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Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

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Re: Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

#61

Post by Perz1val »

dillydogg wrote: post #11
jack_pp wrote: post #2

Are modern cats even that good at killing rats anymore? Haven't we mostly bred cats that have very rarely even seen a rat their entire life?

I know you specifically asked about rats but domestic cats are killing machines. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23360987/ We estimate that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually.

A wild cat would have parasites, a few still healing wounds, one eye and one of it's legs has bones did not heal quite straight. This is a cat that "naturally" hunts mice and birds. Compare that to a suburbian cat which is healthy, well fed and it's biggest health risk is obesity

Re: Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

#62

Post by [deleted] »

whynotminot wrote: post #21
dylan604 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sort of laughing at the concept that we feel it strange that cats don't want to kill rats because of the size of the rats rather than the conversation leaning towards what are we doing that have caused rats to become so large.

In middle eastern cities I rarely see rats. But I see a lot of free roaming cats. In western cities I see rats but no cats. I suppose we’ve made our choice.

[deleted]

Re: Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

#63

Post by [deleted] »

Perz1val wrote: post #61
dillydogg wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know you specifically asked about rats but domestic cats are killing machines. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23360987/ We estimate that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually.

A wild cat would have parasites, a few still healing wounds, one eye and one of it's legs has bones did not heal quite straight. This is a cat that "naturally" hunts mice and birds. Compare that to a suburbian cat which is healthy, well fed and it's biggest health risk is obesity

[deleted]

Re: Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

#64

Post by RandallBrown »

yomlica8 wrote: post #33
throwbadubadu wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how often did that then actually happen? Maybe they left it there intentionally?

Bumblebees always seemed pretty docile in my experience. Come to think of it, I can't recall ever being stung by an actual bee. Asshole wasps are another story.

I got stung by a bumblebee while hiking once. My friend and I had stopped to chat with some other hikers and this big slow fuzzy bee buzzes over, lands on my arm, stings me, then just flys away. There was no sudden movement, we hadn't just invaded their nest, or really any reason for it to sting me that I could see.

It hurt as bad as any other sting I've ever had.

Re: Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

#65

Post by nomel »

Garrrrrr wrote: post #40
alexo67 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do not put a bell on your cat, like ever. It is harmful to your cat's health.

It could be harmful to your cat's health if they don't like the noise of the bell. Not all cats are bothered by it though

The risk isn't the sound, it's catching on something. But, there are bells that are integrated into the collar, to prevent this.

Re: Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

#66

Post by angiosperm »

yomlica8 wrote: post #33
throwbadubadu wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how often did that then actually happen? Maybe they left it there intentionally?

Bumblebees always seemed pretty docile in my experience. Come to think of it, I can't recall ever being stung by an actual bee. Asshole wasps are another story.

The best thing to do about wasps involves a vacuum cleaner.

Re: Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

#67

Post by tomjen3 »

agloe_dreams wrote: post #38
dillydogg wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know you specifically asked about rats but domestic cats are killing machines. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23360987/ We estimate that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually.

This. Domestic cats are some of the most specialized killing machines in nature. Everything is raw murder machine. Massive muscle to weight ratio, optimized for extreme agility. 30mph top speed blows the doors off nearly anything it may encounter in nature. Tail allows for balance while running. Able to jump multiple times its own height. Able to fall a multiple of it's jump height. 20 built-in claws also act as tool…

>Cats (big and small) are best predator.

And yet it is illegal for humans to hunt lions, but not for lions to hunt human (though unwise in the extreme).

Re: Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

#68

Post by vinhcognito »

cantrevealname wrote: post #54
hunson_abadeer wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. There's plenty of rodents in urban and suburban areas, but above all, cats have an inborn instinct to murder small critters for fun, and don't need to be taught that. Rodents are their strong preference, but if bored, they will go after bugs, small birds, lizards... or engage in relentless "murder practice" using pieces of paper or cloth. This is very different than with dogs, which often have to be trained for…

> cats have an inborn instinct to murder small critters for fun, and don't need to be taught that If a cat has never seen mice before and no one has taught it to chase mice (and if it's not even hungry), then I simply can't imagine how this instinct is passed on through genetics. Is there a DNA encoding for "chase and kill small moving objects, preferably mouse-like objects"? Does anyone know how DNA would carry info…

I've always had trouble with reconciling the jump from DNA to behaviours. These behaviours can be affected by a complex combination of genetics and epigenetic modifications leading to changes like modified neuronal patterning in the brain or changes in neural circuitry that can affect how readily certain neural patterns are forged which is further influenced by biological factors (learned behaviours and experiences).

Re: Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

#69

Post by jojojaf »

agloe_dreams wrote: post #38
dillydogg wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know you specifically asked about rats but domestic cats are killing machines. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23360987/ We estimate that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually.

This. Domestic cats are some of the most specialized killing machines in nature. Everything is raw murder machine. Massive muscle to weight ratio, optimized for extreme agility. 30mph top speed blows the doors off nearly anything it may encounter in nature. Tail allows for balance while running. Able to jump multiple times its own height. Able to fall a multiple of it's jump height. 20 built-in claws also act as tool…

I think the fact that they are generally well fed and well cared for compared to wild animals makes a big difference as well

Re: Why bumblebees love cats and other beautiful relationships (2021)

#70

Post by tamimio »

agloe_dreams wrote: post #38
dillydogg wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know you specifically asked about rats but domestic cats are killing machines. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23360987/ We estimate that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually.

This. Domestic cats are some of the most specialized killing machines in nature. Everything is raw murder machine. Massive muscle to weight ratio, optimized for extreme agility. 30mph top speed blows the doors off nearly anything it may encounter in nature. Tail allows for balance while running. Able to jump multiple times its own height. Able to fall a multiple of it's jump height. 20 built-in claws also act as tool…

Except the chonky ones, who would only stares back at you.
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