Not that I have a problem per se with anthropomorphizing animals, but I would say it's anthropomorphizing to ascribe human, ego-driven motivations to animal behaviors. I agree that animals have emotions. I even think they have self-consciousness, I just suspect that it is structured differently from ours.

eta: Robin makes a good distinction.

My television boyfriend will be so happy about the end of domestic spying! But he is hotter when he is pissed, though. The Shakespeare starts flowing and everything.

Animals have feelings, but they aren't OUR feelings. Anthropomorphizing them means we assign human feelings to them.

ETA: Or what Burrell said way better.

Then why do you refer to ascribing feelings to animals as "anthropomorphizing" them?

I said "ascribe human feelings" to them. As distinct from animal mammalian feelings. Cf., Scrappy's points on this issue.

I'm so confused.

How do we know animals have feelings, again?

You can tell by watching their behavior, for one thing.

How do we know animals have feelings, again?

Why would you presume they don't? The certainly express happiness and desondency and boredom and anger and fear.

I'd even go so far as to say that I've seen mammals grieve.

I talk to my dog and my cat all the time. But I don't exactly think they answer. It is nice to talk to them because you know they won't put your junk on the street.

If by known you mean scientifically verified, I don't know that it has been proven animal have feelings. So it turn out that when we say we know--or at least when I say it--I should properly say that I believe it.