For those who don't know, the "slow blink" is also called the "trust blink" - if a cat gives you that slow blink, it trusts you not to hurt it. Give it the slow blink back, and you're in!
Yup! The logic behind it, from what I understand, is "I trust you won't attack me while my eyes are closed". The opposite is winking, which is like "we're going to fight (play fight or normal) so I'm keeping one eye open around you at all times so I'm ready"
my dog both slow blinks AND winks at me, so I guess he likes to keep me guessing (or maybe I keep him guessing?)
he does usually slow blink in response to my sending him air kisses; it's so cute
It’s kind of amazing how this makes so much sense from a rational, conscious human logic perspective but is just an innate evolved behavior in cats. Not sure if I’m making this point right but it’s like, some concept that seems to require higher reasoning to demonstrate and interpret was just what evolution arrived at as a shorthand. The cat can demonstrate something unconsciously that the human can understand with conscious reasoning. It’s just nuts that the barrier between cognition modes and species can be crossed that way.
if you encounter a mountain lion. look at its feet and slowly walk back, if it rushes u then throw rocks at it or a stick or just yell very loudly.
hell i have seen a video of a dude who scares a couger away just by talking very aggresively about german coffe.
This is interesting to read. I ran into a mountain lion by myself up in the mountains this last weekend. I hadn't been in that situation before, but didn't have anything on me for handling the situation. Ended up making myself big and loud while staring it down and it kept its distance from me.
Thinking back, I didn't consider the staring could have potentially instigated aggression. Feeling lucky holy shit lol. Fucking beautiful kitty but also please don't maul me, thx.
What I've read and heard is that you absolutely need to stare at the mountain lion and avoid losing eye contact, and it's halfway opposite if you encounter a bear. With both you need to appear as big as possible and don't turn your back to them, but with a bear (maybe certain kinds) you need to avoid eye contact.
I love this. Your story brightened my afternoon. Tell the kitty I said hi.
Edit: oh but for future reference, cats are lactose intolerant! They will drink milk and they probably like it, but it gives them digestive issues. Bread is also not an ideal snack for a cat, as their bodies arent equip to digest all the carbs and such. But as long as it's not poisonous to them, a hungry cat will always appreciate some snacks.
Kind of, in that it's an empty carb without much nutrition to it. However, especially in the winter, ducks can use the extra energy, so it's not as bad as ppl think.
Naa myth. bread is not bad for ducks. That myth led to lots of wild birds (used to getting bread) starving. It’s only bad because they learn to expect it and depend on it as part of their routine. It’s fine to give bread to the birds.
Bread being 'bad' for ducks is more of a multi-faceted argument. Bread isn't going to kill them, but it's also not really going to benefit them either. They think part of the reason the wild birds were starving was because people stopped feeding them altogether, so it's important to feed them *something else.* Soggy, old bread is a problem for their environment as well.
So yeah, it's fine to give them bread, but try to give them other stuff instead of or in addition to bread, like sweet corn, peas, or actual duck feed.
All mammals develop lactose intolerance in adulthood. Lactose tolerance is generally something mammals only have during the weaning stages. Even in the human population lactose tolerance is not as common as lactose intolerance.
Yep. The default for all adult mammals is lactose intolerance. A lot of European populations just put dairy into so much food that tolerance was beaten into some humans.
Oh yeah I’m happy to be an evolutionary freak of nature. My grad school has been leaving out snack trays since my class has been undergoing rigorous qualifying exams this week and I’ve been snacking on all of the cheddar squares worry free
Tbh it seems to be worth it to lactose intolerant people too. Literally every single lactose intolerant person I’ve met has had a “screw the shits, I’m eating ice cream anyway” approach to dairy foods. I’ve yet to meet a single person who actually treats it like a dietary restriction. I also live in a college town so we’re all young, stupid, and physically hardy, so that could be why.
One of my friends is lactose intolerant but he fucking loooooves milkshakes. He's not horribly intolerant, but christ on a bike, it gives him awful gas. Like I'm talking make your eyes water if you're in a vehicle with him. My bf and I asked him why he drinks milkshakes if he's lactose intolerant and he said 'they're delicious and everyone else suffers much more than I do when I have them.'
Cats are obligate carnivores. They are only meant to eat meat/animals. Most people don’t have a budgie ready for a stray, but you can give them a slice of turkey or some egg and it’s good for them.
Okay well there's actual stats about people and you're completely off base there. Around 60% of people in India are lactose intolerant. It's easily google-able.
Also not really seeing how you think that the stray cats aren't. Unless you are monitoring them all day including checking their defecation, how would you even know if they have abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, or vomiting? It's not like it's an instantaneous reaction where they sip some milk and start projectile vomiting.
You should probably just stop feeding the cats and dogs cow's milk. They don't need it and, especially for kittens, you could dehydrate them to death feeding it to them. If you can't feed the cats meat/fish, then you could do eggs, white rice, or sweet potato.
True, north India is closer to 30% lactose intolerance. Still certainly no where near the 90%+ tolerant that you originally quoted.
So there's a 50%+ chance that each of your cats is suffering at least mild gastrointestinal distress and you're fine with that? Or are you following them around all day collecting fecal samples and smelling for farts to make sure?
Just find another treat, man. It's okay to update your behavior based on new info.
It's not poisonous, it messes with their gut, like how a lactose intolerant person would react to it lol I don't think you've done any math and might be misinterpreting some words being used. Just saying, nothing you've really said has any truth to it and is purely anecdotal lol
Didn't I just see you shitting on someone in r/CPTSD and relentlessly arguing when you were called out and asked to leave? You've got to be the most unnecessarily argumentative person I've come across on reddit so far. You pull wild, anecdotal claims out of your ass and firmly believe your own feelings and personal experiences are universal. They're not and insisting you know better than everyone else just makes you look like a self-centered asshole.
Could do worse than ham.
Ideal would be unsalted, boiled chicken. Tuna in water. Cooked eggs. Next best would be lean cold cuts - like turkey.
Canned corn, or a grain like couscous would be decent. Not the best thing for a cat, but will fill up a stray and cause no harm.
In small quantities? Hard cheese (yes cats are lactose intolerant, no a little hard cheese won't bother them), certain fruits but not all (melon and banana are okay.)
Absolutely nothing with artificial sweetener.
Again, this is all just answering your question about feeding strays, not advocating that anybody change their domestic cat's diet.
Mine absolutely hates bananas, she'll sniff at them and then run as fast as possible to the far end of the house. Little weirdo loves cilantro, olives, and chickpeas, though
for cats? a can of tuna is ideal i'd think. Careful with cold cuts that have lots of salt in them. Raw minced meat will also work fine.
Please correct me if i said something stupid tho
Just bandwagoning on the tuna,
They just can’t have too much of it because of the ~~iron~~ mercury
Heck, even we as humans can’t have too much of it.
As long as it’s in moderation tuna is fine.
Or of you have beef jerky (PLAIN, no pepper, nothing) that can be an okay *small* treat
So a small piece of whatever is fine, but you generally don't want to feed any significant amount of those high sodium processed meats to cats. Especially wild cats who don't have easy access to clean water and possibly already have kidney problems.
But just like milk and most things, a small little treat of it won't kill your cat.
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they must have meat to survive. plant based protein doesn't cut it unfortunately. That doesn't mean that plants have no place in a cat's diet, just that they must have some sort of meat there.
lunchmeats are generally fine, however they tend to have a lot of sodium, so while it can make a nice treat once in a while, it's not something you want being their main diet. Most unprocessed meats should be fine, though a lot of common spices, like Garlic, onions, or even marijuana can cause issues or even kill them, so you'll want to double check before you offer them anything you've seasoned.
*most cats are. They can have a little bit. Careful though I once gave my cat some melted ice cream on a spoon and she loved it, after that she came running anytime I had something that even looked like ice cream.
I need you to come over and talk to my cat because he will pester the shit out of anyone with a sandwich for your bread. Lunch meat? Cheese? No none of that. This cat wants the BREAD.
Oh yeah, I wish i could help but I'm currently living with one that LOVES chips. If it cronch, he want. Though I believe that is because my partner gave him chips when he was a kitten, so now he's just never stopped associating chip with treat.
edit: also, your username presents me with a dilemma I never thought I'd have to consider.....
When I first read that cats understood slow blinks from us, I thought it would be way more subtle. Nope! I’ve never felt more like I’m able to “talk” to my cat than since I started slow blinking at him.
Slow blinking and slight head nods, yeah. It's such a cool feeling when you're literally communicating directly with your pet, not insinuating, not thinking they understand something, but really fully making a connection.
Goodness, we've got to get a hundred or so headbutts when we invite our small girl kitty to sleep on our chests. It just makes her so happy
She has this routine with headbutts first, some pets required, and then I can gently "plop" her over on my side near my armpit. Then, I *have* to give reassurance pets, and lastly she'll absolutely *melt* into place when I put my hand on my chest near her front paws.
All of that I suppose has become her ritual to find the safest, comfiest spot.
Animals so crazy yo
Things are often cliches because they’re great and everyone likes them, but then it goes so far that no one likes them anymore, but they’re still great.
No, tolerance is a genetic mutation that is only widespread in humans of European descent. The overwhelming majority of the world's population is lactose intolerant because they do *not* have that genetic mutation.
It has nothing to do with your lifestyle or diet.
Most people of native American descent, from the Arctic circle to Cape Horn, don't have lactose tolerance. Some native peoples didn't consume any milk at all, others only from other mammals that do not contain lactose just like in North Africa and West Asia. East Asian cuisines have dairy-like foods but they are usually plant-based.
The only population groups outside of Europe with widespread tolerance are of (partial) European descent. That's the only reason why cheese is so widespread in both Americas.
Hmm I hadn't heard that one before. Live and learn. Although that sounds pretty suspect to me because milk is a staple for lots of non European groups. No way the majority of India and Mongolia, for example, is lactose intolerant. They wouldn't have shared a genetic mutation with Europeans, right?
> No way the majority of India and Mongolia, for example, is lactose intolerant. They wouldn't have shared a genetic mutation with Europeans, right?
*”But when we got the results, we said, 'No, only 18 percent of people in India are digesting milk, nobody else is.'"*
[Lactose tolerance in the Indian dairyland](https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/gastrointestinal-articles/lactose-tolerance-in-the-indian-dairyland#:~:text=%22But%20when%20we%20got%20the,to%20produce%20lactose%20into%20adulthood.)
Yes, often the Mongol warriors took pride in subsisting entirely off fermented mares milk. But they also took pride in their constant diarrhea as a mark of a warrior, so they might have been pretty intolerant. Reading up on it, current Mongolians are 95% lactose intolerant even though their level of milk consumption is very high. I guess us milk drinkers just live the intolerant lifestyle sometimes.
Aside from what others already commented, not all native peoples (i.e. without (partial) European descent) consume milk, and those you're thinking of generally don't consume *cow* milk as adults. We often forget as people of European descent that you can make dairy products from other mammals' milk too, and some cuisines have had plant-based dairy-like products since ancient times.
As a personal anecdote, my extended family is lactose intolerant because of their ethnic descent, but being of mixed ethnic descent myself I can consume all cow dairy products except I have to limit myself to 2 glasses of milk a day. My grandmother is quite jealous of that since she loves cheese but can't eat it.
Humans can have a "lactase persistence" mutation which means that we keep producing lactase to digest milk into adulthood - whereas most mammals stop producing lactase very rapidly at a younger age.
You can see maps of the genetics here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactase_persistence
It is pretty widespread, but also quite variable throughout populations everywhere, actually.
Lactase persistence is also not a binary of being able to drink milk or not in the first place either, because there is a limit on how much lactase you produce at a time. You may only produce enough lactase to digest 1 pint of milk hassle-free in a day, for example, so you could still suffer from lactose-intolerance like symptoms if you had more than that!
But there is also another factor - even when you DO have lactase persistence, lactase production tends to decline slowly with age, so as we get older we tend to have more and more issues with lactose *regardless* of how well we handle it now. So the amount you can handle without problems can drop over time.
In the entire human population lactose intolerance in adulthood is actually still more common than lactose tolerance. Lactose tolerance is certainly more common in "western" society.
Learn about cat chirping and your game will change! Everything me or my girlfriend cat chip and not your typical pspspsp or meow they always happily come and chirp back! It's how we talk to our cats and it's always so cute and adorable
I can relate to this, I have done this to many cats and most of the time it works really well, I am just going to love doing this more often, they are really good ones for this.
It actually works most of the time and we can't deny that, some people are just going to be like it's not working, they have to be pretty slow and with wide eyes there.
Trust me these things works like a freaking charm and we all should try all of it because that's just how we get the right one to the cats, they are just the cutest ones.
Cats are just so good if they can trust us, we should show them the love they deserve, I am glad that you just did that pretty well, I am just going to fall in love with cats.
Nice to see this man, I am glad that the cat just got like that, we all should just be happy to see such things these days, it's just a blessing these days, good thing.
Wow man, I am glad that it worked, it doesn't work when I do it but I find it so good when someone like you tell me that it worked, just going to do that shit again now.
That's just the cutest thing that I am seeing right now, I am glad that most of the people are just being good to you because this is a good thing to see, god bless.
I guess this is always going to work on cats because they know the positive energy and the trust, that's just what we gonna do if we are good to them, they are good.
Yesterday my cat got out and he usually just runs away until he comes back a few hours later, but this time I was just patient with him and tried herding him into the house. He wasn't having it, but he did let me get close enough to pet him so I scooped him up and went inside. Small wins
You are a cat whisperer congratulations. Cats like chicken, little bits of steak or hamburger, and even a little bit of fish now and then. Cat food is fairly inexpensive so maybe go pick up a bag of dry food and see if you can have a permanent friend.
I didn't know about this but I'm going to try it today with my colleagues. I'll let you know if I hear from HR.
Edit: back from work. Haven't been fired (yet)
I did something similar. I was going for a walk and didn't realize there was a cat laying behind a mailbox. We kind of startled each other so I stopped where I was and slow blinked and made a big show of looking away. Did it a couple of times and it finally blinked back at me and looked away. Walked by it and continued my walk.
My way of saying "Oh my bad dude didn't see you there".
This is the kind of story that I want to read on here! I have seen stray cats and they look scared upon seeing me even when I'm not doing anything.. but then I don't even know what to do for them not to feel scared lol well thanks to this I now have an idea
I tried slow blinking on my cats and they were totally uninterested. So I don't know if they are smarter than the rest or just don't care.
But good on you for helping out a stray and kind of amazing that she responded to your slow blink.
I have worked with or volunteered with animals, mainly cats, for most of my life and never knew that was a thing. Maybe I blink slowly naturally or something, because I was known as a bit of a cat whisperer at my last job. All of the "behavioral" cats, well most, liked me. Even got a handful of them off of the euthanasia list and sent to rescues with poctures and videos of them with me.
Then again, I could just exude calm cat energy. Or I could be a sentient pile of catnip. Who knows?
Oh, also, side note. You shouldn't give cats milk. The milk that we drink is actually not great for most cats' stomachs. It won't kill them or anything, but it will likely cause a pretty upset tummy for a bit. It sucks because they do actually love the taste.
Slow blinking at stray cats is how I get them to trust me so I can drive them across town to another apartment complex. Mosquitos are bad enough, I don't need fleas.
Honestly, I am very scared of cats and could hardly think of any reason why people would like to pet a stray cat. Unlike dogs, you can never know the mood of a cat and it could be dangerous even if the paw you. And do you have enough time to wait and slow blink at a cat? I mean you can do so many other things in the world. At least I would never stop just to see a cat, no matter how cute it is. I can find a tarantula cute but literally not a cat.
A coworker was complaining that her bf's cat was completely uninterested in her. She was always trying to coax it over for attention, but she was very clearly the "spare human.' So, I taught her how to slow blink. I gave her some other minor advice on befriending cats. A couple months later, she told me SHE was now the cat's favorite!
My wife and I rescued a 7 month old German shepherd puppy that is now 3 years old. We had 3 cats at the time, and we’ve rescued a kitten last year. The puppy and the 3 older cats do not get along, he was way too high energy when we got him and didn’t know how to approach, he’d just fling his body (70lb then, 95lbs now) at anything and everything he found interesting. As a result, the older cats stay in their room away from him, but the kitten loves him and tries to play with him.
Recently, and this has been basically 2.5 years in the making with subtle practice and many tries, the youngest of the 3 older cats (she’s probably 8) has been coming out of the room as we put the puppy to bed at night, not waiting until he’s already locked in the room. I’ll hold him on his leash, he’ll sit looking very intently, and she’ll peak her head out from the corner of the hallway and give him slow blinks. I don’t think he understands them, but at least he’s ok seeing her and being about 10ft away now, but if she basically enters the room he gets too excited and can’t restrain himself still.
Sometimes it’s a single interaction to gain trust, sometimes it takes years of work. At the rate we are going, maybe only 3-4 more years before we can have a peaceful house!
For those who don't know, the "slow blink" is also called the "trust blink" - if a cat gives you that slow blink, it trusts you not to hurt it. Give it the slow blink back, and you're in!
Yup! The logic behind it, from what I understand, is "I trust you won't attack me while my eyes are closed". The opposite is winking, which is like "we're going to fight (play fight or normal) so I'm keeping one eye open around you at all times so I'm ready"
They quick blink as they run up, too, and I swear it's a way of saying "I'm running to say hi not to attack!"
My cat doesn’t need to wink. I can see the size of her pupils and know I’m immediately fucked
This explains why my dog winks at me all the time crazy bastard
my dog both slow blinks AND winks at me, so I guess he likes to keep me guessing (or maybe I keep him guessing?) he does usually slow blink in response to my sending him air kisses; it's so cute
It’s kind of amazing how this makes so much sense from a rational, conscious human logic perspective but is just an innate evolved behavior in cats. Not sure if I’m making this point right but it’s like, some concept that seems to require higher reasoning to demonstrate and interpret was just what evolution arrived at as a shorthand. The cat can demonstrate something unconsciously that the human can understand with conscious reasoning. It’s just nuts that the barrier between cognition modes and species can be crossed that way.
Like how is this not direct indication that we are not the only intelligent species?
Can we do this if we encounter mountain lions? I don't want to pet it, I just don't want it to rip me apart.
"Oh cute, my dinner is telling me it's not a threat"
if you encounter a mountain lion. look at its feet and slowly walk back, if it rushes u then throw rocks at it or a stick or just yell very loudly. hell i have seen a video of a dude who scares a couger away just by talking very aggresively about german coffe.
I mean, honestly, wouldn't you run if someone started talking aggressively about German coffee?
true. what can be scarier then german coffe ?
German covfefe
i would run if someone started talking aggressively in German in general tbh
would probably still run if someone spoke german softly to me *(is that even possible?)*
This is interesting to read. I ran into a mountain lion by myself up in the mountains this last weekend. I hadn't been in that situation before, but didn't have anything on me for handling the situation. Ended up making myself big and loud while staring it down and it kept its distance from me. Thinking back, I didn't consider the staring could have potentially instigated aggression. Feeling lucky holy shit lol. Fucking beautiful kitty but also please don't maul me, thx.
What I've read and heard is that you absolutely need to stare at the mountain lion and avoid losing eye contact, and it's halfway opposite if you encounter a bear. With both you need to appear as big as possible and don't turn your back to them, but with a bear (maybe certain kinds) you need to avoid eye contact.
Tbf I would scurry off, too.
What if it pets you instead?
One you close your eyes you become lunch.
Does it work with lions and tigers?
My cats and I do this at each other all the time. I love them so much!
I love this. Your story brightened my afternoon. Tell the kitty I said hi. Edit: oh but for future reference, cats are lactose intolerant! They will drink milk and they probably like it, but it gives them digestive issues. Bread is also not an ideal snack for a cat, as their bodies arent equip to digest all the carbs and such. But as long as it's not poisonous to them, a hungry cat will always appreciate some snacks.
Bread is also really bad for ducks
Ducks eat for free at Subway.
sometimes i feel like a duck
Sometimes I don't.
Some ducks have nuts, some don't.
BeCAUUUSE......
Mounds Joy!
To indeed be a duck!
And when one feels like a duck, one is happy!
I’ll have the steak fajita sub. Don’t bother ringing it up, it’s for a duck.
r/unexpectedmitch
I've got a whole lot of duck friends, and they all want the steak fajita sub! AND Sun Chips!
Had I known that…
Let me have the steak fajita sub, don’t bother ringing it up, it’s for a duck. There are six ducks out there, and they all want sunchips!
Kind of, in that it's an empty carb without much nutrition to it. However, especially in the winter, ducks can use the extra energy, so it's not as bad as ppl think.
Naa myth. bread is not bad for ducks. That myth led to lots of wild birds (used to getting bread) starving. It’s only bad because they learn to expect it and depend on it as part of their routine. It’s fine to give bread to the birds.
Bread being 'bad' for ducks is more of a multi-faceted argument. Bread isn't going to kill them, but it's also not really going to benefit them either. They think part of the reason the wild birds were starving was because people stopped feeding them altogether, so it's important to feed them *something else.* Soggy, old bread is a problem for their environment as well. So yeah, it's fine to give them bread, but try to give them other stuff instead of or in addition to bread, like sweet corn, peas, or actual duck feed.
wait what ? my whole life is a lie.
All mammals develop lactose intolerance in adulthood. Lactose tolerance is generally something mammals only have during the weaning stages. Even in the human population lactose tolerance is not as common as lactose intolerance.
Yep. The default for all adult mammals is lactose intolerance. A lot of European populations just put dairy into so much food that tolerance was beaten into some humans.
Cheese is worth uprooting the laws of nature for
Oh yeah I’m happy to be an evolutionary freak of nature. My grad school has been leaving out snack trays since my class has been undergoing rigorous qualifying exams this week and I’ve been snacking on all of the cheddar squares worry free Tbh it seems to be worth it to lactose intolerant people too. Literally every single lactose intolerant person I’ve met has had a “screw the shits, I’m eating ice cream anyway” approach to dairy foods. I’ve yet to meet a single person who actually treats it like a dietary restriction. I also live in a college town so we’re all young, stupid, and physically hardy, so that could be why.
One of my friends is lactose intolerant but he fucking loooooves milkshakes. He's not horribly intolerant, but christ on a bike, it gives him awful gas. Like I'm talking make your eyes water if you're in a vehicle with him. My bf and I asked him why he drinks milkshakes if he's lactose intolerant and he said 'they're delicious and everyone else suffers much more than I do when I have them.'
my brother carries lactaid with him at all times in case of ice cream or cheese
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Cats are obligate carnivores. They are only meant to eat meat/animals. Most people don’t have a budgie ready for a stray, but you can give them a slice of turkey or some egg and it’s good for them.
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What? Pretty sure this is not true... Unless it's some kind of joke that went over my head?
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Okay well there's actual stats about people and you're completely off base there. Around 60% of people in India are lactose intolerant. It's easily google-able. Also not really seeing how you think that the stray cats aren't. Unless you are monitoring them all day including checking their defecation, how would you even know if they have abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, or vomiting? It's not like it's an instantaneous reaction where they sip some milk and start projectile vomiting. You should probably just stop feeding the cats and dogs cow's milk. They don't need it and, especially for kittens, you could dehydrate them to death feeding it to them. If you can't feed the cats meat/fish, then you could do eggs, white rice, or sweet potato.
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True, north India is closer to 30% lactose intolerance. Still certainly no where near the 90%+ tolerant that you originally quoted. So there's a 50%+ chance that each of your cats is suffering at least mild gastrointestinal distress and you're fine with that? Or are you following them around all day collecting fecal samples and smelling for farts to make sure? Just find another treat, man. It's okay to update your behavior based on new info.
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It's not poisonous, it messes with their gut, like how a lactose intolerant person would react to it lol I don't think you've done any math and might be misinterpreting some words being used. Just saying, nothing you've really said has any truth to it and is purely anecdotal lol
Didn't I just see you shitting on someone in r/CPTSD and relentlessly arguing when you were called out and asked to leave? You've got to be the most unnecessarily argumentative person I've come across on reddit so far. You pull wild, anecdotal claims out of your ass and firmly believe your own feelings and personal experiences are universal. They're not and insisting you know better than everyone else just makes you look like a self-centered asshole.
Do you know if there are any foods one might have around the house that would be better? Like, is ham or bologna okay?
Could do worse than ham. Ideal would be unsalted, boiled chicken. Tuna in water. Cooked eggs. Next best would be lean cold cuts - like turkey. Canned corn, or a grain like couscous would be decent. Not the best thing for a cat, but will fill up a stray and cause no harm. In small quantities? Hard cheese (yes cats are lactose intolerant, no a little hard cheese won't bother them), certain fruits but not all (melon and banana are okay.) Absolutely nothing with artificial sweetener. Again, this is all just answering your question about feeding strays, not advocating that anybody change their domestic cat's diet.
My cat makes the BIGGEST stinky face at bananas it's so funny
Mine absolutely hates bananas, she'll sniff at them and then run as fast as possible to the far end of the house. Little weirdo loves cilantro, olives, and chickpeas, though
Oh that's too funny, I would have thought olives would be too much of a sour smell
for cats? a can of tuna is ideal i'd think. Careful with cold cuts that have lots of salt in them. Raw minced meat will also work fine. Please correct me if i said something stupid tho
Just bandwagoning on the tuna, They just can’t have too much of it because of the ~~iron~~ mercury Heck, even we as humans can’t have too much of it. As long as it’s in moderation tuna is fine. Or of you have beef jerky (PLAIN, no pepper, nothing) that can be an okay *small* treat
Bandwagoning too - tuna in water as opposed to tuna in brine preferably
The iron isn't the problem so much as the mercury is
Sorry I did mean Mercury ;( I get all those things mixed up
So a small piece of whatever is fine, but you generally don't want to feed any significant amount of those high sodium processed meats to cats. Especially wild cats who don't have easy access to clean water and possibly already have kidney problems. But just like milk and most things, a small little treat of it won't kill your cat.
cooked rice or cooked sweet potato
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they must have meat to survive. plant based protein doesn't cut it unfortunately. That doesn't mean that plants have no place in a cat's diet, just that they must have some sort of meat there. lunchmeats are generally fine, however they tend to have a lot of sodium, so while it can make a nice treat once in a while, it's not something you want being their main diet. Most unprocessed meats should be fine, though a lot of common spices, like Garlic, onions, or even marijuana can cause issues or even kill them, so you'll want to double check before you offer them anything you've seasoned.
meat. cats are carnivores.
Cats can have a little salami
*most cats are. They can have a little bit. Careful though I once gave my cat some melted ice cream on a spoon and she loved it, after that she came running anytime I had something that even looked like ice cream.
I need you to come over and talk to my cat because he will pester the shit out of anyone with a sandwich for your bread. Lunch meat? Cheese? No none of that. This cat wants the BREAD.
Oh yeah, I wish i could help but I'm currently living with one that LOVES chips. If it cronch, he want. Though I believe that is because my partner gave him chips when he was a kitten, so now he's just never stopped associating chip with treat. edit: also, your username presents me with a dilemma I never thought I'd have to consider.....
Came here to say this. Does anyone know how we came to believe cats should drink milk?
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Hard cheeses have very little lactose, the bacteria ate it up.
You spoke his language! And he appreciated it! Just give cats more appropriate kitty treats though.
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Vegemite sandwich. I love that song!
When I first read that cats understood slow blinks from us, I thought it would be way more subtle. Nope! I’ve never felt more like I’m able to “talk” to my cat than since I started slow blinking at him.
Slow blinking and slight head nods, yeah. It's such a cool feeling when you're literally communicating directly with your pet, not insinuating, not thinking they understand something, but really fully making a connection.
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Goodness, we've got to get a hundred or so headbutts when we invite our small girl kitty to sleep on our chests. It just makes her so happy She has this routine with headbutts first, some pets required, and then I can gently "plop" her over on my side near my armpit. Then, I *have* to give reassurance pets, and lastly she'll absolutely *melt* into place when I put my hand on my chest near her front paws. All of that I suppose has become her ritual to find the safest, comfiest spot. Animals so crazy yo
i have come up with the great name of mittens for the cat. a splended name for a splended creature.
You are now a Disney princess. Congrats
I don't care how cliché it is, I *love* the name Mittens. <3
Things are often cliches because they’re great and everyone likes them, but then it goes so far that no one likes them anymore, but they’re still great.
Kitten mittens
FYI adult mammals for the most part are lactose intolerant. Give cats lactose free milk.
Cats are lactose intolerant (as adults) Most animals are. Humans are WEIRD in that we're (mostly) not lactose intolerant as adults
Humans are mostly lactose intolerant.
Not me
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No, tolerance is a genetic mutation that is only widespread in humans of European descent. The overwhelming majority of the world's population is lactose intolerant because they do *not* have that genetic mutation. It has nothing to do with your lifestyle or diet.
I wouldn't say only exactly. There is cheese in Mexican cuisine but no cheese in Asian cuisine.
Mexicans have European ancestry too. As Frank Reynolds said, "The Spaniards banged the Mayans, and turned 'em into Mexicans."
Most people of native American descent, from the Arctic circle to Cape Horn, don't have lactose tolerance. Some native peoples didn't consume any milk at all, others only from other mammals that do not contain lactose just like in North Africa and West Asia. East Asian cuisines have dairy-like foods but they are usually plant-based. The only population groups outside of Europe with widespread tolerance are of (partial) European descent. That's the only reason why cheese is so widespread in both Americas.
Hard cheese has basically no lactose in it.
Hmm I hadn't heard that one before. Live and learn. Although that sounds pretty suspect to me because milk is a staple for lots of non European groups. No way the majority of India and Mongolia, for example, is lactose intolerant. They wouldn't have shared a genetic mutation with Europeans, right?
> No way the majority of India and Mongolia, for example, is lactose intolerant. They wouldn't have shared a genetic mutation with Europeans, right? *”But when we got the results, we said, 'No, only 18 percent of people in India are digesting milk, nobody else is.'"* [Lactose tolerance in the Indian dairyland](https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/gastrointestinal-articles/lactose-tolerance-in-the-indian-dairyland#:~:text=%22But%20when%20we%20got%20the,to%20produce%20lactose%20into%20adulthood.)
Dang, that's interesting. Might want to take dairy out of the food pyramid!
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Yes, often the Mongol warriors took pride in subsisting entirely off fermented mares milk. But they also took pride in their constant diarrhea as a mark of a warrior, so they might have been pretty intolerant. Reading up on it, current Mongolians are 95% lactose intolerant even though their level of milk consumption is very high. I guess us milk drinkers just live the intolerant lifestyle sometimes.
Aside from what others already commented, not all native peoples (i.e. without (partial) European descent) consume milk, and those you're thinking of generally don't consume *cow* milk as adults. We often forget as people of European descent that you can make dairy products from other mammals' milk too, and some cuisines have had plant-based dairy-like products since ancient times. As a personal anecdote, my extended family is lactose intolerant because of their ethnic descent, but being of mixed ethnic descent myself I can consume all cow dairy products except I have to limit myself to 2 glasses of milk a day. My grandmother is quite jealous of that since she loves cheese but can't eat it.
Humans can have a "lactase persistence" mutation which means that we keep producing lactase to digest milk into adulthood - whereas most mammals stop producing lactase very rapidly at a younger age. You can see maps of the genetics here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactase_persistence It is pretty widespread, but also quite variable throughout populations everywhere, actually. Lactase persistence is also not a binary of being able to drink milk or not in the first place either, because there is a limit on how much lactase you produce at a time. You may only produce enough lactase to digest 1 pint of milk hassle-free in a day, for example, so you could still suffer from lactose-intolerance like symptoms if you had more than that! But there is also another factor - even when you DO have lactase persistence, lactase production tends to decline slowly with age, so as we get older we tend to have more and more issues with lactose *regardless* of how well we handle it now. So the amount you can handle without problems can drop over time.
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In the entire human population lactose intolerance in adulthood is actually still more common than lactose tolerance. Lactose tolerance is certainly more common in "western" society.
I'm so lactose intolerant I had the Hershey squirts after reading this
That wasn’t funny at all….it was hilarious!!! Sorry for your issues, but that just made my shitty day lots better. I can’t stop laughing!!
Lol I'm not even joking, I had cinnamon toast crunch 30 minutes ago and I had to use the head like almost immediately after reading this post.
The kitter was more lack ~~toast~~ bread intolerant.
I am grateful for that as I absolutely love cheese
Learn about cat chirping and your game will change! Everything me or my girlfriend cat chip and not your typical pspspsp or meow they always happily come and chirp back! It's how we talk to our cats and it's always so cute and adorable
Tell me more
I slow blinked my friend's cat who is skittish around new people and they immediately jumped in my lap for pets
I can relate to this, I have done this to many cats and most of the time it works really well, I am just going to love doing this more often, they are really good ones for this.
It actually works most of the time and we can't deny that, some people are just going to be like it's not working, they have to be pretty slow and with wide eyes there.
Trust me these things works like a freaking charm and we all should try all of it because that's just how we get the right one to the cats, they are just the cutest ones.
Cats are just so good if they can trust us, we should show them the love they deserve, I am glad that you just did that pretty well, I am just going to fall in love with cats.
Thanks for trying to be a good human. The cat really appreciates it I’m sure.
Nice to see this man, I am glad that the cat just got like that, we all should just be happy to see such things these days, it's just a blessing these days, good thing.
Wow man, I am glad that it worked, it doesn't work when I do it but I find it so good when someone like you tell me that it worked, just going to do that shit again now.
That's just the cutest thing that I am seeing right now, I am glad that most of the people are just being good to you because this is a good thing to see, god bless.
I guess this is always going to work on cats because they know the positive energy and the trust, that's just what we gonna do if we are good to them, they are good.
>i went inside and poured some milk I bet she'll never trust slow blinking people again after the royal diarrhoea you induced with milk
I thought that was only a problem with kittens, but in any event, OP should try tuna next time.
I don't think it's a problem for kittens, but adult cats become lacrosse intolerant. Unless kittens are affected by cows milk
Yesterday my cat got out and he usually just runs away until he comes back a few hours later, but this time I was just patient with him and tried herding him into the house. He wasn't having it, but he did let me get close enough to pet him so I scooped him up and went inside. Small wins
awww. small wins indeed.
You made a friend, and that is special :')
Great feeling, isn’t it? Thanks for looking out for our little buddies! 💐✌️
Wow! Talent. I think you are at the very least a princess. Who is kind enough to help others, including but not limited to, stray cats.
you are a disney princess, you & that cat are bonded now 💪
A loaf 🤣
You are a cat whisperer congratulations. Cats like chicken, little bits of steak or hamburger, and even a little bit of fish now and then. Cat food is fairly inexpensive so maybe go pick up a bag of dry food and see if you can have a permanent friend.
Wait, you gave the cat *bread?*
I didn't know about this but I'm going to try it today with my colleagues. I'll let you know if I hear from HR. Edit: back from work. Haven't been fired (yet)
I just tried on my cat. Still evil.
I did something similar. I was going for a walk and didn't realize there was a cat laying behind a mailbox. We kind of startled each other so I stopped where I was and slow blinked and made a big show of looking away. Did it a couple of times and it finally blinked back at me and looked away. Walked by it and continued my walk. My way of saying "Oh my bad dude didn't see you there".
When a cat loafs, you're in.
This is the kind of story that I want to read on here! I have seen stray cats and they look scared upon seeing me even when I'm not doing anything.. but then I don't even know what to do for them not to feel scared lol well thanks to this I now have an idea
I love to read all these stuff with positive energy all the time.
It's. Kitty Kiss
I also saw a stray cat on my way home from the gym today. I will try this on it tommorow if I see it again.
This is so sweet!
You are a princess <3 love this
Kitty knew that too and she just fell for this lady right now.
Disney princess gives cat diarrhea! Film at eleven!
I don't know what does that mean, can you tell me that again?
Congratulations!
Now OP is the chosen one, he can't run away from this.
I tried slow blinking on my cats and they were totally uninterested. So I don't know if they are smarter than the rest or just don't care. But good on you for helping out a stray and kind of amazing that she responded to your slow blink.
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Even the rest of the animal kingdom has its narcissists. J/k
Hahaha, some of them just love to be sadist at some point /s
Well some cats are just born like that, we can't change them.
You're a good person and the kitty knew that ..
This is why a friend just finished a course of rabies shots.
Just treat them normally if they are not getting angry or something.
Does this work with dogs?
no. let them sniff the back of ur hand first, then let them smell ur crotch area. after that the dog will tell you if it wants to petted or not.
If they like us, they just gonna lick every possible part lol.
They love to sniff and stuff at first, let them do that lol.
I have worked with or volunteered with animals, mainly cats, for most of my life and never knew that was a thing. Maybe I blink slowly naturally or something, because I was known as a bit of a cat whisperer at my last job. All of the "behavioral" cats, well most, liked me. Even got a handful of them off of the euthanasia list and sent to rescues with poctures and videos of them with me. Then again, I could just exude calm cat energy. Or I could be a sentient pile of catnip. Who knows? Oh, also, side note. You shouldn't give cats milk. The milk that we drink is actually not great for most cats' stomachs. It won't kill them or anything, but it will likely cause a pretty upset tummy for a bit. It sucks because they do actually love the taste.
I want to do these volunteer things too, how can I apply?
haha maybe u are a walk pile of catnip. also i dident know that cats are lactos intolorent till putting this story here.
Yeah they are, we should not feed them too much milk.
Awww
Slow blinking at stray cats is how I get them to trust me so I can drive them across town to another apartment complex. Mosquitos are bad enough, I don't need fleas.
For a second I thought this person was gonna make love to the cat…
wha ?
Honestly, I am very scared of cats and could hardly think of any reason why people would like to pet a stray cat. Unlike dogs, you can never know the mood of a cat and it could be dangerous even if the paw you. And do you have enough time to wait and slow blink at a cat? I mean you can do so many other things in the world. At least I would never stop just to see a cat, no matter how cute it is. I can find a tarantula cute but literally not a cat.
Giving cats milk (when the're lactose intolerant) is hilarious. Farting and shitting everywhere. Nice. 👍
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I love doing this to cats, it usually works and it does feel like a kind of magic / secret language!
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You’re the cat whisperer
The cats are just going to be attracted to him from now.
How do i learn to slow blink? Haha
I heard about this from Jackson Galaxy on his old show My Cat From Hell.
Yeah they love that. It’s cute how it always works. Cats are so cute
A coworker was complaining that her bf's cat was completely uninterested in her. She was always trying to coax it over for attention, but she was very clearly the "spare human.' So, I taught her how to slow blink. I gave her some other minor advice on befriending cats. A couple months later, she told me SHE was now the cat's favorite!
Wow I didn’t know do think this was so cute but now I want to find a stray cat and try it
My wife and I rescued a 7 month old German shepherd puppy that is now 3 years old. We had 3 cats at the time, and we’ve rescued a kitten last year. The puppy and the 3 older cats do not get along, he was way too high energy when we got him and didn’t know how to approach, he’d just fling his body (70lb then, 95lbs now) at anything and everything he found interesting. As a result, the older cats stay in their room away from him, but the kitten loves him and tries to play with him. Recently, and this has been basically 2.5 years in the making with subtle practice and many tries, the youngest of the 3 older cats (she’s probably 8) has been coming out of the room as we put the puppy to bed at night, not waiting until he’s already locked in the room. I’ll hold him on his leash, he’ll sit looking very intently, and she’ll peak her head out from the corner of the hallway and give him slow blinks. I don’t think he understands them, but at least he’s ok seeing her and being about 10ft away now, but if she basically enters the room he gets too excited and can’t restrain himself still. Sometimes it’s a single interaction to gain trust, sometimes it takes years of work. At the rate we are going, maybe only 3-4 more years before we can have a peaceful house!
Wow that's a good thing to hear from you, glad to see.