Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2023 March 2

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March 2

Taming a cat

I am an old man, a widower living now alone, and in my family, we've always had cats. My previous feline died from leukemia a few months ago. A friend of mine took me to our local humane society. I chose a 11-pound female cat. Somebody said she is feral and a good mouser. It is not something I was looking for. I wanted a cat for companionship. She does not want to have anything to do with me, she clearly is afraid of me and once when I picked her up, she went into a hysteric. She dwells in various corners of a big house and comes out during the night for food that I regularly provide. She would interact with human females or with children. In this case I can see her, otherwise she runs from one room to another for her own business. It happens couple of times a day. She sometimes studies me from one of her hiding places. She knows I am the food source. One night she came to my bedroom and began to mew. It sounded as a song. I got up and without seeing her gave her more food. How can I tame her? I want a cat who would sleep with me. I was told that if I take her back to the HS, they will euthanize her. I was the only person who got interested in her. Her fur is pretty, turtle shell. AboutFace 22 (talk) 18:13, 2 March 2023 (UTC)

This page seems to have some practical ideas. I found it, and similar tips, at this google search. From personal experience, cats are as varied in their personalities as people are, and different cats respond differently. It should be possible over time to acclimate the cat to your presence, and as such, the cat will tend to want to spend more time with you, however it may not be possible to create an entirely new personality in your cat; which is to say that if your cat is not a "cuddler", you can't really make them one. Cats are more like roommates than pets anyways; tips for establishing good relationships with roommates (respect their boundaries, be friendly but not pushy, etc.) are pretty similar for establishing good relationships with cats (see the above link). --Jayron32 19:21, 2 March 2023 (UTC)

You have to engage her on her terms. Have you tried toys such as a laser pen? She might like to chase it, unless she's too old for that. You could also try catching her interest with one of those fishing-pole-like toys. Or even just a piece of string. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:43, 2 March 2023 (UTC)

The key is patience, avoiding anything the cat is likely to experience as threatening. The best is to wait for her to approach you on her terms and not to approach her, or, if this is unavoidable, to do so slowly and without cornering her, so that she can easily get away. It may take a long time, but eventually she will lose her fear of you and start appreciating your taking good care of her. Talking to her in a soothing voice may help. Further tips can be found here.  --Lambiam 09:18, 3 March 2023 (UTC)

The cat I am talking about is 7 years old. I chose an older animal because of my own age. I don't want to die and leave a younger animal homeless. That was my reasoning. She mostly spends time behind furniture pieces where I cannot see her. I must ask my son-in-law to locate her if I want to. He is taller and younger. There are many problems for me with this cat but I love her. I wish she could jump on my bed one day, but it is unlikely. I do talk to her calling her nice names but she, in fact, might be in a different room altogether. AboutFace 22 (talk) 20:31, 3 March 2023 (UTC)

@AboutFace 22: Your cat is still young and interacting with others, thus I'm pretty sure this short Merck Veterinary Manual review for pet owners about treating cats' behavior problems will help. Modocc (talk) 23:52, 6 March 2023 (UTC)

Don't try to be too touchy-feely with the cat. Don't pet her when she's not in the mood (she will not appreciate that) and certainly don't try to pick her up, put her on your lap etc. And watch for the cat language: if she's walking with her tail raised, with the tip curled like a question mark, she's in a playful or inquisitive mood and you can interact with her (again, not too much touching!) If the tail is horizontal, she might be intent on some business of her own; do not disturb her. If the tail is tucked between the legs, she might be nervous or distressed. -- 2001:16B8:1443:6A00:4D0C:EF2D:580D:790 (talk) 03:33, 8 March 2023 (UTC)

And more: it's a good idea to treat the cat as an actual person – yes, cats have personalities, and these should be respected. Some cats are "extroverts" and some are "introverts". Some make friends easily, some are more reserved. Some like to be touched and petted, and some do not – please respect that! -- 2001:16B8:1443:6A00:4D0C:EF2D:580D:790 (talk) 04:31, 8 March 2023 (UTC)

Human technology without coal

How far could mankind have advanced technologically if the earth did not have coal reserves, i.e. did not have a vast, easily accessible source of energy and a substance that could turn rust into steel? 24.72.82.173 (talk) 23:03, 2 March 2023 (UTC)

Sorry, as per header above: "We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate." There is a (5-year-old) debate on a similar topic on Stackexchange: [1] You can "ask anything" at Perplexity.ai -- I copy/pasted your query and got an interesting response. --136.56.52.157 (talk) 05:37, 3 March 2023 (UTC)

I must say it is an interesting question, though. A bloomery can use charcoal, so mineral coal is not essential in principle, but there are limits to the production of a stream of charcoal. Perhaps human technology would not have significantly improved upon Bronze Age technology. The Drake equation contains a factor f_c, being the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space. According to our article, Drake estimated its value to be 0.1 to 0.2, but, even setting the issue aside (no considered by Drake) whether an advanced civilization would choose to advertize its existence blatantly, perhaps this is a gross overestimate because, perhaps, the resources required for the necessary technological advancement are rarely present.  --Lambiam 09:40, 3 March 2023 (UTC)

The OP's hypothetical lack of vast reserves of coal would impact but not prevent the great period of rapid technological change 1760 - 1830 known as the Industrial Revolution. This was the time of transition from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes. There would just be prolonged reliance on animal, water and wind power sources that do not require coal. A Bessemer converter that was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron could have been fuelled as well by Petroleum coke as by Coal-derived coke. Petroleum coke is sourced from a final cracking process in oil refining which began in ancient China and was practiced in modern form already by mid-19th century in Canada, Poland and Romania, with discoveries of large "boom" reserves in Oklahoma, Texas and California. The OP does not rule out the manufacture of Charcoal that has been used for the production of iron since Roman times and of steel in modern times where it also provided the necessary carbon. I conclude that steel production in the 19th century would be slowed, but not prevented, by a higher cost of fuel. Impacts on history would be a slower colonial expansion through laying railways and making heavy steel Artillery pieces, battleships and tanks. However the History of technology has been marked by so many parallel human endeavors and insights that hindering use of a single one of the energies of natural resources: coal, oil, gas (identified by anthropologist Leslie White with a 4th stage of human development) should not be expected to prevent significantly the progress of science on which technology depends. Philvoids (talk) 13:17, 3 March 2023 (UTC)