Cultural; ferrets over cats

The Ubbergeek

From what I have heard, cats remained for a long time in Occident an exotic animal, and slowly spread north... The ferrets was used for much of it's 'work niche' and some stuff like rabbit hunting, it is?

Could it have remained a big pet, and not an 'exotic' stuff now? Would the cat remains less common more? Poissible?

Not sure it's just the smell...
 

Catmo

The rat catcher of Manchester seems to think that while ferrets and small dogs are better for dealing with heavy infestations, cats are better for the low level stuff.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17243/17243-h/17243-h.htm

Plus cats were well established in Greek and Roman culture. Euripides mentions pet cats in Alcestis, and the Romans exported cats everywhere. They're a better urban feral than ferrets.

Ferrets are banned is some US jurisdictions. This is pure class warfare. Ferreting for rabbits was considered a low class "redneck" form of hunting. Ferrets were banned to undo this form of hunting.

I understand that in parts of Europe ferrets are much more popular than they are in the US. Is this true?
 

Gerry10

I may be biast here - as owner of two cats - but I think the success of cats is because they are so much cuter and intelligent than ferrets.
Also, cats hunt for "fun" even when fed by humans while a ferret, once its eaten enough can not be bothered -at least the ferret of my aunt can't.
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
Last of the Stuarts said:
No they chitter.
The problem with ferrets is they smell and need to be washed often.
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Their crepuscular nature is also a minus since that means they'll be spending around 14-18 hours sleeping on any given day. So between dawn and dusk you may as well not even have a pet.
 

Oba

Even though I own and love my 2 cats I did not understand why ferrets are banned... until Catmo explained it.

Ferrets would seem to be very easily made more popular were they not seen as low class.
 

Helltanz98

I believe this is appropriate

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Tocomocho

Keep the Romans out of Egypt. For a while at least. The first cats that arrived in Western Europe were pets brought by legions that had served there. And even then cats took quite a while before they really spread through the Mediterranean during the Low Empire. The Romans had a variety of pest-catchers including not just ferrets but also pine and stone martens (which were also valued for their fur), weasels and possibly genets and moongooses. Of course, the cat's advantage is that it can do the work of all of them at once and then some.
 
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Chookie

Tocomocho said:
The first cats that arrived in Western Europe were pets brought by legions that had served there.
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Epic fail. Cats had been in Western Europe at least as long as people. In fact, being primarily carnivorous, they were probably there before people.

OTOH, Ferrets do have a distinctive aroma.....
 
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The Ubbergeek

Chookie said:
Epic fail. Cats had been in Western Europe at least as long as people. In fact, being primarily carnivorous, they were probably there before people.
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The domestic cat, as far I know, is born of an african wild cat - not the wild european one. Which supposedly is more wild.

And this is the point here - ferrets egaly or closely as popular, if not more common than house cats.
 

Mr Stereo1

Chookie said:
Epic fail. Cats had been in Western Europe at least as long as people. In fact, being primarily carnivorous, they were probably there before people.

OTOH, Ferrets do have a distinctive aroma.....
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Wildcats, yes, so you're right that there were cats in western europe... but I doubt they were kept as pets. I've always thought that Wildcats were to domesticated cats as Wolves were to dogs. Domesticated cats, not being as dangerous or scared of humans, would have made better pest-control for settlements. At least that's what I'd guess from seeing some of them and half-remembered information from the signs at the wildlife park. Don't take this as professional knowledge by any degree.
 

Chookie

The Ubbergeek said:
The domestic cat, as far I know, is born of an african wild cat - not the wild european one. Which supposedly is more wild.
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I wouldn't say it was wilder, I'd call them less tameable, yet my father reared one. It wasn't exactly a housecat, but it was cuddly. I wasn't referring to Felis sylvestris. I was referring to the lynx (both European species - Lynx lynx and Lynx pardinus).

My fault, I didn't specify.
 

mojojojo

Gone Fishin'
Catmo said:
Ferrets are banned is some US jurisdictions. This is pure class warfare. Ferreting for rabbits was considered a low class "redneck" form of hunting.
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I am not sure, what you mean by rednecks? I live in the South and have many "redneck" relatives and until recently most of them had never even heard of ferrets much less used them for hunting.:confused:
 
Errnge

Errnge

mojojojo said:
I am not sure, what you mean by rednecks? I live in the South and have many "redneck" relatives and until recently most of them had never even heard of ferrets much less used them for hunting.:confused:
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same boat here.

however, this is an extremely interesting thread. i had no idea that ferrets were once more common. so, theoretically, as long as a western european power does not control egypt and spread its culture, then the ferret will remain more commonly used?
 
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