A mystery unsolved... mayb not for long.???

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by cluelusshusbund, Jan 11, 2019.

  1. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    Okay: default position: Cats have four-fingered paws. So do foxes, coyotes, and dogs Rats, squirrels, raccoons, weasels and mice have hands; rabbits have long snowshoe feet; goats and horses have hooves, chickadees and other birds have tricorn feet with long toes and talons. These tracks are none of the above. Humans are out.
    That leaves one-legged something that didn't eat the sunflower seeds or an alien.
    They probably went home by now.
     
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  3. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    One of my track pics shows 6 toes... below is a pic of a cat wit 4 toes on each paw but a pic of its track shows 5 toes.!!!
    Extra toes is most likely to hapen wit feral cats cause ther natural walk is for the rear foot to land over ther front paw track.!!!

    "

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    "

    The black text below the pic came wit the pic.!!!
     
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  5. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    Extra toes are not unusual in cats - up to eight per foot. I have a recently-arrived feral cat with six toes on each front paw: four normal, one like a giant thumb at about 70 degrees to the rest, and a tiny one in between that doesn't touch the ground when he walks.
    And the overlapping paw-print is nothing like the right-angled pairs of projections in the first picture, which were also far too shallow.
     
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  7. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    I havent been able to find an overhead view of feral cat prints in shallow snow to verify what the prints woud look like... but at least the pic i showed in post #62 shows that the number of toes in the print dont necessarly demonstrate the number of toes on a paw.!!!

    The more diferent the angle of the rear paw as it steps on the front paw track... the grater the angle the toe prints will show... prolly the exact angle that my pic shows

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    "which were also far too shallow"

    Ther was freezin rain on top of some snow... then less than 1/4 inch of snow on top of that... an that thin layer of snow is as deep as the tracks coud go an why the tracks were shallow.!!!
     
  8. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Symmetrical? Like an eight-pointed star? Citation needed.


    I don't think it's a proper scientific approach to say "Well, it's got to go in some bucket, so it's going in this one. Job done, moving on."

    There is always leaving it as an open question for now.
     
    Last edited: Jan 15, 2019
  9. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    Only if each paw has two toes and the paws are oriented E, W, N and S.
    Excellent suggestion!
     
  10. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Unexpected. I thought I was the only one in the Mystery Not solved Yet camp.
     
  11. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    I made a couple of suggestions based on the skimpy evidence. With no more information forthcoming, I see no way to a definite conclusion.
    Plus, I'm bored with it.
     
  12. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Appreciated.

    I was a bit "plussed" with SSB's apparent declaration that "it's a cat", and for a fraction of a moment I felt like I was in Magical Realist's shoes.

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    To-wit:

    "I know I'm right to leave the door open, but what if everyone just gangs up, and declares 'solved by popularity' by fiat?"
     
  13. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    I'll try to live with whatever resolution or non-resolution is reached.
     
  14. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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  15. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Whoa... when you'r right you'r right

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  16. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Here here… an like ive done for MR to be able to present his case… i also argue the right for you to thank them tracks is what ever you want to thank they are.!!!

    Heck… i thank a feral cat made the tracks… but its oK wit me that you thank it more likely ther from a chickadee belly

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  17. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Its not a mater of life or death... lol... its just some odd lookin tracks an we are all guessin as far as i know... all-tho... some guesses are funnier than others

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  18. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Why feral, as opposed to domestic?
    Where do you live that domestic cats are implausible?
     
  19. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    0 0

    "It's a cat" was the first hypothesis. That hypothesis has not been falsified nor has a better hypothesis been presented.
     
  20. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Both ' being first' nor 'not being falsified' are not really strong arguments for ruling out competing hypotheses.

    And 'better' hypothesis is in the eye of the beholder.
    I can't imagine how you see those as cat's paw prints.
     
  21. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    The guy in the second video i posted says well fed house cats are to fat to direct register… so i figer that the cat that made my tracks is most likely feral.!!!
     
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  22. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    This pic i found was labeled cat footprints… but it dont look like a cats paw woud make such a print… looks more like a anti-slip rubber tip on a cain that some old person was usin

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  23. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    It is very clearly the hind paws overlapping a front paws.
    Nothing like your original ones.
    BTW, all my guesses were facetious and there won't be any more, so you can stop now.
     

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