I've had this thought several times lately when thinking about Star Trek or playing with my mother's cat. From my uneducated perspective, given enough time, any animal could potentially evolve to a point of using more and more complex tools, a greater understanding of the world around them, and mastery of technology. However, much like Star Trek's prime directive prevents Starfleet from knowingly interfering with the advancement of less developed species/worlds, is an opposite possible, where one species' interaction with another will cause the development of one of them to slow or even halt? With cats at least, we've introduced domestication. I wonder how we've altered their development? Without outside interference, would cats have one day evolved to speak, write, control fire, forge metals, learn medicine, reach space, etc.? How have we affected the animal species we have become so involved with?