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pscot

(21,024 posts)
33. Rodents were drawn to the grain silos
Tue Aug 7, 2012, 11:06 AM
Aug 2012

and feral cats were attracted by the rodents. A symbiotic relation developed between cats and farmers. Makes sense.

Indeed, there's something in the Bible about Egypt's capacity for food storage and lean years: villager Aug 2012 #1
Yes. cthulu2016 Aug 2012 #2
Which is why self-contained agricultural systems are so necessary. Zalatix Aug 2012 #5
And Egypt definitely had years like that. aquart Aug 2012 #10
Maybe that stone was just the Egyptian edition of VOGUE cthulu2016 Aug 2012 #36
Actually, that is how Joseph had his brothers enslaved. ieoeja Aug 2012 #35
hmm cats didnt seem to help much during the plague years. maybe they were killed by superstitious msongs Aug 2012 #3
I have wondered about that... cthulu2016 Aug 2012 #4
Cats were killed en masse as 'familiars' during that period REP Aug 2012 #9
and there was also this Voice for Peace Aug 2012 #12
Very possible TlalocW Aug 2012 #19
Cats were first domesticated by the Egyptians around 3000 BC by accident. UnrepentantLiberal Aug 2012 #13
That was the commonly accepted wisdom for years; no longer so REP Aug 2012 #38
Yup, the idiots saw cats as evil and killed them off... joeybee12 Aug 2012 #45
They were killed en masse as witches' familiars, so no, they couldn't help with the plague. aquart Aug 2012 #7
Wouldn't TuxedoKat Aug 2012 #28
Cats clean themselves and roll in dirt to reduce flea infestations. /nt Festivito Aug 2012 #43
I figured that was why my cat TuxedoKat Aug 2012 #47
My cat stops and rolls at each sandy spot, gets a tummy rub and we move on. Festivito Aug 2012 #48
In fact they were. Unfortunately the evil ignoramuses in charge told everyone the cats were Egalitarian Thug Aug 2012 #8
Spam deleted by Paulie (MIR Team) Hayes23 Aug 2012 #6
And still is. The internet is made of them. Matariki Aug 2012 #11
I thought Western Civilization was built on beer. Warren DeMontague Aug 2012 #14
Brewing beer encouraged storing grain, cats enabled storing grain JHB Aug 2012 #15
Sort of like my 20s!!! ...And yeah, that occurred to me, too. Warren DeMontague Aug 2012 #16
All I know is life is hardly worth living without a kitty to love! :) LiberalLoner Aug 2012 #17
So much for the myth of tool-use having had something to do with it 1-Old-Man Aug 2012 #18
lol! HappyMe Aug 2012 #26
The headline is light-hearted hyperbole, of course cthulu2016 Aug 2012 #29
Very interesting... Left coast liberal Aug 2012 #20
I have a friend who always says that cats were worshipped as gods and Skidmore Aug 2012 #21
That's right. Dogs have owners, cats have staff. Arkansas Granny Aug 2012 #25
Surplus food production due to agriculture... trotsky Aug 2012 #22
This is an important point... cthulu2016 Aug 2012 #30
True, but not all wars have been won by the group with the superior military force. n/t trotsky Aug 2012 #31
Also a good point. (And I should factor internal security) cthulu2016 Aug 2012 #32
I've always loved Cats Harald Baldr Aug 2012 #23
If not Cats , Then Rat Terriers would have solved the Problem. bahrbearian Aug 2012 #24
Terriers will kill every rat they can FarCenter Aug 2012 #46
We get mice from time to time. They don't live long. HopeHoops Aug 2012 #27
Rodents were drawn to the grain silos pscot Aug 2012 #33
i thought western civ was built on the plunder of the americas BOG PERSON Aug 2012 #34
Say What? yellowcanine Aug 2012 #37
Hence Bastet, the Cat Goddess. AnnieBW Aug 2012 #39
Our kitties are descendants of African Wildcats domesticated by the Egyptians and Sumerians. Odin2005 Aug 2012 #40
2nd night in a row, my little hunter's flushed out a centipede! eShirl Aug 2012 #41
What about the role of dogs in allowing us to settle down in the first place? RZM Aug 2012 #42
No wonder those first buildings kept falling over. nt hack89 Aug 2012 #44
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