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Cat Gap

en.wikipedia.org

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Re: Cat Gap

#41

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

p_l wrote: post #34
Sharlin wrote: post #22

There are many fascinating things about cats, but one of the things I often think about is how interesting it is that an animal of such solitary nature became domesticated so easily, and how social – and socially intelligent – domestic cats came to be, despite stereotypes. To the point that many housecats, and entire breeds, are called "dog-like" in their demeanor. Female feral cats also form social groups, "colonies…

Cats are actually very social animals, they just don't firm similar pack structures to dogs With modem technology it became feasible to observe cats without disruption and it showed communal behaviours, including communal care for offspring and IIRC even bringing food to share. All along the line of somewhat transitionally joined communities instead of more stable groups

There are some interesting reels showing cats apparently learning English using speech buttons.

Cats are very communicative, which suggests they're strongly social, in the broadest sense.

Re: Cat Gap

#42

Post by b112 »

gradus_ad wrote: post #25
verbify wrote: post #13

I once was thinking that if intelligent machines surpassed human intelligence, the end game would be human intelligence would atrophy but the machines would continue to serve us. Then I had a humorous thought - what if this already happened, i.e. cats were superintelligent, invented humans to serve them and then they had no need for their own intelligence.

It's funny to think that no matter how our technology develops, cats will be right there along for the ride, completely ignorant of it all. It's humorously comforting to think of an interstellar civilization powered by fusion and AGI serving cats just as they're served now. Scratching posts on starships seems to be inevitable.

This seems like a book.

Humans extinct for a billion years, AGI and robots tasked to feed and "take care of the cats".

I imagine entire cities, houses built, all empty save cat and humanform robot.

Re: Cat Gap

#43

Post by akkad33 »

Sharlin wrote: post #22

There are many fascinating things about cats, but one of the things I often think about is how interesting it is that an animal of such solitary nature became domesticated so easily, and how social – and socially intelligent – domestic cats came to be, despite stereotypes. To the point that many housecats, and entire breeds, are called "dog-like" in their demeanor. Female feral cats also form social groups, "colonies…

Cats are not so solitary. They can actually live in communities but they are not pack animals

Re: Cat Gap

#44

Post by [deleted] »

david_shaw wrote: post #19
lucketone wrote: post #16

So during what period cats were missing? Duration is clear, start and end not clear

> The cat gap is a period in the fossil record of approximately 25 million to 18.5 million years ago in which there are few fossils of cats or cat-like species found in North America. 25M - 18.5M years ago.

[deleted]

Re: Cat Gap

#45

Post by Sharlin »

p_l wrote: post #34
Sharlin wrote: post #22

There are many fascinating things about cats, but one of the things I often think about is how interesting it is that an animal of such solitary nature became domesticated so easily, and how social – and socially intelligent – domestic cats came to be, despite stereotypes. To the point that many housecats, and entire breeds, are called "dog-like" in their demeanor. Female feral cats also form social groups, "colonies…

Cats are actually very social animals, they just don't firm similar pack structures to dogs With modem technology it became feasible to observe cats without disruption and it showed communal behaviours, including communal care for offspring and IIRC even bringing food to share. All along the line of somewhat transitionally joined communities instead of more stable groups

Yes, this is (outdoors, stray, or feral) domestic cats, which is exactly what I mentioned. And as I said, it's largely the females and their juvenile offspring that form colonies – unfixed adult males, while certainly capable of having friendly social encounters on "no cat's lands", definitely don't willingly share their territory with other adult males.

But my point was that their immediate ancestor (and practically still the same species – they easily interbreed) the African wildcat is not similarly gregarious, and neither is almost any other felid, big or small.

Re: Cat Gap

#46

Post by Sharlin »

akkad33 wrote: post #43
Sharlin wrote: post #22

There are many fascinating things about cats, but one of the things I often think about is how interesting it is that an animal of such solitary nature became domesticated so easily, and how social – and socially intelligent – domestic cats came to be, despite stereotypes. To the point that many housecats, and entire breeds, are called "dog-like" in their demeanor. Female feral cats also form social groups, "colonies…

Cats are not so solitary. They can actually live in communities but they are not pack animals

Which is exactly what I said. Feral or stray domestic cats form colonies, because domestic cats are more social than their immediate ancestors. The African wildcat is not particularly social, not in the way domestic cats are. Which is why it's interesting.

Re: Cat Gap

#47

Post by gmueckl »

b112 wrote: post #42
gradus_ad wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny to think that no matter how our technology develops, cats will be right there along for the ride, completely ignorant of it all. It's humorously comforting to think of an interstellar civilization powered by fusion and AGI serving cats just as they're served now. Scratching posts on starships seems to be inevitable.

This seems like a book. Humans extinct for a billion years, AGI and robots tasked to feed and "take care of the cats". I imagine entire cities, houses built, all empty save cat and humanform robot.

I would recommend the two episodes "Three Robots" and "Three Robots: Exit Strategies" from the anthology series Love, Death and Robots if you like this kind of humor.

Re: Cat Gap

#48

Post by cryptonector »

verbify wrote: post #13

I once was thinking that if intelligent machines surpassed human intelligence, the end game would be human intelligence would atrophy but the machines would continue to serve us. Then I had a humorous thought - what if this already happened, i.e. cats were superintelligent, invented humans to serve them and then they had no need for their own intelligence.

Red Dwarf joins the chat

Re: Cat Gap

#50

Post by xingped »

b112 wrote: post #42
gradus_ad wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny to think that no matter how our technology develops, cats will be right there along for the ride, completely ignorant of it all. It's humorously comforting to think of an interstellar civilization powered by fusion and AGI serving cats just as they're served now. Scratching posts on starships seems to be inevitable.

This seems like a book. Humans extinct for a billion years, AGI and robots tasked to feed and "take care of the cats". I imagine entire cities, houses built, all empty save cat and humanform robot.

This was a minor plot point in that one black mirror episode with the robots on a tourism trip to Earth, lol
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