From: djheydt@kithrup.com   
      
   In article ,   
   William Vetter   wrote:   
   >Michael R N Dolbear wrote:   
   >> "Dorothy J Heydt"  wrote   
   >>   
   >>> Is someone writing about the vibrissae of an aileuromorph?   
   >>> Please send a link, if so.   
   >>   
   >> The best Amazon can find is the facsimile reprint "The Functions Of The   
   >> Vibrissae In The Behavior Of The White Rat (1912) "   
   >>   
   >> All listed seem to be non-fiction.   
   >   
   >If you cut the rat's whiskers off, he can't find his way through a   
   >maze.   
   >   
   >If you cut the cat's whiskers off, he can't locate a victim's neck in   
   >the dark to kill it with a bite.   
   >   
   >That is the importance of the vibrissae, whiskers that function as   
   >sensory organs.   
   >   
   >Cats score very badly in maze work anyhow.  Maze work is how many   
   >scientists define the intelligence of animals.   
      
   That, and being willing to understand/carry out the command of   
   humans.  This is why some humans think dogs are more intelligent   
   than cats.  The dog is a pack animal and wants to cooperate with   
   whoever it thinks its pack leader is.  The cat is less social,   
   more independent, and while it can become very fond of its human,   
   this takes time.  Thus, the cat may understand perfectly what you   
   want it to do, but just can't be bothered; so you'll never know   
   if it understood you or not.   
      
   The differences between dogs and cats tells us something about the   
   differences between dog people and cat people.   
      
   --   
   Dorothy J. Heydt   
   Vallejo, California   
   djheydt at gmail dot com   
   Should you wish to email me, you'd better use the gmail edress.   
   Kithrup's all spammy and hotmail's been hacked.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)