Xenomorphs & Domestic Short Hairs

well for starters, i'm not entirely sure about your original premise... Xenos, or "starbeasts" as i like to call them don't kill everything and everyone one. I think they try to not kill each other most of the time, and in Aliens, when the queen is threatened she calls off the warriors from attacking ripley and newt. As far as why they don't kill cats, maybe the Starbeasts are able to tell when they are in the presence of a superior life-form.

I assumed the xeno did not kill the cat because it did not see the cat as a threat. :)

Its never fully revealed my the cat was left alive by the alien. We know that typical xeno behaviour is to not kill but bring creatures back alive so a facehugger can do its job. Im very sure that the aliens do not share characteristics with cats. Like the person above me said. I beleive it did not see the cat as a threat and so left it alone.

Oh my, forget the Queens, there are no QUEENS on ALIEN....this is James Cameron creation! ALIEN - As Devised Originally: Agressive bio-weapon, capable of using any large body to gestate its larvae. Does not change its DNA to mix with its host, but uses its targets to spread itself (autonomous and thus efficient) keeping its design unchanging. Its adaptability is regading the use of any biological entity as a host, NOT changing DNA Seems to target possible threats when spreading itself, probalbly due being primed to wipe out the enemy warriors who are the targets of its deployments, clearly ignoring small/no threat aninmals, for they do not have enough body mass to use as a host and are not technological users / targets to be wiped out. This is ALIEN. If you use ALIENS and so forth then comes James Cameron deturpations and adaptations (Space Ants! Chaging mutants....erk) and that is a concept both bad and senselles for a bioweapon for many reasons, as well as being terrible science fiction, but sadly fond of some (not me though)

We know you don't like this turn of events, but there's nothing in Aliens that contradicts Alien. Actually, there may be great benefit to a warrior species that can take on attributes of its host, because the host already has adaptations that are specific to its environment.

Same here I know you like this All Mutant DNA stuff, but there is nothing in ALIEN that warrant this stuff either, being it a creation of Aliens onward. Dialogues and movie do not warrant it, and actually the creature behavior if extrapolated will void this crazy (and bad science fiction) stuff. Can be charming to a conceptual "warrior species" but they are not any species, but a bio-weapon designed to war, with definite purposes and a good programming if we take ALIEN alone. A bioweapon crazy mutating itself instead of using the best option (adaptability to use the host body BUT keeping its integrity) is a very flawed and dangerous weapon. A civilization with billions of years on their back would not designed such a weird and ultimatelly nonfunctional weapon (same with this Queen thing...flawed tactical design) Very good science fiction as well Again I am among those that will draw draw a line between good science fiction and action concepts with poor real thought to them.

Funny this is brought up. From the novelization...page 268 "Outside, the alien was shaking the catbox experimentally. Jones yowled through the box diaphragm. Ripley was halfway into the pressure suit when the alien threw the box down. It bounced but did not break open. Picking it up again, the alien hammered it against a wall. Jones was beyond sense, screamed steadily. The alien jammed the box into a crevice between two exposed conduits, began pounding the container into the opening while Jones fought to escape, hissing and spitting."