I'd even go so far as to say that I've seen mammals grieve.
When my aunt died, their Siamese ran round and round the house day after day, screaming and obviously looking for something. She had never done that when my aunt or uncle were gone for a few days. The vet finally told them that Ling Ling would never be happy in that house without my aunt, but could possibly settle down in another home. My uncle gave her to a friend, and she eventually settled down. Grief? Recognition of some major change? Lack of the usual food person?
Heck, I've seen them do REM.
We call that their RPM cycle, for Rapid Paw Movement.
Grief? Recognition of some major change? Lack of the usual food person?
We'll never know. Cat had her tongue.
Cat had her tongue.
Haven't lived with many Siamese, have you?
How do we know animals have feelings, again?
We don't. They have behaviors that some humans choose to interpret as emotionally driven. (Personally, I think it's a stretch, or at least requires a very broad definition of "emotion.")
(Personally, I think it's a stretch, or at least requires a very broad definition of "emotion.")
Whereas I'd contend that humans have a very limited definition of "emotion" that's mostly tied up with cognition.
In other news...A beautifully murdered tree.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it not bleed?
Well, emotions in the terms of preferences. Our dog has "friends" at the dog park. There are usually 20 or so dogs there, some who she sees just about every time she goes and want to play with her, but she will look around for her friends and run over to them every time to play. If her friends aren't there, she'll play with the other dogs, or lie down. How that feels to her, I don't know. I call it liking.
My cat wallows in things that smell like me when I'm away, and clings to me when I get back. She says hello when I get home (she is Egyptian, which is like Siamese only not cross-eyed), and begs,
beeeegs,
to be let into the basement whenever I approach that door. She sits by my chair when I am typing and stares at me with sorrowful disdain until I let her onto my lap. Like now!
It's nice to be needed so pathetically by something that avowedly does not have the power to vote and will never be able to enter therapy and blame me for my crappy parenting.
