No, they have absolutely no idea about nuclear war and apparently no clear sense that we might be some other species, despite not quite having the strokably hairy torsos they enjoy.
Speak for yourself, my torso hair is luxurious.
this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2025
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My cat knows about nuclear war. He simply hasn't chosen to exercise the knowledge.
True, it's common knowledge that all cats know the exact time and date when the first bombs are going to fall, leading to the fall and eventual extinction of the human race
But they all refuse to tell us because they're silly furry goobers
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This will totally dox myself to anyone who might be in or know someone in an old friend group.
I'm a very furry person - I joke that I put the hair suit in hirsute - but at least it's soft! Years upon years ago, I had a one night stand with my then future partner's (now ex's) best friend. It was bad. Really, awkwardly bad. The kind of bad where I woke up the next morning and, instead of trying for another go, groaned inwardly because they were still there, a living reminder of how bad it was.
I took out my phone and hastily messaged my best friend, asking her advice on politely dealing with this. Unbeknownst to me, my guest was awake, messaging my future partner. She described being barely awake in the early morning, petting my cat. I didn't have a cat or any pets. As she became more aware, she realized she was petting my chest.
Apparently some humans think I'm a big stupid cat too.
P.s. She also thought the sex was awful.
Thank you for sharing this story.
he believes cats are semi-feral and that they think we are cats too
Ok, so it's just something someone believes, it's not very scientific... They don't really provide much evidence other than belief
Probably this is yet another case of a journalist spinning yarn out of some poor researcher's paper summary, and then being quoted out of context.
When I had a dog, I used to think my dog thinks he will grow just as big as me and will join my daily routine, which was a bit depressing when you think about it
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Easy test at home. Bring a strange human into your house, note the reaction. Bring a strange cat into your house, is the reaction the same? If not then cats are smart enough to mark a distinction between people and cats.
I agree and disagree. If you did a large enough trial with many animals and people, for each of many test cats in homes, then the data might show this. I just think that even if this hypothesis is true, the reaction to every cat/person won't be the same for a given test cat. That could be a noisy signal.
It was more a plea to cat owners that know their cat. The cats I know don't tolerate cats on the street outside their house, let alone inside, plenty of people around though. I'm sure there's exceptions, I don't know cats well. As a rule, I think they're intolerant of strange cats being in "their" space, less so humans. We don't smell like cats, we don't sound like cats, we don't act like cats. Cats aren't dumb (except orange ones), they know we aren't cats (even the orange ones)
I have never seen a cat beg another cat for food. I have seen plenty of cats beg humans for food. I am pretty sure cats are smart enough to realize we are not cats. For one, we have hands we can use to open doors and give pets
I see what you mean. I have 3 cats, all girls and spayed. Our neighbor has an outdoor cat (socially acceptable animal cruelty imo), a boy and intact.
They make goo goo eyes at each other through the windows. I dont know what would happen if I let them out, but they look like they'd be friends.
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Can confirm, am big stupid cat. 😺
I've been wondering if that actually holds any water - or is it just some outdated, poor-quality study (or Sunday newspaper article) that was quoted so many times that everybody believes it now?
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I don't buy this because cats will react totally differently to cats than people. Regardless of posture. If my cat sees someone walking down the street she doesn't get angry. If my cat sees a cat outside she's already on the defense.
I think people are leaving out purring and kneading as behavior. Both are kitten behaviors. Suggesting to humans they click into "kitten mode"
Did I miss the explanation of why this person thinks such a fuckin stupid thing?
The thing I've seen is that when they show dogs an image of their owner while the dog is in a PET scan, and show the dog pictures of other animals, the same part of the brain lights up, while showing the dog pictures of other dogs lights up a different but close area of the brain. Doing the same test on cats had one area lighting up for other animals, but the same part lighting up when shown their owner and when shown other cats
While it is scientific people should provide the context that we don't really understand brains fully yet and this doesn't mean that his belief or conclusion is correct
3 college professors (1990) suggested we read Desmond Morris' books. Don't know how the science has stood up, but he believed this. Dogs and cats think humans are weird versions of their own species, that we're basically their parents, and act accordingly. Nothing IRL has dissuaded me from that notion.
One interesting idea I got from him; When we're small we love huge animals, see them as parents. As we get older, we like small animals, see them as our children.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Morris
Again, don't know how it stands up, but The Naked Ape is damned thought provoking.
Also, people should keep in mind, that kittens are born with their eyes still sealed shut for a while. So once they open their eyes and finally get to see the world, they naturally accept the creatures that have been and continue to care for them.
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Nothing IRL has dissuaded me from that notion.
Cats react differently when seeing an unfamiliar cat than they do when seeing an unfamiliar human.
They only meow at humans
And they KNOW humans provide sustenance on a regular basis, and protection, so I can’t believe they think we’re just giant hairless monstrous cats. They’d have to think everything else is a cat otherwise. Look at the flying cats, mom! I’m gonna catch and eat one!
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The difference between a domestic cat and a wild cat is like 90% size.
May I present to you: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusty-spotted_cat
very smol
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I've heard this a few times and doubt it. At least with my cat. He howls at other cats and tries to attack them. He loves humans.
I've seen people who treat their cats like they are little stupid humans.
But they are!
They can't even turn doorknobs, no matter how many months they try. But you give them a lever knob, that's a totally different story...
I had a cat as a kid that could turn doorknobs - my parents would send him to the basement at night because he had a bad habit of trying to mark furniture as his territory, and we had to start locking the door because he figured out how to open it
Round doorknobs? Your kitty actually gripped and turned it?
Dang, ours tried tirelessly for like 2 months. He knew and understood exactly what we were doing, and we could literally see him trying to turn it, but he never could get a good enough grip.
My dad kept a latch lock on the front door though, eventually our cat learned all on his own to bat at and use as his own door knocker.
Not all cats are stupid, just limited in human abilities..
Our cat would jump up and hang from the doorknob by both of his front paws and then wiggle back and forth until it opened. Our other cat at the time could never figure it out lol
Ours had it fully figured out, I just guess your doorknob was probably a bit easier to turn than ours was..
meowmeow
That's pretty rich given that they're the ones who are big, stupid cats. 😡🤬
I finally feel seen!
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