Do not think that science is a boring and profound discipline. As long as there is a bit of creativity, science can also become interesting. This creativity does not come from professionals, but from life, from attention, and from a curious and brave heart. Below, please read “Cat Jianghu” presented by the Science Squirrel Garden (Songshuhui).
I have a dream, that this species will awaken and realize the true meaning of its creed: all cats are born equal;
I have a dream, that by the cafeteria trash cans, neutered cats and intact male cats will be able to sit together and talk about brotherhood;
I have a dream, that even in places like temporary feeding points, where justice is hidden and oppression is rampant, it will turn into an oasis of equality and freedom;
I have a dream, that every kitten in the world will have a father, and my four children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their fur, but by the quality of their health;
If I could add one more dream: in my next life, I want to be Garfield.
Don’t fall for me, I’m a Casanova
When I saw Gestapo again, Beijing had already experienced a heavy snowfall. At that time, it was squatting on a manhole cover, fat and arrogant. I called out to it; it slightly opened its eyes into a slit, gave me a disgusted glance, and went back to closing its eyes to rest.
In the cat world, Gestapo can definitely not be called cute. It is obese, and next to its nose grows a huge black mole that even twitches slightly when it is angry. But these regrets in appearance do not affect its masculine charm at all. From the time it broke into the Botanical Garden alone in the summer until now, the seeds of its revolution have spread to almost every corner of the garden. Kittens with moles on their noses can now be seen everywhere.
Later, Gestapo became a legend, known in the “Jianghu” (the world) as “Inspirational Brother.”
Inspirational Brother’s romantic luck is no accident. As early as the 1970s, a group of dedicated scientists spent seven years stationed in a 2,000-hectare military training ground in southern Sweden, spying on the dating behavior of feral cats and discovering the true essence of stray cat love.
During the mating season, male cats are clearly divided into three types: Inspirational Brother, Onlooker Brother, and Weak Brother. In the competition for females, Inspirational Brother is the absolute protagonist; Onlooker Brothers constitute the majority of the spectating crowd; and Weak Brother is the lead actor in the tragedy of sibling incest.
A typical courtship process looks like this: several suitors will lie in wait around a female cat in heat, but only one is closest to her. As long as the female doesn’t move, the leading man won’t budge. However, the peripheral cats hoping for a chance appear more restless and impatient; they sometimes sniff each other, sometimes spray urine to mark territory, and sometimes even run up to the leading man to test him before scurrying away.
Meanwhile, the female cat isn’t idle either. They frequently circle the area and sometimes mysteriously disappear. Scientists call this pre-romance torment behavior “flirting steps,” and its purpose is to test the sincerity of the prospective boyfriend.
Although young cats are relentless in pursuing females, victory always belongs to the cat with the strongest presence. In this martial arts-style marriage competition, conflicts occasionally occur, and over 80% of them happen between the Inspirational Brother and the Onlooker Brothers who are mad with jealousy. Most provocations end hastily under the Inspirational Brother’s sharp gaze; only in rare cases do they escalate into bloodshed, such as when the Inspirational Brother accidentally loses track of the female and returns to find her being flirted with by someone else, or when he is managing multiple relationships and another cat takes advantage of his busy schedule.
Generally speaking, once a male cat successfully wins the beauty, his dominant status in the neighborhood will be maintained for a considerable period until his excellent genes are spread far and wide. The supporting actors basically remain supporting actors forever, finding it hard to break through the Inspirational Brother’s majesty. They continue to wander, jumping over walls to neighboring yards to find hope.
Speaking of which, Weak Brother has been shrinking back and hasn’t made an appearance. In fact, most Weak Brothers never get to appear. Scientists observed that a small portion of male cats never participate in the courtship wars and can only watch helplessly. Although even rabbits are warned not to eat the grass near their own burrows, some Weak Brothers still lose their heads and take advantage of the Inspirational Brother’s absence to sneakily target their own little cousins! Everyone is equal before hormones; Darwin and Morgan were not immune to the mistake of inbreeding, but at least they were famous first. In contrast, Weak Brother is even more miserable: he hasn’t proposed a theory of evolution, nor does he understand genetics. His weak genes will silently disappear from the world along with the uncompetitive children he produces, as if they never existed.
The tragedy of Weak Brother is heartbreaking. To this end, scientists have provided three dating tips for stray cats:
Early love is unreliable. The perennial champions in the field of love are all mature male cats over 3 years old, with an average age of 4.2 years, significantly higher than Onlooker Brothers (2.7 years) and Weak Brothers (1.1 years). So, if a young lad wants to find a partner, he needs to gain more seniority in the world.
Strong men are the most popular. Unlike human “leftover women,” female cats clearly favor physique over background or education. The average weight of an Inspirational Brother is 5.4 kg, nearly 1.5 kg heavier than other male cats. For example, male cat No. 849, though four years old and at the age of maturity, failed to become a “diamond bachelor” because it weighed 1 kg less than other males of the same age.
Personality is key. Three-year-old male cat No. 515 was physically strong and as handsome as Pan An, but could never find a partner. It turns out that since its birth, a majestic Inspirational Brother had held the leadership position in the family. Under the Inspirational Brother’s tyranny, No. 515’s personality became very submissive, even a bit effeminate. Later, in a late spring, No. 515 left alone and never returned.
In Memory of Liu Hezhen
On March 25th, 2010, the day the National Beijing Botanical Garden held a memorial service for Liu Hezhen, who was killed in front of the trash can on the 18th, I was wandering alone outside the cafeteria. I met Friend A, who came to ask me: “Sir, have you written anything for Liu Hezhen?” I said no. She then told me solemnly: “Sir, you should write something; Liu Hezhen loved eating your ham sausages when she was alive.”
Liu Hezhen was a disabled cat who lost a hind leg in an accident and subsequently lost her ability to hunt. Actually, next to the garbage station where these cats live, there is a cafeteria. Plenty of leftovers are transported to the garbage station every day, so stray cats can basically be self-sufficient. But strangely, even if food was placed right next to Liu Hezhen, she would never touch it easily. She would always wait until the other cats had eaten their fill and dispersed before stepping forward to pick up some scraps. The nearby residents felt sorry for her and would secretly feed her things like ham sausages.
Although Liu Hezhen faced her bleak cat life head-on, she still did not survive this winter. I only learned on the morning of the 18th about her disappearance; in the afternoon, I received the tragic news that Liu Hezhen was among the victims. But regarding these rumors, I am actually quite skeptical. I have never hesitated to speculate about stray cats with the worst malice, yet I did not expect, nor did I believe, things would reach such a tragic state. Moreover, how could the always-limping and humble Liu Hezhen end up shedding blood in front of the trash can for no reason?
However, it was proven to be a fact that day, the evidence being her own remains. The tragic scene has made me unable to bear the sight; the rumors have made me unable to bear the hearing. What more can I say?
But the scientists still have something to say.
Although compared to lions, tigers, and leopards, urban feral cats are not much, scientists can effectively grasp the secrets of feline social behavior without the risk of becoming prey.
Generally speaking, there is a clear social hierarchy among a group of cats. In the absence of resource competition, male cats generally lead, followed by female cats, with juvenile cats (under 11 months) at the bottom. But if several temporary feeding points are artificially added, the competition for food causes the hierarchy to change rapidly. Just as in a mall sale where men can never out-compete women, female cats also developed a strong interest in the food at feeding points, even using aggressive means to challenge the authority of male cats. In a feeding experiment in Rome, Italy, a female cat named LAV successfully seized the leadership position, and other female cats also reported good news, shaking off the rule of male cats one after another, with their social rankings climbing rapidly. Even more surprisingly, kittens aged 4–6 months also received mysterious preferential treatment; both male and female cats allowed them to touch the food first.
After an intense internal struggle, the male cats chose tolerance toward the females and kittens. Food or females? Game theory, oh, game theory! If you don’t erupt in game theory, you perish in it.
It turns out that, unlike lions, male cats in a colony are not responsible for raising offspring, and their fickle nature makes them unable to even remember who their old flames were. Therefore, whenever they encounter a female cat in front of food, they probably think: “What if this lady is carrying my child, or well, might carry my child in the future? There are three ways to be unfilial, and having no descendants is the greatest!” So, they grit their teeth, endure it, and let it pass.
The male cats’ tolerance for kittens stems from the same consideration. Because they don’t need to take on the heavy responsibility of protecting wives and children during foreign invasions, their energy requirements for food are not as high as those of animals like lions. It is better to give the food to the cats who can continue their lineage. Such behavior based on reproductive strategy has also been found in spotted hyenas and Madagascar lemurs.
In the struggle for food, weight and age remain the most important chips. Cats with leadership qualities are also the ones who most frequently engage in aggressive behaviors such as swiping claws, biting, intimidating, chasing, and even dueling. Additionally, scientists found that cats with larger heads tend to obtain higher status. This might be because cats mainly use the size of their heads to evaluate each other’s fighting ability, no wonder Doraemon is so invincible.
However, all of this had nothing to do with Liu Hezhen. A cat that has lost its mobility clearly receives no pity or attention in the Jianghu. Relying on the unstable sympathy of humans to barely survive, her death is not surprising.
Alas, I have no words, but I use this to commemorate Liu Hezhen!
Your and my Jianghu, with its grudges and loves, are too many to count, too many to tell.
The cats’ Jianghu, with its smell of cod and wind, the body hasn’t moved, but the heart is already far away.
A small recluse hides in the wild, a great recluse hides in the city. How many secrets of cats are hidden in the busy city? Just one glance is already a glimpse of greatness.
Source: http://songshuhui.net/archives/40562.html
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