I will never understand "cats kill rodents!" Yea…that's the point? I'm from an area that has a lot of farms and gardens and people get cats specifically to kill the pests in their yards. Why are we acting like rodents don't quickly multiply and invade everyone's homes? You're not going to make me feel bad for my outdoor cat catching the mice that dig in my plants and try to get in my house. There's going to be dozens more a week later. I'm sure the rats and mice will be just fine.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

To be fair thats like saying we shouldn't have a pet, because although I dislike cats i understand they bring people happiness and a companion, Yes cats kill rodents but most rodents like mice are dangerous to homes and can bring disease.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Cats had a job just like dogs. They were pest control. Pests that carried plague.

by Melodic_Account 2 days ago

Cats also had jobs, they were kept to kill mice and other vermin. Mine kill bugs and mice regularly.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I think most cats should be indoor cats as most cats are no longer working, but it's the same thing with dogs. Most dogs don't work anymore either. Cats are very good at catching rodents that are pests for food supplies, so they were very helpful to humans. In fact, there are people who believe the pope's hatred of cats led to the black plague, because cats were killed and rat populations grew as a result.

by CommissionUpset 2 days ago

Sadly this is a VERY common narrative. I remember a calendar I saw once, it was about cute pets, and had little 'fun facts' about them, and one of the ones about cats was about how 'historically dogs were domesticated because they were needed for guarding and other work, while cats are fluffy.' Implying that the ONLY reason someone would have a cat and the only reason they were domesticated is because they are fluffy and cute. Like, the ancient Egyptians want a word with you (the maker of the calendar) because they were probably extremely happy about having all those cute and fluffy cats around to *keep the mice away from their grain and other food stores so they didn't starve during the off season!* And even today, cats still can have jobs. They are learning more and more about cats and have started realizing they aren't *that* different from dogs (yes, they are different, but they can still love their owners, they can have the same type of bond with their owners, they can be trained and so on). There are a great many areas where cats are often the best source of rodent control because people don't want to poison the wildlife (ie, the birds and other animals that would eat the rodents after they were poisoned). I was also looking into this the other day, but, there are a few places where you can actually have a service cat. A literal task trained service cat. Not an emotional Support cat (as I had to keep pointing that out to someone who insisted that ADA only covered dogs, which it does, but state and local laws can expand upon it, and therefore we must be talking about emotional support animals). Cats can also be protective of their owners, I have heard of a couple of cats who have attacked humans because the humans were going after children, there is that video of the cat that attacked the dog that attacked the child on a bike/trike, I have seen other times where the cat has leaped into action to protect someone or something else. But, sadly, there are STILL a lot of myths floating around about cats, and still a LOT of cat hate around.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

It's not the domestication of cats that's the cause of depopulation. It's morons who refuse to keep their cats properly, whether that's walking them on a leash and harness and/or keeping them indoors, and people just dumping their cats into the street without a care. Also, the epic failure to not spay/neuter animals that aren't deliberately going to be bred, and even breeding animals not being spayed/neutered after they've had a safe amount of litters makes it worse. Plus, some places still have cats for pest control, and cats can also be great therapy animals.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Cats were worshiped as gods and we're not intended to be working animals. Wrong. Agriculture in the middle east (the "fertile crescent") would probably not have developed in the same way without cats. With storing food came the need for pests control. It's not without reason that domestic cats appeared when hunter gatherers moved to farming.

by Anonymous 2 days ago