Plot twists that WON'T happen

Jonathan_S wrote:I don't think there's enough medical work to support a treecat only practice.

Sure there will be.
Assume 1 clan of 100 treecats. If even only 2 treecats a year need serious medical help, that's still 18 cases.
Why?
Because 'cats have 9 lives!

While there are only a limited number of 'cats in a clan, we have no idea how many clans there are. At some point a xeno-vet and an engineer are going to have to get together to design 'cat usable equipment. The vet is then going to have to teach at least one memory singer how to use it and understand the results. She will then be able to train other 'cats to use it. Even if it is only to the point of figuring out "This we can take care of, but this needs a doctor" level medicine. Also, now that 'cats are interacting more regularly with human, there is going to be a need for at least one specialist doctor for research and the "Oh My God" cases.

KNick wrote:While there are only a limited number of 'cats in a clan, we have no idea how many clans there are. At some point a xeno-vet and an engineer are going to have to get together to design 'cat usable equipment. The vet is then going to have to teach at least one memory singer how to use it and understand the results. She will then be able to train other 'cats to use it. Even if it is only to the point of figuring out "This we can take care of, but this needs a doctor" level medicine. Also, now that 'cats are interacting more regularly with human, there is going to be a need for at least one specialist doctor for research and the "Oh My God" cases.

I believe Mission of Honor puts the figure at about 1.2 million. Treecats, that is, not clans.

The treecats have chosen to remain hunter gatherers with limited amount of garden farming. Their population growth is mostly static. Now they are beginning to colonize other worlds where they will be forced to intensive agriculture on these other worlds. Agricultural surpluses is what drives population growth. As more of the People leave the home world there is room for the 'cats to increase their population growth, and thus measures to stem population growth will be lowered. Over time there should be an increase in the 'cat population. It will be very slow at first but eventually should hit exponential growth and they will seek new homes with their two=leg friends.

The 'cats will have symbiotic relationships with humans over time. Quite possibly not in the books but, as n extrapolation of the pattern being formed in the books.

Poker

Perhaps RFC will address Treecat medicine in the next book. There are a couple of good reasons for that. One is the number of ‘cats that are now going off-world both for service on ships and as bodyguards for important people. I would suspect that Manticore (and the ‘cats) would want at least a basic set of Treecat physiology and medical treatment available to at least the physicians who are going be treating them if something is necessary (or can be done in the case of combat). That has a downside in that it probably would end up getting stolen by the Alignment though without a live (and having only one dead/preserved one) Treecat, they are a bit short on test subjects. Presumably Sphinx Forestry Service has a number of medical (at least vet) Treecat specialists and they have a compilation of information and procedures etc for treating Treecats beyond what the Clan Healers can do for themselves.
The question should also come up- probably in connection with the assignment of said Bodyguards- as to what the Clans may be saying or talking to the Humans about regarding setting up groups or new clans on places other than Sphinx. By this time the realities of both probability of expansion of the Clans and the need to support a lot of Treecats off-world (and in distant Systems) should have occurred to some of the Clan Elders. There is already a mini colony on Grayson, there has got to have been some conversation about that within the ‘cats.

Brigade XO wrote:There is already a mini colony on Grayson, there has got to have been some conversation about that within the ‘cats.

According to HoS, several more treecats have emigrated to Grayson, and there is also now a treecat colony on Honor's duchy on Gryphon.

KNick wrote:While there are only a limited number of 'cats in a clan, we have no idea how many clans there are. At some point a xeno-vet and an engineer are going to have to get together to design 'cat usable equipment. The vet is then going to have to teach at least one memory singer how to use it and understand the results. She will then be able to train other 'cats to use it. Even if it is only to the point of figuring out "This we can take care of, but this needs a doctor" level medicine. Also, now that 'cats are interacting more regularly with human, there is going to be a need for at least one specialist doctor for research and the "Oh My God" cases.

I imagine that this is one of the subsets of the discussions Dr. Arif and her team is having/has had with the treecats and Forestry Service folks (who were probably the most enthusiatic learners of sign after the adopted pairs).

Hutch wrote:

KNick wrote:While there are only a limited number of 'cats in a clan, we have no idea how many clans there are. At some point a xeno-vet and an engineer are going to have to get together to design 'cat usable equipment. The vet is then going to have to teach at least one memory singer how to use it and understand the results. She will then be able to train other 'cats to use it. Even if it is only to the point of figuring out "This we can take care of, but this needs a doctor" level medicine. Also, now that 'cats are interacting more regularly with human, there is going to be a need for at least one specialist doctor for research and the "Oh My God" cases.

I imagine that this is one of the subsets of the discussions Dr. Arif and her team is having/has had with the treecats and Forestry Service folks (who were probably the most enthusiatic learners of sign after the adopted pairs).

I dunno, I'd throw in a vote for the xeno-vets themselves as the most enthusiastic adopters of sign after the bonded pairs. "You mean we can ask where it hurts? And how long it's been hurting? You mean we can say, 'We're trying to help you, please don't bite us'? You mean we can ask what the funny thing we just pulled out of your gut was? You mean we can ask you to stay off broken limbs??" If I were a xeno-vet, I'd have been catapulting off the rooftops whilst shrieking in joy. One less species requiring guesswork and blood sacrifice!!!

Nimitz discovering celery soup?

cthia wrote:Nimitz discovering celery soup?

Treecats snorting lines of celery salt?