http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/11/why-we-have-cats Comments On: Why We Keep Cats by Charles Mudede en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss " And nothing in biology makes sense outside of the light of Darwinian evolution."
It seems to be contradictory; as descent with modification is observed with a scientific gaze, so too is the ability to wonder. Wondering is a tentative and curious activity that despises -- yet it too contains internal sophistication and seeming contradiction -- knowing what one thinks one knows because this is a form of self-harm.
Posted by gwhayduke]]> Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:48:19 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Baby Blue]]> Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:36:42 -0800 The Stranger Posted by McGee]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:35:50 -0800 The Stranger how your cat is making you crazy.
Posted by RonK, Seattle]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:28:21 -0800 The Stranger Posted by uncreative]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:54:25 -0800 The Stranger Posted by ScrawnyKayaker]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:52:32 -0800 The Stranger
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles…

There are plenty of things that attract rats, free food being number one. If your neighbor is letting her cats run amok in the neighborhood, they are likely crapping in peoples' veggie gardens, among other areas. Those veggies can come into contact with their feces and spread toxoplasmosis to anyone/anything eating them (if the cat is a carrier, which most are). The thing is, you shouldn't see an increase in rat populations as a result of infection, because they will be less cautious when scavenging, and therefore more likely to be caught/killed by a cat.

Your neighbor is crazy, there are rats in the neighborhood because rats live everywhere.
Posted by Bored@School]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:31:59 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Sean Kinney]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:26:11 -0800 The Stranger
It should be "Why Cats Keep Us".

On a related note, barn cats are very useful in keeping down rodents, large insects, and snakes. Or at least they were when I was a kid in Pennsylvania, Texas, and British Columbia. Yes, I said snakes.
Posted by Will in Seattle]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:23:53 -0800 The Stranger
Our cat has been pretty "practical" for rodent control, though the other benefits have made pet ownership well worth it anyway.
Posted by wxPDX]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:14:16 -0800 The Stranger
As I've noted before in other comment threads, tenant rights in Seattle are a fucking joke. If #11 and husband live in a detached single family home, they are shit out of luck. Any extermination of pests is entirely their responsibility, or they can break the lease and lose their deposit.
Posted by keshmeshi]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:29:12 -0800 The Stranger Posted by usagi]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:20:42 -0800 The Stranger
If she has cats, then it would seem that her place should be relatively safe from rodents, but that doesn't mean they won't set up a home somewhere the cats cannot get to. Rats especially are problem solvers and will figure out quickly that a window or wall between them and a cat makes them safe.


Posted by lauramae]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:57:52 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Matt the Engineer]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:46:19 -0800 The Stranger
Then there was the times when my hamster got free and managed to go from my bedroom to the laundry room (kind of in the kitchen) all without getting pawned by the family cats. The cats alerted me and my mother to the whereabouts of said hamster because they were guarding the laundry door patiently waiting.
Posted by Simone]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:41:17 -0800 The Stranger
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/fyi-guy/20…
Posted by annettefunicello]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:40:37 -0800 The Stranger Posted by wxPDX]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:35:29 -0800 The Stranger Posted by chinaski]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:15:22 -0800 The Stranger Posted by SeattleKim]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:15:10 -0800 The Stranger Dexter look like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Posted by Knat]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:09:11 -0800 The Stranger Posted by julie russell]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:01:13 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Pope Peabrain]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:55:21 -0800 The Stranger Posted by care bear]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:48:19 -0800 The Stranger
Humans can be affected as well (granted, pregnant mothers can get sick and die, or miscarry as a result of infection). But many people who once hated cats can come to love them simply because their brain has been tricked by a parasite into feeling joy and pleasure instead of revulsion.


Posted by Bored@School]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:37:45 -0800 The Stranger
the cat's still paying us back for that one.
Posted by Max Solomon]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:36:47 -0800 The Stranger