• somethingsomethingidk@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    From wikipedia

    Adult cats rarely meow to each other. Thus, an adult cat meowing to human beings is generally considered a post-domestication extension of meowing by kittens: a call for attention.

    • Auli@lemmy.ca
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      6 months ago

      Cats are not domesticated though or not fully domesticated. They are tame.

      • sparkle@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        this is a stupid take especially considering that “tame” usually literally just means domesticated

        1. Not or no longer wild; domesticated

        adjective: 1. (of an animal) not dangerous or frightened of people; domesticated.

        verb: domesticate (an animal).

        reduced from a state of native wildness especially so as to be tractable and useful to humans : DOMESTICATED

        in fact the first definition for “tame” in every dictionary i’ve looked up just has the word “domesticated” as the meaning for tame. “domesticate” and “tame” are also indirectly cognates, they both ultimately derive from PIE *dem(h₂), just “domesticate” is Latinate and “tame” is Germanic, but that’s more of a fun fact than a relevant indicator of meaning.

        we selectively bred cats to fit our wants/needs, they live in our house and pester us to support their lifestyle, what about that isn’t domestication