cats are beautiful... why?

[miriam_e]

Am I the only one who sees the peculiarity here? Cats look beautiful to us. We frequently coo and aaww over them. Even people who hate the slaughter they wreak upon the Australian wildlife still have to admit they are gorgeous creatures.

But why?

We are humans. They are cats -- a totally different kind of mammal. They have a completely different language from us, both verbal and body-language. They are quite alien. So how could we ever consider them beautiful? They don't even benefit from crossed parental cues the way dogs do. Dogs even share the same language as us, both verbal and physical. If we should feel another species was beautiful you'd think it would be the dog, but they are described differently -- they're our best friend, loyal, steadfast, noble... but rarely beautiful.

The only thing I can come up with is that there may have been some early selection for those who like cats because they kill rodents that take grain and pass on diseases like bubonic plague. Cats won't hang around unless it is in their interests to do so -- they aren't social animals. So a person with a misplaced adoration for cats would have been be in a much better survival position.

Just pointless thoughts. Can't be proved or disproved so it's far from scientific. But an interesting puzzle.

Comments

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've hear the notion of crossed over parental cues a lot (big eyes, etc), but while I think it has some part to play I doubt it is the whole story (for example tawny frogmouths have very big eyes and large heads but I doubt many people would coo over them see a pic at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tawny_frogmouths_close-up.jpg ).

I think we get closer to the heart of the matter when we consider the other things you listed. I know exactly what you mean and I feel these things myself when I watch a cat or have one with me. But I'm still puzzled. We are still talking about something completely non-human. Why would we feel any kind of affection for it?

Regardless of the answer (and I suspect it because of past humans who survived better because of their feline friends)... regardless of that, I think it is very fortunate for us, because I can't help feeling that it is one of the things that will let us survive our destructiveness. That we can love other species and appreciate their beauty, means we just might save enough of the rest of our planet's life to enable ourselves to survive.

Tawny Frog Mouths

[amberitus.livejournal.com]

I had an opportunity on the weekend to see a Tawny up close, it was about 2 metres away on the balcony near where i was sitting. It flew away before I could get close to it. But if I could have I would have cooed over it. I love Tawnies.