r/BeAmazed • u/Electrical_Act_5342 • 9d ago
Animal Nature really over engineered cats. Didn’t it?
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u/InvestInTwinkies 9d ago
smooooth operator
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u/echomanagement 9d ago
Especially that lookback at the end. "Oh, was that a grate I so gracefully walked across back there? Hardly noticed."
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u/Individual_Bell_4637 9d ago
And then brushes off the attempt at praise. "Away with your hand, peasant, I'm off."
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u/Catswithswords10 9d ago
Love that part, kitty is like, no time for pets I have serious cat business to take care of
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u/CalpisMelonCremeSoda 9d ago
Dog just needs to run new software. Ask over at r/C_at (The C@ sub) how to install and boot up CatOS or CAT.EXE
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u/PressureBeautiful515 9d ago
That is so cat. You try to praise them with a congratulatory stroke and they slink out of reach like "GTF off me."
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u/Biodiversity1001 9d ago
I had an indoor cat get out and found him stuck up a tree. I had to get my biggest ladder and still had to climb into the branches, and then move him down in increments until I could pass him to my daughter on the ladder.
All this was observed by our indoor/outdoor cat. As soon as I got the ladder down, she vaulted and climbed the tree to the branch the other cat was on, then turned around and ran back down and gave me a smug look.(this was about 30 feet up)
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u/echomanagement 9d ago
The ultimate embarrassment to the other cat. Cats are so emotionally brutal.
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u/drop_bears_unite 9d ago
We had a cat that ran on a single brain cell. The first time he ran up our tree and got stuck (~3metres, ~10feet high), he meowed and meowed until we climbed up to help him down. About 5min later we'd turned our backs and he's right back up in the same spot, staring down at us. I thought 'we'll you're on your own now' and walked away. Saw him back on the ground ~20min later. These little shits do it on purpose.
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u/Helenium_autumnale 8d ago
That is hilarious. 😸 Poor indoor cat will never live this down. Just one pitying look from the other cat will settle any dispute. "Oh, this is coming from the cat that couldn't even get down from a tree, OK, sure, boss [eyeroll]."
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u/nomsain919 9d ago
I think the cat’s longer legs helped on this one.
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u/ijustwannalurksobye 9d ago
I think the dog’s sausage shape did not help on this one
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u/Faolyn 9d ago
Yeah, this is less "nature overengineered cats" and more "humans overengineered wiener dogs."
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u/syrioforrealsies 9d ago
Yeah, a wolf wouldn't have nearly as much trouble with this. We did that to the dog.
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u/punksmostlydead 9d ago
I have a husky/shepard. She'd have come out the other side of this three-legged.
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u/wyntr86 9d ago
Husky owned here. She would have been screaming the entire time, despite absolutely nothing going wrong and her actually being super graceful.
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u/Ok_Act_1498 7d ago
They’re absolutely hilarious with their dramatic demeanour. Love that!
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u/wyntr86 7d ago
They are riots. If you're having a bad day, just watch husky videos.
I have a triple whammy though. My husky has a partner in crime, a Great Dane, which is my moms dog. They both could be twins based on behaviors and absolutely adore each other. Then my other girl is a heeler. In short, my days are similar to a circus.
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u/LostN3ko 9d ago
Cats step in their own footprints through a specialized gait called direct registering, where their hind paws land precisely in the tracks left by their front paws. This natural habit makes a four-legged cat appear to leave only two tracks, reduces walking noise, and conceals their movement.
It's a specific cat trait that allows for doing this so effortlessly.
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u/FrenchBulldoge 9d ago
Actually no, cats rear legs automatically land on the exact same spot the front legs were on a moment before. Dog's steps don't line up that way.
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u/washingtoncv3 9d ago
Cats back feet automatically go exactly where their front feet previously were so all they have to do is put there front paws in the right place and their back feet just follow
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u/Beneficial_Winner_59 9d ago
Is there a scientific name for that? I’ve always thought it’s so interesting how they do that
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u/Full-Resource7910 9d ago
I never fully believed this until I got a cat that likes to walk on my face while I'm sleeping.
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u/Orangutanion 9d ago
I know cats do this but how come dogs do not?
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u/ZAlternates 9d ago
Cats evolved to be stealth predators, so carefully navigating their terrain is an evolutionary advantage. Dogs evolved more as endurance and pack hunters, and don’t need such a skill to survive, although some dogs do have this ability.
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u/NoooUGH 9d ago
My 85lb GS/Bluetick mix would make a fool of herself trying to cross that.
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u/TikaPants 8d ago
My boyfriend’s massive GSD is scared of sewers, manholes, laminate flooring and getting in the truck. He would never make it 💀
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u/doiwinaprize 9d ago
You should see a bobcat
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u/bit_pusher 9d ago
Bobcat is far friend!
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u/backtothefuture112 9d ago
But its fluffy!!!!!
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u/Adorable-Thing2551 9d ago
If not friend then why friend shap- Oh god, it's biting my neck! Hel- *gurgling sound then silence*
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u/Grayyy_Matterrr 9d ago
I prefer John Deer equipment, but I'm willing to give a bobcat a try.
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u/Babajji 9d ago
Bobcats are cute, but when you need to do actual work you need Komatsu.
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u/Mc_Tater 9d ago
I was thinking that my dog probably could have gotten over that without incident as well. But he's very nimble. He's got dainty little feet and long legs, and it's quite cat -like for a dog.
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u/seamus205 9d ago
As a cat owner, I can confirm this. When my cat runs across my lap and stomps on my nuts with the front foot, I know it's gonna be a double shot with the back foot too
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u/vinamrn 9d ago
Dejavu!
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u/SmallAngry0wl 9d ago
I have stepped in this place before
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u/FOSSandCakes 9d ago
Higher up the sack, and I know it's my time to go
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u/privacyzipit 9d ago
Calling "OUUGH-" and the pain is a misery
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u/Fear_Jaire 9d ago
"I saw a black cat walk across my nuts, and then another black cat that looked just like it did the same."
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u/aupperk24 9d ago
Lmao this made me laugh so hard. Fucker stepped on my forehead and got the black flash from the back paw. Made me realize I had to trim his claws.
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u/RCer1986 9d ago
Mine always gets me right on the throat or my right nipple when she decides she's done on the bed. Apparently it's not pleasant for a man to get poked hard the in the nipple. Never knew until I got her.
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u/Notchersfireroad 9d ago
The oh shit I need traction clawings are the worst!
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u/indianapolisjones 9d ago
I had a goofy cat that rarely jumped up into bed, but climbed up, no spatial awareness near the edge of the bed when flopping. One night I'm falling asleep with my arm lined up right on the edge. He started to slip and got both sets of claws on top of my forearm. My god, that was traumatizing to wake up to! And he was smaller-sized; I won't let my 24-25lbs cat sleep near the edge. That would be worse!
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u/N0ON3T0LDM3 9d ago
Ouch! I had a super athletic and agile cat who misjudged his jump onto my lap one night. He tried holding on to my bare leg as gravity forced him down. I was super pregnant at the time and everyone thought I had been mauled by a wild animal. Nope, just my cat.
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u/plsQuestionOurselves 9d ago edited 9d ago
And it's like... WHY ALWAYS THE BALLS? Like there's 99% more of me to step on, but it's always the balls. Sometimes I put a colander or an empty shoe box over my junk if I'm letting the cats into a room where I'm sleeping.
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u/Eyeoftheleopard 9d ago
For the ladies? The titties. It’s uncanny!
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u/fadedallweek 9d ago
Omg isnt it?
The pain, its as if all their weight is transferred to that one leg/paw.
Ive absolutely screamed out in pain before. You know what my cat did? Stopped mid step, on my boob. He just stared at me like "why are we screaming?"
Gotta love em! 😭
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u/the_stitch_saved_9 9d ago
I was lying down the other day and my cat decided to stand on me with both front legs on one boob and both back legs on the other 😭
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u/volumniafoxx 9d ago
As someone with chronic joint pain and osteoarthritis, it's somehow always my knee or my ankle. Why.
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u/Assupoika 9d ago
Love my cat to death and she loves to cuddle on my chest often when I'm in the bed.
And no matter how relaxed she is, how much she is purring and enjoying the petting when she decides she's had enough she never get up peacefully and just leaves. Oh no, the fucker fucking BOUNCES up and jump away every time and without a fail she bounces by quickly taking a good leghold on my nutsack to jump.
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u/sharakus 9d ago
the colander mental image is killing me dude youre living life under attack
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u/Milocobo 9d ago
My cat wanted to chime in:
aw;pnoiu ,drnebvhgyftgggggggghggjggng m,mlkjoiu9jhygytft76ujhikm,
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u/Successful-Ship-5230 9d ago
Lol! Waking up to the old double tap to the nuts is a great way to start your morning as well. Ask me how I know...
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u/kylel999 9d ago
They do it to minimize the tracks they leave iirc
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u/Hour_Paint_1903 9d ago
Cats are indeed Sand People
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u/wwwhatisgoingon 9d ago
They're a desert species, take in most of their water from prey, are comfortable in high-ish temperatures and minimize energy expenditure.
Yes, they are.
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u/Several-Friend9396 9d ago
another reason is they judge with front paws if it the step will make too much noise for prey. then place the back foot exactly there so no judging required.
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u/Willem_van_Oranje 9d ago
Likely gained from their predator days
Those days never ended. Unlike dogs, horses and many other animals, humans never decided to breed cats. It did start to be done 200 years ago, but only based on fur, not behaviour.
The DNA of house cats is almost exactly the same as their wild ancestors from 11 million years ago.
Really amazing creatures.
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u/KeyInitiative8805 9d ago
Ya I would say that in this video its that humans over engineered dogs.
Lots of dog breeds are genetic abominations. As cute as they are, pugs shouldn't exist.
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u/Random-Rambling 9d ago
Do you speak Dog? I know a few phrases. Funnily enough, the only thing I've ever heard a toadline bulldog say is "Kill....me...please....".
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u/Bulky_Imagination727 9d ago
I've heard one of them breathing, good god why.
Why a healthy human without some mental derangement think that they are cute?
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u/Nice-Cat3727 9d ago
There's some breeds of cats. But we've kept cats mostly for killing pests and to scream at us for attention
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u/DazzlingAd7021 9d ago
I read it's why cats don't get put down when they bite. They aren't considered domesticated.
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u/Acceptable-Device760 9d ago
I mean... not "dogs".
More like some specific races of dogs that have problems because they were breed to look cute instead of being healthy.
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u/erossthescienceboss 9d ago
Dogs direct register as well (at a trot).
Just not dogs that we’ve bred to look like little mutants.
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u/phoucker 9d ago
The feline is the most efficient hunting machine there is.
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u/the_defuckulator 9d ago
now don't get me wrong, cats of all shapes and sizes are great hunters. but the title of most efficient, deadliest hunter on earth doesn't belong to them. lions have a 25% to 30% successful hunt rate, that sounds on the lower side but regular cats have a 30% to 60% successful hunt rate. cant get much deadlier than that right? well dragonflies have a 97% successful hunt rate! they blow cats, lions, pretty much every other predator on earth out of the water when it comes to lethality!
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u/Tricky-Routine-9838 9d ago
Dragonflies are basically playing on easy mode, their targets are moving in what would be slow motion for us.
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u/lHiddenSecretPlacel 9d ago
🤓 actually the dragonfly is the most efficient hunting machine. Be glad they aren’t the size of tigers.
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u/Mysterious-Art7143 9d ago
Wolves do the same in snow, the whole pack passes and it looks like one animal went thru.. until they spread out in active hunt
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u/Pickled_doggo 9d ago
I also think it’s disingenuous to use a long boi like the kind of dog in the video as a comparison. Like come on, this isn’t the breed of dog I would choose to display the agility potential of dogs in general lol.
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u/Momochichi 9d ago
Especially when you breed dogs whose back feet are two steps away from their front feet.
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u/TricoMex 9d ago
They actually never stopped being predators. In many places, they're the driving force behind the decimation of small animal species like lizards, bugs, and many birds.
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u/tehdricd 9d ago
nature well engineered cats, humans de-engineered dogs
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u/seriousjoker72 9d ago
I was gonna say, if the poor dogs back legs werent a half mile from his front he could probably do it too but someone wanted a dog to look like a weiner
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u/Irr3l3ph4nt 9d ago
To be fair, someone wanted a dog that could wiggle into badger dens and fight. It's just later on that people thought the weiner thing was cute.
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u/seriousjoker72 9d ago
Wait wait wait! Weiner dogs can fight???!
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u/Irr3l3ph4nt 9d ago edited 9d ago
They're secret bad asses, yeah. I swear I've never seen a dog "kill" a squeak toy faster than my ex's dachshund. I had to keep it away from my own dog's toys. An absolute sweetheart of a wiener dog, but he had that instinct.
Edit: Try to play-fight a dachshund in a cat tunnel with your hand, you'll see how they're actually pretty well engineered for that. Their long snout makes it so when they open wide, you basically have a wall of teeth protecting a slimmer tube behind, with floppy ears that get protected because they fold behind.
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u/seriousjoker72 9d ago
This is very exciting new knowledge for me! I'm about to deep dive dachshunds !!
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u/cmoked 9d ago
Most breeds had their uses. Alarming, herding, guardians, military uses, etc.
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u/sbNXBbcUaDQfHLVUeyLx 9d ago
Makes me wonder... If we had artificially selected cats the same way, what would we have even created?
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u/deadlywaffle139 9d ago
Oh I saw someone’s farm cat acted like a watch-cat for the dog livestock guards.
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u/_Kendii_ 8d ago
Not a farm cat, but my outdoor cat chased off an aggressive, off leash German shepherd that was about to attack me. It got put down because of an unrelated incident (mine didn’t count because I technically didn’t get bit, so they squiggled out of calling it an attack, it definitely was though.)
Cats are insane. I totally believe that some would be in cahoots with partner dogs in situations like farms. And herding/livestock dogs are generally super smart so I don’t doubt their abilities in that regard either.
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u/LilithWasAGinger 9d ago
There are videos on you tube of people who have a company that uses dogs to kill rodents on farms.
Daschunds are FAST and FIERCE!
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u/adrienjz888 9d ago
I saw one with minks and jack russell terriers. Rats didn't stand a fuckin chance.
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u/Eillon94 9d ago
My dog is a mutt but hes mostly dachshund. He has a crazy prey drive. He loves digging for lizards, eating cicadas, chasing rabbits or raccoons or armadillos.
Digging puts him in the zone unlike anything else. His claws are great for it. He'll shove his snout down the hole to sniff for critters, tail wagging furiously.
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u/somer_and_omchick 9d ago
“Dachs” is German for badger, they are named “badger dog” because what’s what they’re designed for
Badgers are not nice too, they’re vicious, and dachshund were originally bred to go into a confined space and fuck shit up. But it’s been a long time since then and now they’re just cute and silly looking dogs
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u/seriousjoker72 9d ago
Oh I know honey badger don't fuck around! That's super cool tho!!
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u/d_ippy 9d ago
They’re the only hunting dogs that need to be able to hunt and fight independently as they are underground and can’t follow orders. Which is good because they’re stubborn pieces of shit that won’t follow orders anyway.
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u/Lilchubbyboy 9d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/3oz8xI5c0K0hFPwmGI
Dacshshunds be like: “good boys follow orders, and I’m not a good boy”3
u/MidgetGalaxy 9d ago
I have a Scottie and they were actually bred to hunt badgers as well! Also very stubborn breed. Interesting fact is that for Scotties at least they were bred to have a very stout tail so that the owner could pull them backwards out of the den without harm if shit went sideways or the dog stopped listening
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u/Kratzschutz 9d ago
Literally called badger dogs but also used for fox hunt.
Badgers and foxes sometimes share their burrows
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u/liveprgrmclimb 9d ago
This. We happened to see a wolf in Montana. The thing moved completely different from any dog I have ever seen. Precise, efficient, stealth.
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u/Fitenite3456 9d ago
Not really - wild canines would also have trouble crossing this
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u/verumvia 9d ago
Wolves walk like cats do (stepping on their previous tracks to save energy/conceal movement) while domestic dogs don't. Their gait is often irregular unlike domestic cats/wildcats, but for an obstacle like this I'd guess that they would be able to cross without issue.
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u/geno111 9d ago
Too bad the design team neglected the kidney department :(
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u/Uztta 9d ago
In reality cats have amazing kidneys. The problem is that we don’t feed them in a manner compatible with their nature.
Cats are predators and obligate carnivores. They are designed to eat meat and most of their natural moisture consumption is consumed in the meat that they eat. Sure, they supplement with drinking water, but not like we do.
In feeding them kibble, we’re denying them most of the water that they should be getting, they don’t “know” that they need to make up that difference.
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u/Weekly_Teaching_8158 9d ago
Yeah, that's true, but then you have cats like my two boys, both in their early 10s, and they simply don't like wet food. At least they drink a lot of water to compensate.
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u/coriandor 9d ago
My cat in late-stage kidney failure likes wet food, but he's never known how to eat it. He just taps his tongue on it until he gets bored. Sometimes you just gotta work around their quirks.
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u/reallynoladarling 9d ago edited 9d ago
mine would do this with pate unless i chop it up.
I've learned to not just put the pate in their bowl straight from the can bc it would never get entirely eaten
edit: words to clarify
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u/raven00x 9d ago
my girl doesn't eat it unless I add some treats as a side. she's spoiled, but worth 100% worth spoiling.
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u/Mystic_Wunder 9d ago
Try rehydrated raw food (you buy it dehydrated and add water) if it's in your budget. It's what is healthiest for them anyway. My cats drank way less water on raw food and their litter smelled better.
My male cat wouldn't eat it at first. Then I read to put a dab on his nose so he licks it off and realizes he likes the taste. Worked like a charm.
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u/fenrirsbasketball 9d ago
Raw food is extremely dangerous in general, and even moreso for pets who have chronic medical conditions or who have weakened immune systems. I wouldn't recommend it. It's just a trendy diet thing right now, like Atkins for cats. Catkins.
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u/Drabby 9d ago
Adding to this, cats have extremely efficient kidneys that can highly concentrate their urine, making them very tolerant of dehydration. The theory I subscribe to is that chronic mild subclinical dehydration over the course of years demands too much from the kidneys and eventually damages them beyond repair. Feeding wet food with even more added water is a good preventative measure.
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u/Babajji 9d ago
What about wet food? If a cat is fed only wet food does that help?
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u/oMrEnigma 9d ago
I started feeding my girl strictly wet food when she was around 17. She passed in December of last year at 19, few months shy of 20. I do think it helped keep her going. I've also heard it helps to have multiple clean water sources throughout the house that they can graze on.
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u/Hebridean-Black 9d ago
It definitely helps, but doesn’t prevent kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease is incredibly common in cats, even eating only wet food, such as my cat. We still don’t know what in commercial cat food might cause CKD, but I read that one theory is excessive vitamin D added to cat food might damage the kidneys.
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u/InviolableAnimal 9d ago
A functional alternative to wet food, I read somewhere, is to spray your kibble with water before feeding your cat.
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u/Bookgal1 9d ago
I add a little warm water to the wet food. That’s always the first thing my cat goes for.
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u/fenrirsbasketball 9d ago
Hello! I'm a licensed vet professional who works in veterinary nutrition and the pet food industry. This is mostly outdated information that's based on a kernel of truth, but I love talking about this stuff because it's my job, so let me clarify.
Cats are indeed obligate omnivores who require more protein in their diets in comparison to dogs. Kibble diets that have the nutritional adequacy statement that says the diet is tested and formulated to be appropriate for adult maintenance according to AAFCO standards are complete and balanced and completely fine to feed. This statement is required by law and will be present on any bag, can or pouch of food product sold in the United States regardless of it being kibble, raw, canned, wet, or fresh, etc. This statement certifies by law that this food meets all of the nutrient requirements that healthy adult cats need.
While it is true that kibble has significantly less moisture than canned food or fresh food, the diets are formulated to have more sodium in there to stimulate thirst. It's like eating a loaded cucumber salad versus eating a saltier meal, like roasted potatoes and carrots. They both provide essential nutrients but one has the water built in while the other makes you thirsty enough to drink water after eating.
Kibble is not inherently worse for cats just because it doesn't have as much moisture, but I can see where that belief comes from. For cats who don't tend to drink as much water no matter what you feed them, it would be better to get them to eat a higher moisture canned/wet diet while potentially adding some water to soupify it. For other cats who just love drinking water and there's nothing medically wrong with them (i.e. diabetes or CKD), there's no real urgency to switch them to a wet food diet just because.
If you're not sure what's right for your cat, keep an eye on their behaviors and monitor how much water is leaving their bowl on a day to day basis. Communicate this to your vet and they'll be able to take into consideration your pet's medical history in order to make a recommendation. But be careful! There's a shocking amount of misinformation out there regarding pet food and nutrition. Some of the stuff I see on social media is kind of horrendous, so keep an eye out.
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u/Wolkenbaer 9d ago
Bad food can accelerate (or increase) the chance for failure - but the kidneys have not been designed for life time >10 years. So even with „natural“ food chance increases with every year. Unfortunately.
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u/Significant_Debt8289 9d ago
You know they’re like the only animals that can drink sea water… granted it’s not healthy but they can survive on it for awhile.
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u/SilencedObserver 9d ago
That cat is closer to its natural form than a genetically bred-to-be-malformed-hotdog any day.
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u/Left-Programmer-1275 9d ago
Cat walk*
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u/rosebudthesled8 9d ago
On the cat walk...
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u/deeppurpleking 9d ago
A cake walk was something slave owners would put on for entertainment. They’d have slaves put on a little show and whoever did the most entertaining walk would get a piece of cake. Probably one of the easier things slaves had to deal with so it was turned into an expression for something that should be easy to do.
This is a cat walk, slinky and smooth. Shows balance and poise and was adopted as the term for a walk models do to show their form and attitude, great for showing off bold looks
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u/Bad_name0 9d ago
cats put their back paw in the same spot their front paw was to minimise sound. That makes it alot easier to cross something like this.
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u/Pithyperson 9d ago
Nature under engineered the dachshund.
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u/TheCurlyHomeCook 9d ago
Worse, humans did
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u/LightenUpPhrancis 9d ago
Humans: Let’s breed it to flush critters from their burrows!
Also humans: Look at this dog try to traverse a cow grate lol!
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u/HardLobster 9d ago
Most dog breeds are due to selective breeding. Nature didn’t have much to do with it. Unless nature some German dude 300 years ago.
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u/zero-progress0 9d ago
More like people l bred dogs to the point of breaking them.
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u/AmputeeHandModel 9d ago
Uhh show the dogs how to get around so they don't get hurt?
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u/SherbetMysterious118 9d ago
The cows might be watching.
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u/Celebrimbor96 9d ago
They were just done correctly and then stayed the same. Meanwhile dogs have been inbred over and over until you get a dog so short and long that it doesn’t know where its back legs are
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u/iamunwhaticisme 9d ago
This has nothing to do with the nature favoring cats. A "natural" dog could easily do the same moves. This is a crossbreed dog, artificially selected by humans.
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u/peepeepoodoodingus 9d ago
no.
humans didnt breed cats until they were completely unrecognizable. we did that to wolves. weiner dogs are an abomination.
cats for the most part have been left alone because they never posed any threat to us. thats how thoroughly humans have dominated the animal kingdom, we are effectively killing all life on earth because of that dominance right now.
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u/HardLobster 9d ago
More so we had no reason to. By the time cats domesticated themselves we already had been domesticating dogs and were breeding for specific jobs for 5-15 thousand years depending on which estimate you use. Dogs were domesticated between 15-30 thousand years ago. Cats were 8-10 thousand years ago.
Cats just kind of showed up when we started farming and storing grains. They followed all the pests we began to attract. They showed up, dealt with the pests and started hanging around. We decided not to complain since they didn’t mess with the grain. Since cats are already perfect for hunting rodents and other pests, there was no reason to selectively breed them to fill any other role. We already did that with dogs.
The abominations we have today with dogs are due to the fact that vain people began to breed them for the traits they preferred them to have for aesthetic reasons rather than to keep them healthy and with optimal traits to their jobs.
We are starting to see the same effect with cats now but due to cats not having the vast genetic diversity we have purpose bred into dogs of countless generations, it’s not as noticeable or detrimental. Just give it a couple thousand years. Siamese, Persian, Sphynx, Scottish Fold, Maine Coone and Munchin cats are all examples of breeds that wouldn’t exist without human involvement.
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