What Is A Cat? (1972)
2024 ж. 24 Нау.
495 718 Рет қаралды
Presents the history of the domestic cat, tracing the animal as a house pet and as a symbol of mystery and worship from ancient Egypt to the present day. Offers hints on the care and treatment of cats in homes of today.
We digitized and uploaded this film from the A/V Geeks 16mm Archive. Email us at footage@avgeeks.com if you have questions about the footage and are interested in using it in your project.
Wouldn't be the 70's without a flute
Lol, yea, Hubert Laws or somebody.
and LSD
Anchorman! 🪈
..)) 👍
We need more flute music in the world.
I always wondered what a cat was! Thank you 1972!!
A cat is our overlord
A cat is our overlord
A cat is not our overlord.
Omg you have almost 800 likes!!!!!
best comment i died 😭😂
The color, the composition, the jazz flute, bass and synth soundtrack, the narration. This is the most 70s documentary of all time.
...)) 👍
It's an ad.
@@agnidas5816no it's not
@@agnidas5816 A 13 minute video with no tagline, distributed by a film fair with full credits? And you think its an ad? Did you and i watch the same video?
Perfect video for enjoying drugs lol.
It kinda saddens me to think that all those lovely cats are now long gone. I hope they all had long and happy lives.
That was one of my first thoughts too
What a depressing mindset.
@@josefmendez8524 I thought that too. I've come from a background of being a widow at 40. Having a boyfriend murdered. My best friend murdered. 2 of my ex boyfriends committing suicide. My mind always goes towards those thoughts. Sorry can't help it. Wish I didn't have a depressing mindset.
So are most humans who were adults in the 1970s, many of them are now gone. But there is nothing to fear, for death only affects the physical shell that holds our divine consciousnesses! The same way that every little seed grows up and takes the same format of its ancestors, growing up to a beautiful plant, in the same shape, but not identical, to every other plant that came before it. Same with cats, same with humans! We all come back to this LIFE, albeit in a new shell! LIFE is the secret of the universe, why is anything ALIVE at all?
@@steviechampagne what a nice reply! And a way of thinking about it I had never thought of before. Thank you!!
what is cat feline, dont scratch me dont bite me no more
Lol good one
Meow meow meow meow meow Meow meow meow meow meow Meow meow meow meow meow meow
nyan (× 2⁵⁴)
Ok
@@thijsjong was that a Meow mix? 😄
What is a cat ? A creature that deserves RESPECT.
someone who identifies as a cat
R E S P E
MEOW
"What is a cat?" "Half-friend, half-mystery" This seems to be an accurate definition. As someone housing cats, I can confirm this is true. :D
People in 2024: what is a cat? People in 1972: what is a cat? People in 3500 bc: what is a cat?
Peasants don't have the mental capacity to decode what their Masters are... Yk
@@iamme4882normally the king made eunuchs out of his peasants, not the other way around!! Cats are being turned into commodities, live Dolls! ALL This cat neutering nowadays is animal cruelty! And in 50 yrs cats Will have to be bought at a high price for their population Will have drsstically decreased
I never thought I'd enjoy watching an old documentary about cats
What is a car?
Before this video, not many knew what cat is.
Even before the internet, we have obsessed over felines. While we champion dogs for their loyalty and hard work, we are intrigued and mystified by cats. The world would be less interesting and fulfilled without them.
the ancient egyptians are a testament to that ☺🖤
0:23
Silent movies about cats exist
Human beings have been obsessed with cats since the dawn of time.
lmao I think some person in Egypt centuries ago first noticed a cat able to catch and kill rodents, and they were like WOAH HOLY SHIT WAIT TIL THE GUYS HEAR ABOUT THIS
I'm 65 and just rescued a kitten yesterday. She's now #23 of all the cats I've had and one more of uninterrupted companionship for the past 42 years. Her name is Hope.
❤️❤️❤️
❤🐈🐈⬛🙏 Which of them lived the longest (how many years)?
@@xvrlskrcll6485 The oldest was Phoebe, a female Snowshoe. She was a stray that the vet guessed was 2 to 4 years old. She stayed with me nearly 15 years, so she was 17 to 19. Currently, Penny, a dilute tortoiseshell, is 14 and I got her when she was about 2 months old.
I’m 27 and have had my siamese kitty for the last 8 years.. he’s sleeping on my lap as i watch this documentary.. i love him so much, more than any other animal i’ve ever bonded with in my lifetime. They are so special. Living as a human being is tough, but having our furry little feline friends here with us makes it all so much better ❤
@@steviechampagne Oh, that's so sweet. The way I see it is your heart, the hidden one, has many little rooms. They remain open until a new kitty enters your life. They bring a key with them that only fits a room just for them. They enter the room, then lock themselves inside, and now they're in your heart forever.
I wish this style of documetary came back, the calm narration, the trippy music, the long camera shots... Nowadays is all so fast and so loud, everyone is trying so hard to be funny and quirky, i miss this vibe.
The music is definitely dubbed in
The music is dope, trippy indeed.
I think the ultimate in this vibe is Alone in the Wilderness. Its about a man named Dick Proenecke living alone in Alaska.
@@albinobeach Great documentary.
The Wild Wild World of Animals, narrated by William Conrad!
Fun fact: cats most likely view us as a maternal figure, because all of our interactions with them are somehow related to when they were kittens with their mothers. Especially meowing, which is something cats in the wild typically only do as kittens with their mother. There are jokes about us being their slaves, but it's actually more like they're a spoiled kid that was never told no. lol
I am like 90% sure cat's see their humans as big cats
@@druidofthefangbig cats with endless resources 😂🥰
@@druidofthefangfrom one druid to another, u are not wrong. We are simply hairless giant motherly cats
Tuvaletlerini temizlerken bundan emin oldukları kesin.
@@druidofthefangand mother cats arent big cats?
My kitty, who passed from diabetes in 2010, was the best friend I’ve ever had. I took her from my friends who were going to send her to the pound when the weather got warm. She loved me unconditionally, and was cute and funny, and I loved to harass her (with never hurt her but sure annoyed her! lol. But the funniest thing was she never got wise to it!) I got her as an adult, so her personality was formed but it was perfect for me. ❤ she loved to climb on my shoulder, and I would walk around the apt for a minute with her on my shoulder like a bird before sitting back down. lol. I missed her as much as my human friend (who passed in 2019) when she passed. I always said she looked like a Holstein cow :) ❤
Documentaries from the 60s and 70s were just incredible weren't they?
groovy man
This explains the weird medieval cat pictures. People didn't know what a cat was before 1972.
Okay now explain medieval snails
🤣
They used to humanize cats by drawing their faces like a person's
A cat is just a hungry cloud with meowing and a little bit of hissing
😂 @@thecandlemaker1329
I like how this looks like it’s going to be educational/scientific with a simple title, but it’s actually a celebration of cats and an intense fascination with their relationship with humans/history/the universe. Sponsored by cat food. I can tell they had fun with it lol
Dig that way out music.
I miss my black 🐈⬛ cat Onyx. He was the greatest cat. He was so awesome. When his sister went missing he left too . He came back beaten up but he came home after weeks of looking for her. My poor baby died looking for her. 😭😭😭
@@talkingcatsproductions1140sorry to hear it, poor creature. 😢
@@talkingcatsproductions1140 Aww. :(
That's so terribly sad, I'm so sorry
Cats rule. They're funny, cute and cuddly yet are acrobatic super ninjas at the same time. People who don't like cats just don't fully understand them and I feel for those people.
I like how the guy playing the recorder loses his sanity at 9:44
LOL 😂
😂😂😂
"F it, how many people are even gonna watch this 50 years from now"
52 years later, cats haven’t changed a bit.
It it ain't broke don't fix it!
Gained some weight)
@@Tokoloslike our species
@@FatalShotGGTell that to my boss and managers... 🙄
They need to be deconstructed then
"Cats love freedom, and solitude, and just to be alive" YES
I know I was one in a past life just based on that😏
I am a cat
@@BerylGhermezme too
@@khharkivskyme three
Same
4:11 "Cats make the most trivial things a source of delight." / Truer words have never been spoken... 😺😺😺
Our newest rescue loves playing with hangers, of all things! 🤣🤣🤣
That was my fav line! If you haven't already, watch The Electrical Life of Luis Wain. And bring a box of tissues! It's the true story of an artist who normalized loving cats, and it's soooo good.
Telling me what a cat is: very well-written and edited but that flute-synthesizer score, man the 70s were something else
If all advertisements were like this I wouldn’t be donating $10/month to Adblock
Couldn't you pay less for KZhead Premium
@@jamesrosewell9081you don't even have to pay for KZhead premium, just get revanced manager on your phone & install revanced enhanced - ad block however blocks ads on other sites & if you pay for it gets rid of all the auto play ads/banners/pop ups you get on some sites
@@jamesrosewell9081 premium is $30 a month isnt it? I have it, but im part of a family plan with my best friend and i just pay him $5 a month, so I have no clue how much it is rn.
@@jamesrosewell9081lmao literally😂
Ad block isn't just a YT specific thing.
This soundtrack goes so hard
I wonder if it can be found on vinyl?
woodwind AF
Agreed
Is it on Spotify?
I love the "groovy" 70s feel.
Narration, filming, music and overall implementation: The high quality of old school TV production.
And its not in 4k, 8k, s log, etc.
dear algorithm: pls recommend more stuff like this
Plenty of mischief afoot, devious intentions even
Quite so.
Dastardly plans, perhaps
Chaos ensues.
Cataclysmic catastrophe...
When grandpa finally learns how to use a computer
Sure we can all agree this documentary could have gone another 2 hours with our undivided attention.
Amen and amen💪
Absolutely ❤
😫 7:20 and it's half over,this sucks! It should only be like .0001% percent over 😁
You could show this to anyone and they would watch the whole thing
😃 Definitely!
52 years later we are still loving them!
The opening scene cat was sadly thirsty and his real legs were giving way, broke my heart
Cats were worshipped in ancient times. They never forgot.
And rightly so!
Cats dont fogor
And hated in medieval times, seems like they didn't forget that either since THEY are always in control of the interaction. It's impossible to bend a cat completely to your will.
@svenskanal not in russia or Turkey. Cats are still loved there
@@haplop-zb4vp As a Russian, I'm sure cats are popular in my country, but we have many cases of people abusing cats and even killing them for clout and government doesn't want to do anything with that. And now, because of war, cats are more unprotected from animal abusers.
I love that humanity will always be intrigued by cat antics
It might just be our last redeeming feature😂
Extremely happy that this 1972 archive has been saved. Thank you. 😊 I was 5 years old in 1972. And Cats 🐈 Are Special. X
I was 7. Everything about the 70s was so much cooler than today -- the movies, music, fashion. I hate everything in today's culture. Even the people were better looking.
@@YA-qj8fx That's very true. I would have to agree.
@frankblack7801 Me too! My husband just pointed out that I was probably the same age as that little girl carrying the kitty up the stairs. This was such a trip to watch. 😹
Why dont pet food companies make trippy documentaries about cats with free jazz soundtracks anymore
They don't need to; the art form reached its height with this one!
The least they could do is bring back that wacky-ass recorder solo. It describes the single braincell of orange cats better than words can.
the science of demographics has advanced. now we know that certain groups don't like cats, and that practically nobody likes jazz.
@@RatPfink66 Sad but true,
@@RatPfink66people still like jazz, what rock do you.live under?
Best 13 minute commercial I've ever watched
Cat: the one mammal that doesn’t need to feel ashamed of their ‘70s yearbook photos. Those hairstyles still hip. 🐈⬛💜
Cats: quiet, self cleaning, bury their manure, purr, don't try to smell your crotch
Also as long as you feed them, they will leave you alone. Perfect pet for introverts.
lol. Yeah, pretty much@@MLBlue30
@@MLBlue30 My cat, who spends about 90% of her time in my lap and is snuggled up to my side as I type this, REALLY didn't get the memo about leaving me alone after I feed her. Or after I go to bed. Or after I wake up or have to go to work. Or while I'm cooking or cleaning or otherwise busy... or ever. I giggled every time this documentary mentioned cats being independent and having secret lives. My cat's "secret life" is waiting on the other side of the door for me, lol.
lol me too....mine was on my shoulder or sitting on my keyboard the whole time I watched this @@MySweetBijou
A cat is a hungry cloud with hissing and meowing.
This is pretty cool, but can we talk about how good the soundtrack is??
What a relaxing documentray, with no much talking, or loud music or epileptic clips !
The filmmaking style and high quality of this speak of another time. As you see, it's courtesy of the Friskies Corporation. Like most American businesses of any scale, it had been bought out and conglomerated by this time. This promotional film looks like it took a long time to make for what it is, even if there was no clearly no budget. The classic voice-of-god narration combined with psychedelic music point up the changing times in 1972. Who was this for? Young adults considering getting a cat; kids who could bother their parents to get one; really groovy olds? Was this played on TV late at night like today's infomercials? Or possibly in public schools on 16mm under the guise of education? In the economically recessed early 70's, was cat ownership down I wonder?
50 years ago, quality and competency were valued and respected aspects of all avenues of life. Now, the lowest common denominator is the ideal consumer and voter.
Marketing in guise of education is extremely common, back then and today. Food pyramid comes to mind.
Interesting questions! I could see that cat food scene/text being extended into an actual ad - at least i expected it when it ran.
I read this comment and all of it's replies in that voice-of-god narration
I can see this being played in a 70s or 80s classroom with the lights down on a reel-to-reel projector going clackclackclackclackclack
In the USA, in 1972, you would have seen this between 1st and 6th grade. The teacher might have even let you run the projector.
It's hard to believe that no one knew what these animals were before 1972. I'm glad we discovered them.
i love your pfp lol. Yep.
in the 1930s they were thought to have big sausagey noses and spend their nights yowling on back fences, or so animated cartoons would have us believe.
Life was just different back then
Reruns of documentaries from this era with beautiful jazz music used to come on all the time when I was a kid. The music was such a mood for me.
God idk why this is sooo soothing, for the first time i never click fast forward button. Don't ever change, cat.
Who couldn't love cats. They're intelligent, elegant, fast, flexible, cuddly
And super cute ❤
Cats are fluffy and light on their toes, my respect for cats continually grows!
*Elvis voice* “Well you don’t like cats then you ain’t no, friend of mine…” 🎤
@@Torgo1969ya I saw what you did there. 😂
My cat is 4 / 5
Finally, one of life's toughest questions answered at last.
Wow didn't expect you to be here
Cats are the best! 2 years ago life gave me the joy of having a beautiful cat and I've never been so happy! ❤ Literally my cat changed my life for better ❤
These old doc's had the best music, like a beat spoken word jazz fest
I can't remember the last time I truly smiled and felt okay, that was the best 13 minutes of my life. Thank you.
I like the cut of your jib👌
Agree completely
It's sad to think that all of the cats in this lovely video are long since passed.
From the shots in this doc, I would like to think they led happy lives. Who knows that mama cats kittens relatives could be alive today.
I'd have to say the same thing. These cats looked like they had happy fulfilling lives. What more would a cat ask for?
probably lead full and happy lives if they ended up in a documentary also think about how many kittens these cats mothered/fathered
Not only these cats, but trillions of other cute animals have lived and died on this planet. It doesn't have to be sad, that's the inevitability of most life on earth.
@user-yv6xw7ns3o Your words are very true. My comment was written in a moment of reflection on my cats who have passed through the years, all of which were happy pets who were dearly loved. There is a certain happiness that a pet can bring to one's life and family.
love the vintage music
This was awesome. Can't believe I was just a 9-year-old kitty myself when this was made. Timeless, accurate, and still germane in 2024. Love the jazz.
I live with 6 adopted cats, one of whom is blind since birth. Best decision i ever made
Rescued or adopted cats are the absolute best.
Love you for saving them and helping them!! ❤❤
@@poppyonline4034 especially the blind one who I named Miracle... no one else was willing to adopt a blind cat, so I decided to give her a home with me
How has the blind cat adapted? Is it happy?
@@godlygirls62 she's 3 years old now. I keep her indoors all the time. I don't change the layout of the house and I try to use the same laundry detergent and hand soaps so that shes familiar with the smells
"A creature of angelic grace and demonic powers." I couldn't have said it better myself
If I had a cat coffee shop, I would have this film on loop on a vintage television set in the corner. Just playing really softly though.
I’m at an age where almost everyone I grew up with is dead. I don’t find it depressing at all, it’s natural. And I look forward to seeing all my relatives and friends in heaven. (And yes, even my cats!)😻 I miss them all so much ❤❤❤
Чушь. 😂какой, нафиг, встречи
@@user-ih5yk4es5o I feel sorry for you that you live in darkness and hopelessness. Turn to Christ, the Light of the World! You may choose to mock God, but it is He who will have the last laugh 😂 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” - Hebrews 11:1 “However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ - the things God has prepared for those who love him-these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” - 1 Corinthians 2:9-10
Dang even the cats were skinnier in the 1970s
A whole lot more of them were eating garbage and table scraps.
Haha I was just thinking that
@@MrDoctorMabuse modern kibble is worse than healthy table scraps. heck, mice and rats and birds are healthier than kibble.
@@hello-ef4bnOf course mice and rats and birds are healthier than kibble - they’re exactly what a cat eats in the wild.
@@hello-ef4bnthat's a different subject. They're talking about cat's being thin or underweight most often back then because they were given only table scraps, sometimes occasionally.
Wow they thought cats were domesticated 5000 years ago in Egypt. Now we know there's a 9000 years old human burial with a cat inside it in Cyprus. I love how our understanding of humanity changes according to archaeological and paleontological finds.
Knowledge updates are fun. And interesting.
It's believed that cats were domesticated on at least three independent occasions.
I think since this came out they updated it to around 10,000 yrs.
@@ricoz2016 ...It's over 9000!!!
It's so European to worry about such things. I think looking on the past after a certain point prevents the future. Cats are just an example of something humans find almost universally tolerable. I wouldn't be surprised if small cats and humans had basically the same relationship since they inhabited the same area.
This reminds me of PBS stuff from the early 70's that I watched on TV and films projected on small screens in grade school with the warped audio tracks. But one thing hasn't changed for me. A great love and fascination with cats.
honestly, this is a fascinating little video, lol. there's questionable moments like the panting cat at the beginning (unless if it's footage of a wildcat), and cats being chased by dogs and other cats. but there's also something so sincere and simple about a documentary from the 70s talking all about a beloved pet. it paradoxically shows how much we've changed over the last 50 years, and yet how little we've changed. what i mean is, we know how to raise cats better now, but even still, people loved them just as much back then as we do today. it's the first video in a really long time where i've had a stupid smile on my face the whole way through. cats really are an enigma
Probably the cosiest videos I've ever seen, that soundtrack is S-tier
I want the soundtrack.
Remember, the Boomers back then were listening to this LSD, groove stuff 😅
The soundtrack is 🔥🔥
It's groovey baby.😏
Reminds me of the documentary films we used to watch in school in the late 70’s-early 80’s. 🥰
I love everything about this, particularly the fact that the soundtrack is just a series of jazz solos on various instruments
I really just sat through 13 minutes of stuff I already know, and I don’t regret it.
Cats: "we single handedly eradicated the bubonic plague.. You're welcome, humans."
Video got that part wrong. During plague, many people actually blamed cats. Ignorance was rampant. People observed more plague where there were more cats. They didn't recognize the cats simply went where the rats were. Stupid and fearful people would actually hunt and kill cats. Destroying the very thing that was protecting them. Ignorance and fear are the most dangerous thing in the world. Sadly, humanity hasn't progressed much in this area. So many modern examples of the same sort of thing.
"Good kitty"
@@russelloppenheimer3970 the disease mainly spreads person to person via fleas and lice. But cats can transmit plague to humans by biting or scratching them. People can also be exposed to the illness through direct contact with an infected cat’s draining lymph node material.
@@russelloppenheimer3970 Additionally, a main cause of the plague was the absence of rats or cats, the fleas’ preferred food source. With less animals to snack on, they jumped hosts and transmitted disease more quickly. This can happen in real life when people have rodent issues in their home or yard, and use poisons or traps to remove the population. If it was big enough, the flea population left without hosts can infest the home.
@@eldiablo3794do you often get in touch with an animal’s “lymph node material”?
Everything about this, the film editing, the background music, the narrator`s manner, reminds me of the 70s. And it unexpectedly filled me with waves of feelings. And thinking about the cat I had in 1972, the late great Orlando.
I live in Crete and have 20 cats living in the wild land around the house and they all have Swiss watches when it comes to dinnertime. Yes, they are supremely clean---but they sure make a mess out of everything around them!
the little ploof going crazy along with the mischievous music is my favorite part of this 8:42
"I'm not a cat. I can't tell you what a cat is. Only a cat can tell you what a cat is . . . "
Well played
One cat can be your best friend in the whole, wide world. Another, from the same litter, can treat you with utter indifference. Yes, I've had both! 😊
What is a cat? He's the guy who jumps on my chest at 4am asking for food
Cats didn't settle among us. They showed up one day and said, "this is how it's going to be, cope". For which humans bowed before them and became their slaves. What a great video. I bet it was fun to write, shoot, edit, and produce.
I kinda think cats weren’t just attracted by rodents but also the warm, still laps of very tired farmers. :)
You just nailed it🙌
This is so adorable and charming, nothing beats these types of videos.
synthesizers and cats go together so well
What a kind look at cats for something that's so old. For the longest time it had been so popular and mainstream not to like them, when in reality, they're absolutely lovely creatures
This will be one of those videos that will have millions of views in 9 years
Its not 6k raw cinematic though.
Actually started watching this ironically. But ended up fascinated
Interesting timing for this to be recommended to me. Well, for me a cat was...IS...my absolute best friend I have ever had. He just passed away. My shadow, my confidant, my soul mate. He understood everything about me and I understood him. I easily knew what he was communicating and we were more deeply bonded than I have ever seen another person and their "pets". He wasn't a pet or animal. In some countries they are simply considered garbage, or food. That is not even understandable to me. He was my bff.
Thank you for posting, ive been wondering what a cat was since 1972. In all seriousness was very interesting to see older educational videos from decades gone by.
What a cat is, is something that without them this world would be a very dark and grim place. Thank you cats for existing.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤!!!!!!!!
This was quite possibly the best video I've watched on this platform
agreed
You should watch sesame street form the early 80's.
"Half friend, half mystery" sounds about right
Magnificent. Poetic. They don't make em like this anymore that's for sure
This the type of content I wish KZhead would put in my recommendation feed more often
Same ❤😊
Just for that they wont.
52 years old. Still definitive.
In addition to many many shots of cats and great music, this doco is superbly written. What wonderful friends cats are!
Ah, the 1972 documentary called, "What Is A Silly Billy?"
real
It's actually really cool and impressive that cats hunt everywhere - air, land and water. Not a lot of animals besides humans do this. I'd never thought about it like that until the documentary said it.
この子達の子孫がいっぱい生きてるんだね💕💕
Excellent! Somehow gentle and inciteful. Loved it. NO EXPLOSIONS, great cool cat music.
rest in peace to all the cats (and dogs) in this video 😢
For everyone under 18 years old, yep all documentaries used to be like this.
I think you mean under 40.
i love this idk why videos like this aren't being made anymore.
cant believe it took us until now to learn what a cat was, thanks for uploading this
Cats are beautiful, mysterious, sacred. They are super-natural beings, and they know things humans don't!! 😸
Ever since my cat died after 15 happy years, I started to wonder what the relationship with pets was like before I was born. I was just a kid when we adopted that cat in 2007, what was it like before then? My parents didn’t have many pets back then and rarely talked about it with their buddies so I was left clueless about this topic. This video can help me get some insight, I appreciate it
I'm glad this video popped up on my YT suggestions 😊 The music, the narrator, the educational information 🥰😆❤️🥰
9:54 And there are endless perches from which to meh and wah
The fascinating world of FUN
YTP moment
LMAO
where is my full video!! :( im gonna have to email thems arent i