Interesting.

[bladespark]

I was reading an old rant of Ursula's, (great artist, amusing writer,) and she pointed out something. I've always thought that the neatest thing about being able to be an animal, after the fur (mmmmmmmm, fur) would be the enhanced senses. Better smell, better hearing, all that. She points out, however, that you'd lose almost all of your sense of touch, most of your visual sensitivity (unless you turn into a bird of prey, and then you have a brain the size of a peanut, and have other problems,) and almost all of your sense of taste. Ever wonder how a cat can stand to lick itself in certain places? The cat can barely taste it, that's how.

I'm not one of those people who longs to be animal instead of human. I want shape-shifting so I can try it out and then go back after. But this is one more thing on the list of reasons why being stuck as an actual feline, rather than the cat-girl I really am, would suck.

Comments

[harliquinnraver.livejournal.com]

err cats have quite a strong sense of taste...at least mine do.

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Er... One, how can you tell if they have a strong sense of taste? You can't taste things? And second, cats have way, way, way fewer tastebuds than humans. It's been proven. Here:
http://www.catsplay.com/thedailycat/2003-06-09/mind_communication/senses_taste/senses_taste.html

[silveradept]

Is that why future societies are anthro to a fault - best evolutionary combination of the two species?

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

But of course! Though actually I've got another version of why the furture has anthros in it. It's not terribly original, (none of my stories are,) but it's at least coherent and vaguely possible. One of these days I'll do something useful with it.

[thalass.livejournal.com]

That's a good point (why do I always write "poing" when I try for "point"?). I remember reading Animorphs in high school, and that was one of the things they'd have to get around in some animal forms. Particularly bears or rhinos with such poor eyesight and such. Though they didn't have to deal with the brain size problems.


I remember in the Belgariad (or related book), Belgarath talking about how if you stay in one form for too long you start thinking like it. Turns out eagles aren't too bright. :P

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's funny how people think of eagles as all intelligent and noble. They're dumb as stumps. Mercedes Lackey (a great author who also does a lot of work with bird of prey rehabilitation,) wrote a very amusing rant about it once.

[errickfoxy.livejournal.com]

I know it's a late response, but it just came to mind on the way home today. I think most people who talk about wanting to be an animal usually mean they want to be anthropomorphic, and as such, since they don't really exist they can mix and match sensory capabilities. If a cat's sense of taste is poorer than a human's, then they would just choose to have a human's sense of taste.

But if they want to be the actual animal then yeah, I guess it's an all-or-none dealie there.