so the best thing about this is that bobcats, like just about every feline besides lions and domestic cats, are pretty solitary. they don’t really have friends. they aren’t really equipped to make friends.
domestic cats, on the other hand, do know how to make friends. they are friendly to the point that lots of feral cats live in colonies— the females hang out together, even raise kids together, and the males like to spend nonsexual time with their baby mommas. they groom each other, play around, and have a particular tail position to signal to one another— straight up with the tip curled— that they’re friendly and happy to see each other. cats learned how to be chill with each other in order to take full advantage of human food sources: an ancient granary supplies enough rats for a lot of cats, as does a modern lady with a big bag of frisky bits, so it would be a waste of time and energy for any one cat to try and stake the entire foodsource out for exclusive use. less fighting means more eating and resting which means a longer, nicer life and a lot more kittens.
so this stray cat, she obviously has no colony if she’s wandering around and sneaking into zoo enclosures, so she’s like ‘hey! there’s food here! what up, other cat, let’s be friends, let’s be friends and share that food’. and the bobcat is like ‘??????’ because actually wild cats are pretty cautious about initiating hostilities and anything new and aggressive makes them very worried. and the domestic cat is like ‘haha cool, ok, we’re friends now, big guy. no problems.’ and the bobcat is like ‘????? well…?? ok?’ and then they are friends.
the super interesting thing about most wild cat species is they don’t really have the capacity to make friends on their own, especially outside of sibling bonds, but, if someone comes along and does all the friend-making themselves, they’ll totally roll with it. zoo cats can get really attached to their caregivers— or, in this case, a very confident little calico demonstrating exactly why her species has been so darn successful over the last nine thousand years .
so anyway that is the best thing: bobcats are not equipped to make friends, but luckily for this bobcat this homeless lady did not give any shits and made friends anyway. and now they are both happy.
i love how the ancestor of the modern housecat (the middle eastern wildcat) literally just looks like an angry tabby with more leg
we domesticated dogs because they wete useful but we domesticated cats because theyre beautiful.
we domesticated them because they eat disease-causing vermin
cats domesticated themselves because it’s easier than living alone
haha schooled losers
me: cats arent domesticated
It’s more fair to say cats domesticated humans. Generally we used them for pest control through out history as well as used them as cuddly pets. Cats who moved into early human settlements gets a lot more from just being around us.
-we worked like guard dogs. Where we were, larger predators were not. Not only did this increase the cat’s food supply from lack of competition but it kept kittens safe while mom hunted, a luxury not afforded in the wild.
-we were a food source. Mice, rats, and other rodents are great at hiding in the wild. They are much less good at hiding on clear ground or well lit granaries. So the dumb littler prey animals flocked to the early humans who gathered up their staple grains in big hard to seal silos. This was a buffet to cats. During lean times like winter, early humans were happy to toss their scraps and bones to the cute little predator who shared their space.
-humans provided ear scratches, very important.
-humans are waste disposal units. humans don’t like poop or hair balls and rotting bones just sit around. We are great at making dry buildings that keep the worst of nature at bay. Very comfy living space for kitty.
-They have learned to talk to us. Adult cats don’t meow at each other…. but they do meow at us. One of the only animals that have learned human only noises, they have learned that meowing gets our attention and makes us do things. Like work the can opener. Meow is less a greeting and more of a “high ho silver, lets get moving”.
“Humans provide ear scratches, very important” – I’m pretty sure that is the only reason my three keep me around…
sparksoffandommagic 