Did you realize that rats read backwards means star? Oh, I'm sorry - I guess I just accidentally dropped my handheld microphone - but look what the cat dragged in...Rats! Thousands of them!
“Shh…this is Exham Priory..they’re just ghost-“
-rats…
Oh my, those are some big paws he's sporting, and his eyes and ears indicate he's ready for battle...
My brother and his wife have a polydactyl Maine Coon, which they've called Polly. She also has a long bushy tail. These are all the result of artificial selection, but they tell me they serve well in cold, snowy climates. I do warn them that since she has thumbs, their days might be numbered. Here she is at two years old.Polydactyl cats are interesting... and one does wonder if they act as built-in snowshoes?
Male kitten with 23 toes.
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Frankly, at this particular point in time, when following the global news cycle, I'm starting to feel like this here planet just might be so much better off if we just ceded control to our benign and benevolent feline overlords... All in favor of slit pupil four limbed furry legged mammals taking over control please rise...My brother and his wife have a polydactyl Maine Coon, which they've called Polly. She also has a long bushy tail. These are all the result of artificial selection, but they tell me they serve well in cold, snowy climates. I do warn them that since she has thumbs, their days might be numbered. Here she is at two years old.
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If all humans vanished, they'd probably have a good chance of succeeding us over the next few million years (I know, evolution isn't teleological). We've distributed them worldwide, they're numerous, intelligent, highly adaptable, good at hiding, and establish human-independent populations easily (inevitably, in fact). Despite being obligate carnivores, they're small, meaning that they don't require so much mass of prey, which was one of the filters for the KT event.Frankly, at this particular point in time, when following the global news cycle, I'm starting to feel like this here planet just might be so much better off if we just ceded control to our benign and benevolent feline overlords... All in favor of slit pupil four limbed furry legged mammals taking over control please rise...
One caveat in this scenario is how domestic dogs would fare in that situation. Due to the vastly different sizes and associated physical capabilities of dog breeds, I think it is likely that at least in North America larger dogs would eventually more or less successfully interbreed with wolves and coyotes and form roaming packs that would hunt as coordinated units. With cats typically being solitary predators, I have reason to believe that one of our cats became the victim of coyotes in our Southern California neighborhood, so in certain areas stuff like this is already happening. But then again, depending on population density, abandoned house cats might well form a clowder (I've repeatedly encountered social groups of feral cats in the more or less wild in different locations) and go to battle bloody tooth and claw with those darned canines...If all humans vanished, they'd probably have a good chance of succeeding us over the next few million years (I know, evolution isn't teleological). We've distributed them worldwide, they're numerous, intelligent, highly adaptable, good at hiding, and establish human-independent populations easily (inevitably, in fact). Despite being obligate carnivores, they're small, meaning that they don't require so much mass of prey, which was one of the filters for the KT event.
I sense there might be a SF story line somewhere in this scenario...If all humans vanished, they'd probably have a good chance of succeeding us over the next few million years (I know, evolution isn't teleological). We've distributed them worldwide, they're numerous, intelligent, highly adaptable, good at hiding, and establish human-independent populations easily (inevitably, in fact). Despite being obligate carnivores, they're small, meaning that they don't require so much mass of prey, which was one of the filters for the KT event.
I remember IMG_6557. Jack the Cat of West Milford, NJ, circa 2006. IIRC, he was already relatively old when he "treed" the bear!A medley.