this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2025
696 points (94.8% liked)

Science Memes

17443 readers
3076 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.



Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 199 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Eh, any time someone ascribes motivations to animals, my butthole spasms.

The best that should be said is that the behaviors they exhibit are similar to the behaviors they exhibit for kittens or sometimes sick cats.

Somehow, somebody decided that meant they think we're bad hunters, and the idea took off because it's funny, but you can't know what goes on inside the thoughts of other humans reliably, much less other animals.

There's competing possibilities that the cats are showing off their kills to their social group, which is not only a common behavior when cats are young, but when they're mated, but you don't see people crowing about them bringing us food to get in our pants.

Overall, cats seem to treat us like other cats. Not exactly the same, but with less distinction than other domesticated animals. Horses, as an example, have a much wider distinction, for equally unprovable reasons.

My personal pet idea is that any sufficiently social animal, including humans, is instinctively going to seek out groups. They/we will negotiate the lack of a unifying language as best as possible, but with plenty of misunderstandings. It isn't so much that other animals see us as being the same as them. It's that they don't really have the need for the distinction; there's the in group (pride, pack, clan, whatever you want to call it) and out groups. When dealing with the family group, any animal will perform the same basic behaviors that their instincts tell them to.

Domestication just means that a given type of animal has developed or been bred to have, a stronger instinct for social bonding than wild animals, to the degree that they'll accept other species as family easier.

[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 12 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

I think the difference between cats and dogs is mainly tens of thousands of additional years of co-operative evolution. Cats are amazing but dogs you can almost assume can understand your emotions and care, that comes from the absurd length of time dogs and humans have been friends, it is a relationship that far predates other domestication by an immense length of time.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 16 points 4 months ago

It's also worth noting that there's good evidence that cats self-domesticated, much more than dogs did. This will also have an impact on the relationship, with cats basically doing cat things for us on their terms and dogs doing dog things for us on our terms.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 3 months ago

I think cats can often understand your emotions... they just don't care lol

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 87 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (7 children)

Dog brings you things because you asked, it's asking to play, or because they wanted to reward you.

Cat brings you things because it thinks you fucking suck at hunting and feeding yourself.

[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 61 points 4 months ago

My dog gives me stuff all the time. At first I thought it meant he wanted to play with the object, but, nope. He's just spent the last fifteen minutes fighting the other dog away from it, running around the house with it in his mouth. Then when he's finally "won", he gently places it down right in front of me, sits and stares at my eyes, "This is very important to us dogs, but I love you the most, so you can have it."

picks up slobbered cow hoof with a pinch "Thank you so much, buddy! How about I hold it, you can chew; we can share."

He does do this with the other dog at times too, though. Usually when she's calmed down and snoozing, he'll bring a treat over to her, watch her accept it, and goes on his way.

Gifting is his love language.

[–] far_university1990@reddthat.com 44 points 4 months ago

"I take care of my human. I bring them mouse once a week, twice after new moon because so dark. Hope they survive on that."

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 39 points 4 months ago

My cat played fetch, just like a dog. Cats like playing.

I hate it when people just assume stuff about cats, treat them that way, and then say stuff like 'cats are so aloof and they only like me because I feed them.'

Meanwhile, my neighbour's cat loves my family even though we don't feed her, because we snuggle her. The person who feeds her just chucks her outside when she gets home. And then she comes to us for scritches.

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 11 points 4 months ago (3 children)

My cat sometimes brings toys because it wants to play. That doesn't happen too often, though

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 15 points 4 months ago (1 children)

My cat has figured out how to pantomime chasing the dot as his way of asking me to break out the laser pointer.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] mybuttnolie@sopuli.xyz 11 points 4 months ago (2 children)

my other cat is extremely ADHD and he brings me toys many times a day. he runs from the other side of the apartment screaming with the toy in his mouth and then sits next to me until i throw that toy. also if we're away for several hours he delivers toys on our bed.

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

My one cat fetches things like 80% of the way. Sure drops them a meter and half in front of me every single time

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] InvalidName2@lemmy.zip 74 points 4 months ago (10 children)

I have doubts that any credible and serious scientific discovery would involve this degree of anthropomorphism when it comes to assigning motivation to an animal's behavior.

But let's say I ended up with a hecking case of brain worms who devoured the vast majority of my critical thinking skills and was able to completely ignore that first point, this still doesn't quite compute. If you've ever had cats and/or dogs in your life, then you are probably also aware that each one has its own unique personality and behaviors. Even if we assume that they have human-like rationalizations and emotional capacity, does it even make sense to believe that they all uniformly perceive people in the same uniform manner?

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 42 points 4 months ago (2 children)

It's based on way too many reinterpretations of descriptions of studies into how cats communicate. Basically cats without human interaction will only meow as kittens communicating to their mom and their mother might meow back, and as they grow older they will learn to communicate with each other purely by body language and pheramones. Cats who interact with humans have learned that meowing at us like kittens gets our attention and is effective at communicating with us.

Some have interpreted that to mean cats see us as really strange kittens, which of course gets miscommunicated by well meaning people repeating something they half-remember. It seems the reality is just cats have learned to adjust their behavior to better coexist with humans.

Impressively, cats and their humans also will develop complex enough communication that humans can interpret the need of the cat purely from their meow

At least this is my memory of research I half-remember reading about

[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I love research telephone :D

[–] AppleTea@lemmy.zip 13 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I have come to accept the research telephone. Yeah, my understanding of the actual research is filtered through countless interlocking individuals and who knows how many narrative frameworks. The best I can do, without just getting a degree in the field, is to try to sample as many of these narrative interpretations as possible.

When I see the point made that we believe science like a new religion, I cannot help but see the glimmer of truth in that interpretation. Ok, sure, fine by me. I trust the mechanism of passive-aggressive peer review more than any holy text or hierarchy of clergy.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Canconda@lemmy.ca 8 points 3 months ago

some have interpreted that to mean cats see us as really strange kittens,

Not just the meowing. Bringing dead animals is also thought to be related to maternal instinct or some other social behaviour.

I do agree though that people are running with this stuff further than the science has verified.

load more comments (9 replies)
[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 54 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I mean, she knows I'm much better than her at opening wet food cans.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 43 points 4 months ago

“This cat is awful, but I’ll keep it around because it knows how to open the food stones.”

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 51 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I’m pretty sure my cat understands that people are not cats. She hisses at any other cat she sees, but has no problem with people.

[–] jalkasieni@sopuli.xyz 36 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It’s because the other cats might actually be a threat, whereas the furless elongated ones are just terribly incompetent.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Ricaz@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 3 months ago

Cats have a completely different language when interacting with humans. They mostly just meow around us

[–] breecher@sh.itjust.works 43 points 3 months ago (2 children)

That is not a "scientific fact". That is just something somebody wrote for the likes.

[–] slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org 14 points 3 months ago

My favourit scientivic fact is that tiktok i saw some kid made and is the only source of that fact.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] nonentity@sh.itjust.works 38 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Dogs have owners.
Cats have staff.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 30 points 4 months ago (6 children)

All I'll say is cats meow at humans and they don't meow at other cats except their own mom. To me this instantly defeats this take.

It's just a fun post though so I'm not judging.

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 40 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I have 2 cats. One of them meows at people, cats, dogs, birds, butterflies, toys...

The other only meows when she's suffering horrible torture, like being picked up, or needing to scratch at the door the times without it opening.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 39 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Cats meow at other cats besides their mother too. It's a complete myth that they don't.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Droggelbecher@lemmy.world 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I kind of am judging. Misrepresenting how science works and what it can and can't do ia a dangerous game on the age of intentional misinformation. Even if you're just trying to be cute and fun.

[–] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 4 months ago

You know what, you're right, framing it as a "scientific discovery" isn't cool.

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 7 points 4 months ago

How to say you are not a cat owner without saying you are not a cat owner.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 29 points 4 months ago

Am science. Can confirm.

[–] PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 18 points 4 months ago (5 children)

Is that how it works? I've had dogs try breeding my leg, cats not so much. That anecdote presents an opposite case.

[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 4 months ago

Cats have standards.

[–] djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 4 months ago (1 children)

You clearly weren't interacting with horny cats.

[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Horny cats might randomly bite your ankle (if male) or enrich your nights (and your neighbours') with the song of their people (if female), but I've never seen a cat trying to hump a human (or anything other than another cat).

Dogs? Sure. Endangered New Zealand flightless parrots? Yeah. Once. On video. Cats? Not once.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Licksrocks@lemmy.world 13 points 4 months ago

My cat hates every other cat it meets, but loves every person it meets. I think it knows the difference.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] alzymologist@sopuli.xyz 15 points 4 months ago

I'm not so sure my cats and dogs identify as different species tbh

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 11 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

My cat definitely treats people differently than other cats. She's not territorial with people, but if she sees a cat outside she gets fussy.

load more comments
view more: next ›