Response to "Headaches."

Response #7

In Mary Marcil's bog, she talks about the discussion we had in class pertaining to human and animal pain/suffering. If we experience a headache, we are in pain which turns into suffering. That suffering still exists even if we are too distracted to notice. The question was whether animals experience the same thing. Can they be aware of themselves but get distracted from their awareness? Mary finds this believable, especially when the memory spans of an animal are taken into consideration. She says, "It is ompletely reasonable that they might forget they are aware in order to focus on something important like escaping a predator or feeding their young." If an animal has a short memory span, it is possible that they were aware, at one point, of their pain even if it does not last very long. Mary asks, "Are there times when we can absolutely tell if an animal is self-aware?"

Like in the video we watched in class, we know animals are self-aware if they look into a mirror and realize the image is of themselves. Dolphins, apes, and elephants are certainly self-aware but it is hard to tell if other animals are as well. When an animal grooms itself, it is aware of itself been groomed. Also, when one animal wants to prove to another its affection, most of the time, if it is a mammal or a bird, it shows this by by grooming that animal. Sometimes, when animals are feeling stress, they take it out in themselves, much like humans do. Parrots pluck their feathers and dogs chase and chew their tails. These are signs of self-punishments that can only be seen in beings with a developed sense of the self. Self awareness is proven through animal behaviors such as status, pride, self esteem, territoriality, self punishment, self love, supremacy, and submission. It is complicated to know for sure which animals are self aware, but by simple observations, sometimes we just know they are more aware than they let on.

My question to you is: What makes some animals seem more self aware than others and in what ways does the intelligence level of an animal relate to self awareness?

Animal Confinement and Consciousness.

Today, when I was walking back to my townhouse, I saw a student come out of her car with a goldfish and a small bowl to keep it in. I wanted to ask her if she would like to live in such a small space but I refrained from doing so. Instead, I came back to my laptop to blog about it. Many people are uninformed as to what animals (especially fish) need in order to live comfortably and contently. Sure, some people would say that it does not matter because fish are not conscious of themselves or their surroundings. However, I do not think we could ever know what a fish is really thinking so I am just going to assume no one would want to live in a half gallon bowl. I am not against owning fish. I actually have a two year old beta who resides in my townhouse with me. Unless the world population organizes a revolt against breeding fish, then there is nothing we can really do besides give them a home and what they need. People just need to know how to care for their pets.

Animals and humans are different, but both deserve freedom and respect. Throughout history, there has never been an animal species that gave other animals so little space as humans do today. By confining animals to a specific designated space, they are not able to express their natural behavior. Some people do think, for obvious reasons, that putting a fence around a pasture to make sure the animals do not escape into the road is a reasonable action. Also, humans have a right not to be 'bothered' by animals that live next door or down the street. People expect others will keep their pets under control, their dogs on a leash, their fish in a tank, their cows in selected pastures, etc. In this sense, freedom is bound by borders but these borders are needed for legal reasons. But where is the limit as to how confined an animal/pet should be? If animals are truly conscious of themselves and can experience happiness, then they should have the right to their own property and space. After all, it is not in a dog's nature to be locked in a cage all day while his or her owner is at work. It needs to get exercise just like humans. The same goes for all animals. Humans do not like to be confined to only a certain space, so I raise the question as to whether animals should be confined and, if so, how much space is enough for them to experience and enjoy their lives?

My question to you is: Do you think human beings should have the right to confine animals? If so, how much space does an animal have the right to occupy?

Response to "Animals and Emotions."

Response #6

I initially was going to respond to Jenna's question, which is, "Do you think our pets can or do love us in the same way we love them? Can animals love at all?" However, Hallie does a wonderful job of answering this question in her blog. At first, I wanted to state that yes, pets do love us! Although, like Hallie said, we can never enter the mind of an animal so it is impossible to infer how animals feel and what they are thinking. I would like to think that my pets love me. For example, my cat Buttons purrs nonstop around me. He sleeps next to my head at night, kneads my arms, touches noses with me, puts his arms around my neck, and follows me around nonstop. I could guess that he does love me but he may just be doing this for attention or because he knows I'm the only one that gives him treats and wet cat food. I will never know the truth. Hallie asks the question, "Do you think domesticated cats differ from dogs on the subject of pet/human relationships based on behavioral cues?"

In general and stereotypically, dogs are more affectionate and human-like. This is because they depend on people more greatly than cats do. Dogs need their owners to take them outside, feed them, walk them, groom them, and so on. Dogs don't do well on their own because they are so greatly domesticated and have been twice as long as cats (about 14,000 years). Dogs are more excited, hyper, and loyal compared to cats because cats are independent animals and do not require very much attention. My cat, Cali, basically lives outdoors. Everyday, I find her with a different animal in her mouth. No matter how often I tell her that killing animals is 'bad', she still does it because it is in her nature and what is right to her. She is highly capable of preying on her own food and finding her own shelter. She can also groom herself. The reason why she stays with me is because such a domestic lifestyle is easy. Why choose to sleep outside when she can have a warm bed?

I think domesticated animals take on different personalities, like humans. Human and pet relationships all depend on the human and the pet. I am much closer with my cat than my dog because I find my cat more affectionate and intelligent. My dog simply does not like me and only warms up to a select few. All of my pets have different aspects and can be categorized as different types of people. I once wrote a paper on the personalities of my pets; I don't see how a person can see all animals as the same and as inferior. All domesticated animals are unique and tend to adapt to their humans as well as their surroundings. If an animal has sufficient time with their human 'owner', that animal will start to take on the characteristics of their owners, dogs especially. In my experiences, I find my cats to be more friendly but maybe this is because my dog is an old, grouchy Pomeranian who barks nonstop. I think generally dogs have better relationships with humans but, if a person learns to respect and have patience for his or her cat, this relationship can become more equal since humans have to earn their cats appreciation and loyalty.

My question to you is: Should humans be able to keep non-domesticated or exotic animals (like snakes, serval cats, chinchillas) as pets? Why or why not?

Here is a link I found interesting that compares cats and dogs:
http://www.neatorama.com/spotlight/2010/05/14/cats-vs-dogs/

This is a serval cat. When I worked at the veterinary clinic in my hometown, a woman owned a serval cat (along with many other exotic animals) as a pet and brought it in to be neutered. Let's just say it wasn't the friendliest animal when it woke up.