this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2025
669 points (97.6% liked)

Mildly Interesting

21354 readers
554 users here now

This is for strictly mildly interesting material. If it's too interesting, it doesn't belong. If it's not interesting, it doesn't belong.

This is obviously an objective criteria, so the mods are always right. Or maybe mildly right? Ahh.. what do we know?

Just post some stuff and don't spam.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
(page 2) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 261 points 1 week ago (4 children)
[–] PlaidBaron@lemmy.world 84 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The fact that you need to tell people not to intentionally give their cat salt water is telling of how far we've regressed as a society.

[–] jamesjams@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Humans are naturally curious and lean towards the scientific method, that's why we always need a disclaimer, don't TRY this, they still will.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (4 children)

“Scientific method”?

Most people’s “method” is YOLO/HMB for lols. Thank goodness cats have nine lives.

[–] kautau@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Yeah or when something has been proven by the scientific method and they want to feel special so they specifically do the opposite of the beneficial thing

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 39 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Still, that's pretty impressive. Cats are absolutely incredible animals. I'm thankful the "worst behaved cats" still love me for whatever reason because I've been able to see some of the crazy shit they do.

My parents have an entirely blind 18 year old cat. She can navigate the entire house eats fine, plays a bit. Hops up and down furniture, finds the sunbathing spots, uses the litter just fine. You do have to keep an eye out for her if your moving around as she can't smell fast enough if you step in front of her path.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] muzzle@lemmy.zip 126 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Hey, look a feature every mammal may need to evolve in the near future!

[–] Grabthar@lemmy.world 72 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop fucking cats.

[–] Beacon@fedia.io 26 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Are oceans getting saltier? The glaciers that are melting are pure freshwater

EDIT

I'm not an expert but from a quick googling it seems the oceans are getting LESS salty

https://www.llnl.gov/article/37921/atmospheric-warming-altering-ocean-salinity-and-water-cycle

[–] muzzle@lemmy.zip 44 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The issue is not more/less salt in the oceans, but fewer and less reliable sources of freshwater.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (8 replies)
[–] Tim_Bisley@piefed.social 104 points 1 week ago (2 children)

They can drink salt water when times are tough but it still wouldn't be good to drink it for a sustained amount of time.

[–] filcuk@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm sorry, have you looked around recently?

[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Last time cats drank this much salt water was the Hoover administration!

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] subtext@lemmy.world 52 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Don’t cats often die from kidney disease? :(

[–] general_kitten@sopuli.xyz 20 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

yep, usually the first organ to fail in old cats, so the superpower seems to come with a drawback. edit: removed inaccurate statements

[–] Welt@lazysoci.al 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

That's why they don't like taking baths

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yes, but often as a result of a long diet with chronic dehydration from a kibble based diet.

The moisture cats consume is from their prey. The blood and juices of rodents and birds hydrate cats.

Canned/wet food cats tend to wind up with thyroid issues instead of kidney. (Well, sorta: there's evidence the BPAs in cans and mercury from fish as a reason for that.)

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] stupidcasey@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I could say that is an impressive evolutionary feat, but instead I'll say: Evolution, what the hell is wrong with you? You do know we all came from the sea, you should know 70% of the earth is covered in salt water, why did you think it was ok to devolve the ability to drink salt water but retain the requirement to drink water? Are you Ok? Do you need Jesus?

[–] general_kitten@sopuli.xyz 12 points 1 week ago (12 children)

kidney disease is one of the most common ways cats die of old age so super efficient kidneys dont come without a tradeoff. Cats have evolved to live in very arid enviorments where saltwater is all that is availible so the tradeoff might have been worth it. ability to drink saltwater only would work without kidneys being prematurely overstressed would be likely if animals had higher normal salt content but that would mean they would need a lot higher salt intake making living inland harder.

load more comments (12 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Dr_Box@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Penguins too but its in a supraorbital gland in their beak

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

we're going to need to evolve this superpower if we want to avoid my grandkids and your grandkids killing each other in the global water wars.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] TrojanRoomCoffeePot@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Sort or related question, is that why their piss reeks like concentrated jenkem?

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That’d be ammonia, a metabolic byproduct of their carnivorous diet.

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Not trying to be that guy, but it's urea, which breaks down to ammonia due to microbial action once it's out of the cat. If a cat is pissing ammonia, it has big problems and needs to see a vet.

Other contributors to awful cat piss smell are mercaptans, the same compounds responsible for the scent of skunk spray, and pheromones and fatty acids released when the cat is spraying versus normal urination. It's all compounded by cats being adapted for arid environments so their urine is much more concentrated than human urine.

I love cats but they're gross little fuckers sometimes.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Dehydration is a common cause for cats to be 'ill' and brought to the vet,* so it could be that their piss reeks because they are having to concentrate it so much in the first place.

*source: a dimly remembered conversation with a vet friend when I asked her why she was adding water to the already wet food for her cat. She said her cat could never be encouraged to drink enough, so it was her way of staving off the annoyance of giving iv fluids to her own animal someday.

[–] jamesjams@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's absolutely a thing, I've had several cats in my life look nearly on the brink of death before basically forcing them to drink or eat turned them around completely. They can be very stubborn. Fountains help a lot because in nature moving water is typically cleaner than standing water, so if your cat always refuses to drink, get a $10 cat fountain on Amazon, it works!

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[–] Lembot_0003@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] abbadon420@lemm.ee 34 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Seems oretty obvious. You can let the cat drink the salt water. Then kill the cat and drink the filtered water from it's kidneys.

[–] miss_demeanour@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Can the kidneys then be used to string tennis rackets?

[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You're an adorable little urchin, Max.

[–] nokturne213@sopuli.xyz 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Gratuitous acts of senseless violence are my forte!

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] cholesterol@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] FilthyHands@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago

Gave it up years ago.

load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›