Archived Why do we pick predators (dogs and cats) as our favorite pets? (AskVoat)
submitted ago by newoldwave
Posted by: newoldwave
Posting time: 5.3 years ago on
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Archived on: 2/12/2017 1:51:00 AM
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Archived Why do we pick predators (dogs and cats) as our favorite pets? (AskVoat)
submitted ago by newoldwave
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[–] 1519141? 1 point 18 points 19 points (+19|-1) ago (edited ago)
Dogs/wolves and humans have hunted together for thousands of years. When people began to plant crops, cats became useful to keep rodents away. That's why dogs are cooler than cats.
[–] wolflink009 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Ya, to add on to this dogs/wolves once had a practical purpose and helped our survival. We in turn helped them survive by basically giving them another evolutionary path to follow. We bred for genes/behaviour that are cute/loving etc... and BAM, you've got the dogs of today.
[–] l-emmerdeur 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Thats like saying Steve Buscemi is cooler than Jim Belushi because he has teeth.
It is one of a myriad of reasons.
[–] FFX01 0 points 10 points 10 points (+10|-0) ago
Because predators, especially social predators, tend to be more intelligent and thus more easily trained. Also, humans and wolves have remarkably similar social structure.
[–] Aierx ago
What if they learned social cues from us and it was just embedded into their brains that being social had rewards and those genes/behaviour were passed down because it was beneficial? I mean it had to start somewhere
[–] FFX01 ago
It would take more time than humans have been around to selective breed that type of genetic mutation. They were already social before we came around.
[–] Pattoe 0 points 7 points 7 points (+7|-0) ago
All of the reasons listed here are great. also remember that most herbivores need to constantly graze and feed, this makes them a horrible house pet. They also shit a lot more than predators, since their food is very fibrous and not very nutritious. Predator's food is very nutritious and less fibrous which means less shitting.
These reasons are definitely not the main reasons, but I'm sure they factor in somewhere.
[–] Dadosaurus 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago (edited ago)
To help us kill of course. Cats were domesticated to kill mice and other vermin. Dogs were domesticated to help us hunt and herd other animals.
[–] LemonRose 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
Because they can be house-trained?
[–] Diavolo1988 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Because we are predators too. Herbivores are our food, predators are our buddies.
[–] GodspeedYuBlackMetal 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Prey animals are very skittish, and they are hard to get them to trust you. Source: Raised rabbits for many years.
[–] thelordofcheese ago
Because keeping a pedophile as a pet is just silly.