Hacker News Reader

Comment by lenerdenator | Hacker News Reader

And if we're being honest, the whole soft tummies thing and purring probably helped too.

... this thread needs pictures.

Wolverines have soft tummies too. That we see cats as cute is not so much that they have evolved to be cute. They look little different than wild cats. We see the palus cat as cute but pet its tummy and you will lose some organs. Those humans who protected and nutured cats were better survivors. Having cats around gave them an advantage over people who were indiferent to cats. We finding them cute is a trait that has evolved in us.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallas%27s_cat

It’s toxoplasmosis parasites in the brain that causes the unfathomable love for cats. Those of us still uninfected[0] find it very odd.

[0] dog people

Cat people never seem to have a need to boost their egos and take jabs at dog people in discussions about dogs. Only (a certain type of) dog people seem to do so. Insecurity? Superiority complex?

Maybe toxoplasmosis makes you a better person? It is my experience that cat owners are overwhelmingly nice, empathetic human beings. There does not seem to be such correlation among dog owners.

> It is my experience that cat owners are overwhelmingly nice, empathetic human beings.

Unless you tease about toxoplasmosis.

Many people are neither cat people nor dog people. I have no desire to be around either.

Hell is other people.

Doh, worded that badly. I mean I don't want to be around cats or dogs.

Palus (or is it Palius?) cat has round pupils, like ours. Makes them easier to anthropomorphise.

Pallas cat.

Apparently is is [Pallas's cat] :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallas%27s_cat

with an apostrophe. shrug

wolverines are also fuzzy and adorable. knowing full well how much it might fuck my shit up, i don't think i could stop myself reaching to pet it if i ever crossed paths with one.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com