DRISCOLL REPLIES: A particular sentence seems to have caused confusion, one where we write: “Cats, in contrast, are solitary hunters.” What should have appeared in print is the more specific: “Wildcats, in contrast, are solitary hunters.” The social structure of feral cats is heavily influenced by resource availability. Unless they are feeding from a point source (perhaps a kind person or a garbage dump), feral cats sourcing their own food are solitary. Yet even well-socialized cats do not achieve the level of sociality seen in lions, which hunt cooperatively.
As for their benefits, cats have never been bred for any “behavior” in the sense of a utilitarian task such as shepherding, retrieving, guarding or even pulling, as some domestic dogs were.
It has been suggested that the plagues afflicting Europe during the Middle Ages are a consequence of a reduction in cat numbers during that time and a supposed rise in rat numbers. But humans’ susceptibility at the time had more to do with the Little Ice Age and the Great Famine—with resulting changes in socioeconomic structure, living patterns and hygiene—and also with the prevalence of the black rat, Rattus rattus. The plagues ended after the climate improved, promoting a restoration of agricultural productivity and more dispersed living quarters. Perhaps most important, the black rat was displaced by the brown rat (R. norvegicus), which is not as susceptible to infection. The inability of cats to control plague is anecdotally highlighted by noting that the plague also struck places where cats were always
in high density.
Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "Letters."
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17 Comments
Add CommentTo include Pres. Obama in the "Scientific American 10" merely indicates the importance of politics over science...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo long as resources (for everything) are limited, you cannot separate politics from science. Science has always had a political component. Just be glad that we have a President who is more willing to encourage science. Perfect? Not by any means. But positive? Absolutely.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo long as resources (for everything) are limited, you cannot separate politics from science. Science has always had a political component. Just be glad that we have a President who is more willing to encourage science. Perfect? Not by any means. But positive? Absolutely.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhoops! Sorry to send this twice. I know better. :)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisObama, unlike our last president, actually knows science and uses it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPlus he is a Prof of Political Science and one would be hard to think of anyone better than him. After all he got a black man elected as president didn't he? Few thought that was possible 2 yrs ago.
In my family, each of my brothers or sisters is either a Ph.D. or is married to one. They are located all throughout the USA and Canada. Those who are in academia or research do support our President Obama, and I do too. I believe this reflects the opinions of the majority of our scientists and professors.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes, I can understand your disappointment Spiff. The only list your Warlord President Bush The Butcher made it on is the top ten worst presidents list, and he made it 6th on that list, plus he was appointed president of the Axes Of Evil list. But apparently, you folks down there in Texas is still very proud of all the bad listings he made it on through the world. It will take President Obama years to undo all the destruction your president bush comitted. I am pleased that President Obama has been recognized by SciAm magazine as having a thinking scientfic mind and he is encouraging us to climb back up the ladder out of the fossil age Bush plunged us into. Job being well done President Obama.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLooks like some here are really enjoying O-Topia. For anyone who likes freedom and personal responsibility - not so much.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRemember that when the chips were down on what nearly all scientists would call a true boondogle - corn derived ethanol - Obama went where the votes are: More Ethanol! He just says what he thinks people want to hear to look smart. But he's just your garden variety politician.
Mr. JamesDavis,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am nowhere near America, but I agree with all your views.
It seems to me that Bush was a Puppet ,that had Cheney pulling the strings.
Mr. Obama actually has a brain that works.
Just one question. Why is referred to as Black, when he is half white?
I'm an Obama fan. At last some decent appointments and policies.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJamesDavis: Please do not lump all Texans into the same bin as Spiff. The former President is not a Texan as only natural born Texans are ever considered to be Texans and he was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He wasn't educated here, either, as he went to private schools in New England - Phillips Andover Academy followed by Yale. His only claim related to Texas is that he ran a few low job producing companies into the ground losing millions of dollars of his Dad's friends money in the process. All of this happened before he scored a position as Managing Partner of the Texas Rangers just before the citizens of Arlington voted to fund a new stadium for the team and escalate the value of it so that Tom Hicks could buy it and make George $16M in capital gains. This money served as the seed for his gubernatorial campaign to become one of the least powerful governors in the USA and then fail to accomplish his stated campaign goal of restructuring Texas' property tax system. From there the rest is reasonably well-known and ignominious history.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJamesDavis: Please do not lump all Texans into the same bin as Spiff. The former President is not a Texan as only natural born Texans are ever considered to be Texans and he was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He wasn't educated here, either, as he went to private schools in New England - Phillips Andover Academy followed by Yale. His only claim related to Texas is that he ran a few low job producing companies into the ground losing millions of dollars of his Dad's friends money in the process. All of this happened before he scored a position as Managing Partner of the Texas Rangers just before the citizens of Arlington voted to fund a new stadium for the team and escalate the value of it so that Tom Hicks could buy it and make George $16M in capital gains. This money served as the seed for his gubernatorial campaign to become one of the least powerful governors in the USA and then fail to accomplish his stated campaign goal of restructuring Texas' property tax system. From there the rest is reasonably well-known and ignominious history.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI like cats (& dogs & birds and rodents) and this one is just Lightly cross-eyed. or bored.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI dont think feral cats have often chances to group.
that may be because of humans. I hope and believe they
still hunt alone. The terrifying thought is of a pride stalking
a tiny all-but-extinct songbird.
How does he know and use science? I didn't think this article was really referring to "political science" -- i.e, the science of moving one'sagenda forward by being wishy washy and not making tough decisions.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDear Editors,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI greatly enjoyed reading "the Taming of the Cat". However, I must admit that I was astonished by the utter witlessness of the assertion toward the end of the first paragraph: "cats contribute virtually nothing in the way of sustenance or work to human endeavor".
Indeed, without the "house cat" to control the depredations of rats and mice it is very unlikely that human agregations greater than a farming village would ever have happened. The reason for this is that the "house cat" made a vast difference in the efficiency of storing food by controling the
populations of mice and rats.
From that issue it should be obvious that the common house cat is the nessisary precondition to establishing large towns and cities and the development of industries.
An historical indication of the importance of the house cat was the old English law about killing a farmer's cat. The killer was required to pay the farmer a pile of grain high enough to completely cover the corpse of the cat hung by its
tail so that the nose touched the ground.
Yes, mankind has developed other technologies to store food in the last 2 centuries. But, without the common house cat, man never would have been able to live in large enough agrigations (towns and cities) to allow the development of
the industrial complex whose fruits we enjoy now.
Christopher E Prael
Obama is the only hope of the American people as well as for the human race. Fortuntely that he is shouldered by able and foresighted politicians and leaders like Sarkozy and a few others. Drastic changes in world policies for a better world are in sight.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJu st wanted to let you all know that some down here in Texas prefer Obama over Bush any day. I agree with James Davis' assessment of the previous president. Obama is making some good changes for our country and our world.
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