lighter humans, a single dog is trivial to defeat in combat unless it is properly trained to never fully engage and only to tear and dash. If a person reacts aggressively and not trying to escape, a dog is easily defeated. Just have to protect your throat and keep facing the dog. Allow it to grab you on a limb , preferably a hand or arm, and you hav…

This is the weirdest comment I’ve ever read on HN!

Re: Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you

#52

Post by CraneWorm »

pferdone wrote: post #39
leetcrew wrote: post #19

there's also the obvious fact that a cat isn't a credible threat to a human. there's no point in "punishing" a creature that weighs 15-25 times as much as you do. would you try to "punish" an elephant if you were unarmed? conversely, any creature that a cat can credibly deter is not a lethal threat to a human. I imagine a large dog understands, at least on some level, that it can actually win a fight against a human.…

The video linked by CraneWorm shows a cat (when acting on instinct) doesn‘t care about size differences. The dog probably outweighs the cat 4:1 yet the cat is able to stand its ground.

It's also a surprise attack from a full speed charge. I bet that helps a lot.

Re: Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you

#53

Post by dsr_ »

My anecdata: the Maine Coon brothers will meet strangers at the door and stare at them. If the stranger enters, the cats will start to hiss. If they come further inside, the cats will attack.

When we're expecting our HVAC folks, we lock up the Mainers in a bedroom.

Meanwhile, the Siamese look inquisitively at the strangers and then run away.

Re: Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you

#54

Post by gridder »

leetcrew wrote: post #19

there's also the obvious fact that a cat isn't a credible threat to a human. there's no point in "punishing" a creature that weighs 15-25 times as much as you do. would you try to "punish" an elephant if you were unarmed? conversely, any creature that a cat can credibly deter is not a lethal threat to a human. I imagine a large dog understands, at least on some level, that it can actually win a fight against a human.…

The average cat is more of a threat than the average dog. It just won’t bite.

Re: Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you

#55

Post by dealpete »

K0balt wrote: post #36
leetcrew wrote: post #19

there's also the obvious fact that a cat isn't a credible threat to a human. there's no point in "punishing" a creature that weighs 15-25 times as much as you do. would you try to "punish" an elephant if you were unarmed? conversely, any creature that a cat can credibly deter is not a lethal threat to a human. I imagine a large dog understands, at least on some level, that it can actually win a fight against a human.…

Actually up to a weight for weight match or even more in the case of lighter humans, a single dog is trivial to defeat in combat unless it is properly trained to never fully engage and only to tear and dash. If a person reacts aggressively and not trying to escape, a dog is easily defeated. Just have to protect your throat and keep facing the dog. Allow it to grab you on a limb , preferably a hand or arm, and you hav…

I'm not sure that plunging my arm down its throat and choking it with my fist would be my first instinct if I were attacked by a dog :)

Re: Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you

#56

Post by Judgmentality »

K0balt wrote: post #36
leetcrew wrote: post #19

there's also the obvious fact that a cat isn't a credible threat to a human. there's no point in "punishing" a creature that weighs 15-25 times as much as you do. would you try to "punish" an elephant if you were unarmed? conversely, any creature that a cat can credibly deter is not a lethal threat to a human. I imagine a large dog understands, at least on some level, that it can actually win a fight against a human.…

Actually up to a weight for weight match or even more in the case of lighter humans, a single dog is trivial to defeat in combat unless it is properly trained to never fully engage and only to tear and dash. If a person reacts aggressively and not trying to escape, a dog is easily defeated. Just have to protect your throat and keep facing the dog. Allow it to grab you on a limb , preferably a hand or arm, and you hav…

I can't tell if this is a serious comment or not, but if you're being serious this is horrible advice. Some dogs bites are strong enough to crush bones, and they aren't even 100 pounds. You want to willingly give them a limb so they can actually snap it in half?

Sure, if you're fighting a 50 pound Australian Shepherd, have at it. If you're fighting a 150 pound German Shepherd, you're going to die.

Re: Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you

#57

Post by xbar »

zelon88 wrote: post #15

The answer to the title question was never scientifically answered. They described the experiment, the results, and then lead into a conclusion that didn't match the science. Then they finally reverted to anecdotal evidence to support the original claim which the scientific evidence does not support.

You are right to critique the article, but I think you go too far.

They suggest an unsupported conclusion as a possible reason for the observed behavior, but they clearly don't make any actual conclusion and suggest more study is needed.

Re: Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you

#59

Post by raverbashing »

tareqak wrote: post #35

The article title asks “Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you”, but the experiment that the article discusses has “helper”, “non-helper”, and passive actors. Maybe cats do not make the same association that dogs seem to do in this experiment that not helping is the same thing as harming? The question of reacting to harm incurred by a human companion would be better answered if the action that the animals obs…

I agree. "Not helping" is a much harder cue to pick up than an actual aggression.

As the article mentions:

> " So we shouldn’t be too quick to conclude that our cats don’t care if people are mean to us. What’s more likely is that they just can’t tell."

Cat's social theory of mind is different from humans and dogs. Cats do understand 1-1 relations (between them and other people) but relations between other people are harder.

(On the other hand they know how to use the litterbox so...)

Re: Why cats won’t punish a stranger who harms you

#60

Post by [deleted] »

edoceo wrote: post #38
K0balt wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually up to a weight for weight match or even more in the case of lighter humans, a single dog is trivial to defeat in combat unless it is properly trained to never fully engage and only to tear and dash. If a person reacts aggressively and not trying to escape, a dog is easily defeated. Just have to protect your throat and keep facing the dog. Allow it to grab you on a limb , preferably a hand or arm, and you hav…

> Humans have three mouths What?

[deleted]
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