this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 130 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

People always say they look cute and yea sure,

But did y'all forget the fact that they can literally get rid of all your mice problems?

I got a cat because for companionship and one month later, all those filthy mice are gone.

Being soft and warm to pet, and the beautiful meows, are just the cherry on top of their lovely companionship.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Mine can catch 2 mice at the same time. And also wasps, centipedes, lizards, pigeons, etc.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

I was hoping my cat can get rid of the roaches too but her paws aren't very effective at that, and theres just wayyy to many. 😕 Welp, at least my cat has some ~~roach~~ toys to squish (or at least, try to).

[–] [email protected] 33 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

They -can- do that yes. Whether or not they will choose to, however, is anyone’s guess.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

They will have a joyous time with it. And you might find eviscerated mice under your couch one day. But my two dumbass fur balls just thought they were awesome toys.

Never figured out quite when they stopped coming in. The only really humane way to kill em is snap traps. I probably went through a couple dozen of them before they stopped showing up.

I was against using poisoned food traps because the last thing I wanted was my cat consuming a poisoned mouse. But, since our whole neighborhood had a problem with the mice, I wouldn't be too surprised if a neighbor did it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Snap traps in a brown paper bag baited with peanut butter.

When you catch something, curl up the top of the bag and throw it all in the trash.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Even if you have a lazy cat, mice have since learned to avoid the smell of cat pheromones. So just having a fat furball laying around will make it more likely the local mice go bother your neighbor instead.

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

They rarely need to in the city, also those that weren't taught by other cats most of the time won't kill the mouse just torture it or scare.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Well, whatever my cat did, the mice are gone so... 🤷‍♂️

I did see a few dead mice around the first 2 months, now no sight of mice.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 16 hours ago

Mice and some other pests have evolved an instinctual aversion to the smell of cats, it triggers their fear response. Just having the cats around might have been good enough.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

You are lucky, in my previous flat there were hoarders-alcoholics that lived on the next floor, one day they brought mice with whatever shit they decided to take. At first they were contained on their floor, but after a while they were everywhere. Cat played with them at first >_< and then got bored. After 10 or so that traps killed (in a month) I moved out.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

Your experience reminded me of "Tom," the farm cat who lived in the corn silo on my great aunt's farm. He avoided/hated children but tolerated the adults who worked there. Depending on the season, he killed multiple mice a day, ate only their livers (leaving behind a trail of bodies), and used crippled mice to track down the hidden others. Tom was a true professional—and honestly, quite terrifying.

Edit: My aunt "paid" him with leftover spaghetti, ground meat, and eggs, as well as a warm spot by the oven in the winter (if he chose to stay there). He was "semi-feral"—never going near the house during the summer months.

Edit2 + Spelling,Typos,Grammar,

[–] [email protected] 20 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

What the fuck kinda Hannibal Lecter cat...

[–] [email protected] 10 points 20 hours ago

One of my calicos likes eating the bottom half of lizards and leaving them alive. She's a sadist.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

When I was a kid Mr Kitty unilaterally moved in despite belonging to the neighbors across the street and the stern objections of my father armed with a squirt gun.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Did cats domesticate humans, or did Toxoplasma gondii domesticate both of us?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 14 hours ago

Nope. Almost wish I had that because fuck that smell!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 17 hours ago

Cats after entering a human stranger's house: Look at me. I'm the meowner now.

Humans: Yes, oh cute one!

[–] [email protected] 34 points 22 hours ago

They are funny, don't really need a lot of space and training, and look pretty. Ofc I will go and by whatever.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Cats never domesticated themself, since ever they are specialists in domesticate humans, for commodity, not for need.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 17 hours ago

Spot on. Cats are the OG scientists who stuck around to see what they could make us do after they discovered monkeys gave good tummy rubs.

Yadda-yadda, we industrialize food production and build awesome cozy dens to live in, yadda-yadda, they're watching us burn the world like, "fascinating... now, can I make the monkey give me treats 2 minutes earlier than this time last week..."

Only reason they don't have us outright worshipping them is we tried it once or twice, but things got weird.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 22 hours ago

I love all cats, and they are free to walk inside anytime they want. Just no fighting in the house.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Is anyone else bothered by people saying their cat is lost? -No; it left a toxic relationship! "They stole my cat" -Nah, it moved out!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 22 hours ago

Or something got to it. Pretty sure that's what happened to our outside childhood cat. Miss ya up there, Rover.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Do you think it's the same way with viruses entering body cells?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Nah, I assume it's more like some unconscious dude shows up at your house with a weirdly sharp penis, he impregnates the house, and then the house explodes and a bunch of little dudes spill out.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

One dildo through the window IN, thousands of dildos through the walls OUT. Got it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I shudder to write this, but it's more like a self-replicating knife dildo. Or a sawzall.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Not self-replicating. It's like a knife dildo that remodels your body into a knife dildo factory.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 13 hours ago

i guess that viruses might be evolutionarily very old, dating back to the RNA-world-episode, seeing how primitive they are.

maybe they could have a use (exchanging DNA segments between individuals) but that is pure speculation on my part.

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