# Science figured out why we love kittens (and decided not to eat the little monsters) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 8, 2018, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648 "2018-06-08T00:09:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/1 "2018-06-08T00:09:47Z")
Here ya go…[Neuroscience Explains Why You Can't Help but Love Kittens](https://www.inverse.com/article/45559-neuroscience-brain-on-kittens-why-we-love-them) I’ve always told my brats that they’d be meow loaf if they weren’t so cute… ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/2 "2018-06-08T00:19:19Z")
Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not science. For All We Know, she’s making that shit up. So what’s your question for GQ? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/3 "2018-06-08T00:25:30Z")
Well, it’s more sciency than blaming them for being the familiars of witches, but not by a lot. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/4 "2018-06-08T00:47:10Z")
> [@](#): > > **Cats also outperform other cats** in the critical metric of most popular household pet … Uh, what? ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/5 "2018-06-08T00:48:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Cats also outperform other cats in the critical metric of most popular household pet …I’m not convinced that’s actually true. My research shows that other cats are pretty much dead even with cats in popularity. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/6 "2018-06-08T01:09:41Z")
**Moderator Action** I don’t see a question here. Moving thread from GQ to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/7 "2018-06-08T03:00:35Z")
Wait a minute. Most people don’t eat kittens? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/8 "2018-06-08T03:54:55Z")
[Nope](http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Kitten_Huffing)! ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/9 "2018-06-08T04:39:32Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > Wait a minute. Most people don’t eat kittens? I like them [sunny-side up](https://metro.co.uk/2017/01/18/a-fluffy-white-cat-with-an-orange-has-sparked-the-ultimate-photoshop-battle-6388955/). ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/10 "2018-06-08T04:51:52Z")
I like them with toast. [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/1BJIwq1.jpeg "Toast Cat") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/1BJIwq1) ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/11 "2018-06-08T13:11:58Z")
> [@](#): > > **Cats also outperform other cats** in the critical metric of most popular household pet … > [@markn\_1](#): > > Uh, what? And the article then goes on to add “only losing the war to freshwater fish”. So… catfish are the most popular household pet amongst cats, then? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/12 "2018-06-08T14:25:51Z")
the source article is a bit oddly written, but IIRC the actual scientific phenomenon being described is “neoteny.” ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/13 "2018-06-08T14:35:41Z")
Cats schmats. When Adi the cockatiel leaned over and bit through the mouse cord, then turned and smiled, I said “It’s a good job you’re so cute, otherwise I’d kill you.” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/14 "2018-06-08T15:41:06Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not science. For All We Know, she’s making that shit up. Science with a small “s”. It is all because dogs have owners, cats have staff. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/15 "2018-06-08T16:24:45Z")
I thought it was the toxoplasmosis. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/16 "2018-06-08T16:33:35Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > And the article then goes on to add “only losing the war to freshwater fish”. > > So… catfish are the most popular household pet amongst cats, then? You do _not_ want to use clumping litter with a pet fish. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/17 "2018-06-08T16:40:49Z")
> [@KRC](#): > > Cats schmats. When Adi the cockatiel leaned over and bit through the mouse cord, then turned and smiled, I said “It’s a good job you’re so cute, otherwise I’d kill you.” Our last cockatiels passed away years ago but I still only buy cordless mice. ~:\> ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/18 "2018-06-08T18:27:17Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I like them with toast. > > [Toast Cat - Imgur](https://imgur.com/gallery/1BJIwq1) Cats always land on their feet. Toast always lands butter side down. So if you glue a piece of buttered toast to a cat’s back and throw it out of a window, it will spin forever in mid air. True story. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/19 "2018-06-08T22:00:41Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > And the article then goes on to add “only losing the war to freshwater fish”. > > So… catfish are the most popular household pet amongst cats, then? Actually, I’d really like to see some footage of that war between cats and freshwater fish. Especially since the fish are winning. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648/20 "2018-06-08T23:24:46Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Actually, I’d really like to see some footage of that war between cats and freshwater fish. Especially since the fish are winning. Fish require more care than people realize, but fresh water is pretty low demand. Feed them and change the water. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-figured-out-why-we-love-kittens-and-decided-not-to-eat-the-little-monsters/815648.md?page=2)