Do Animals Have Feelings?

by anewme 49 Replies latest jw friends

  • Satanus
    Satanus

    One thing that you may already know about having chickens; you have to always watch where you step, cuz they crap everywhere. How can you tell that i grew up on a farm.

    S

  • Lady Lee
    Lady Lee

    Do they feel love? I think they do. Animals and birds for that matter have a sense of imprinting/being connected to something outside themselves. I had two cats in Winnipeg. I could not bring them with me when I moved to Ottawa. Sierra got sick and had to be put down. The other, Siki, roamed about the house howling looking for his buddy. Apparently he had started to howl even before Sierra was taken to the vet. He knew something was wrong. When I had my appendix out a few years ago Sierra who always slept up near my head moved down and started to sleep near the incision. And from then on he always slept beside me fear? Most animals will have a sense of fear. It is a normal defence mechanism to protect al creatures form danger.

    jealousy? After Sierra was put down my ex got another cat to keep the one left company. Jealous? OMG They spent weeks hissing and spitting at one another. Siki would not let the new cat in the litter box. The ex had to buy anpther box for the new cat.

    anger? Hmmm I would have to think about the nager one. Animals are territorial. They will react to protect what they consider to be their territory. No wait a minute. A few years ago I went away for a couple of days leaving the cats alone. When I got home Siki ran upstairs and climbed on my bed and waited. When he saw me coming up the stairs he squatted and left his "gift" for me. I think that was his way to show me how angry he was about being left alone. Sierra just snubbed me for several hours.

    remorse? I know they would run when they knew they had been caught doing something they weren't supposed to do. Not sure if that was fear or remorse

    joy? Well Siki was pretty joyful when he thought he would get a treat. He would do almost anything to get food including sit, sit pretty (up on his hind legs), roll over, and if I put a treat just at the edge of my lips he would reach up and take it

  • anewme
    anewme

    Oh I forgot about the crap everywhere.
    Hmmmm.......

  • SWALKER
    SWALKER

    I just had a conversation with my 100 lb lab...here's what he said:

    Woof woof woof...woof, woof woof woof woof. Woof, woof woof and woof woof woof. WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!

    Translated that means, yes they have feelings, why do humans ask such dumb questions?

    He wants me to tell everyone that hell yes, he gets jealous of my attention to any other creature...He owns me! If I try to pet another dog he gets in between us and pushes him away. He claims that's normal behavior. He also loves to scare the hell out of the mailman...it just makes his day a little less monotonous. He likes to sniff disgusting things that he knows upsets me as he thinks that's funny! He always makes sure I'm watching. When he gets a shower he only likes the mist setting...it's the only one he'll sit still for. He says it feels soooo good! (It's my favorite also.) Last but not least when he checks to make sure the house is safe and sound for the night, he always pushes open my bedroom door, so that he can keep an eye on me and make sure I'm safe. All in all, I'd say it's true love.

    Swalker (softie when it comes to animals)

  • SWALKER
    SWALKER

    Oh one other thing he wanted me to tell you was that he saved my life on time. I was out on my daily walk and two dobermans came charging up out of nowhere. He jumped right in and kicked their asses!!! They ran off with him in hot pursuit!!!

    Swalker

  • M.J.
    M.J.

    info about Koko the sign-languaging gorilla and her mourning: http://www.koko.org/world/mourning_koko.html

  • under74
    under74

    I don't know about all animals. Honestly, I'm not big on them but my mom has had a cat since I was 15. It's about 15-16 years old now. I'm pretty sure this cat has feelings even though she's getting senile. She always knows who to go to for petting. She also knows who to avoid.

    She's really old now and a couple months ago we thought she was going to die. BUT the cat came back the very next day...I'm sorry. Anyway, she keeps crapping and throwing up everywhere...mostly when she's kicked out of my mom's kitchen. From what I've seen the cat smells chicken cooking or even stuff cats arent supposed to eat and runs into the kitchen, cat gets kicked out of the kitchen......cat craps in the middle of the living room. Happens every time. She is one vindictive little bitch.

  • kazar
    kazar

    I do believe animals have feelings. I enjoyed reading all of your posts and am delighted to read of all of your pets' behaviors. You all seem a compassionate group of people. I have a dog and a cat who I love dearly.

    As for the poor pig - alas, I am saddened to know you have to experience your sadness about his ultimate fate. It bothers me very much how animals are treated before and during the slaughter and for that reason I am a vegetarion (most of the time). It is just too sad.

  • Apostate Kate
    Apostate Kate
    Interestingly, this is one of the things that has turned me totally off to there being a god. It is so obvious what aniamls have to do to survive, and this has been going on from the beginning. The idea of their being a creator that started all this is now disgusting to me, especially when he required the kiiling of animals and then enjoyed the odor of their burning flesh. And nowhere in the bible is there any allowance for animals to do anything but die.

    Christian Vegetarian Association

    Actually I found just the opposite to be true. It was never Gods intention for us to have to kill animals. Check out this site and you'll see what I mean. I LOVE animals and am a Christian Vegan x JW. I could never eat my friends. If enough of us would stop eating meat we can make a difference. The methods of slaughter are criminal, it is sickening.

    Christian Vegetarian Association; "Jesus said that God feeds the birds of the air (Matt. 6:26) and does not forget sparrows (Luke 12:6). The Hebrew writings forbid inhumane slaughter or cruelty towards beasts of burden (Exod. 23:5; Deut. 22:6–7, 25:4). Yet, in the United States, virtually all food derived from animals is obtained through intensive factory farming methods. Nearly ten billion land animals are slaughtered each year, over a million every hour, and the number of aquatic animals killed for food is far greater. These animals suffer greatly from stressful crowding, barren environments that frustrate their instinctive drives, amputations without anesthesia (including debeaking, dehorning, tail docking, and castration), and other painful procedures (Bernard Rollin, Ph.D., Farm Animal Welfare).

    Slaughter typically involves terror and, often, great pain (Gail Eisnitz, Slaughterhouse). Illustrating the industry’s callousness, animals too sick to walk are painfully dragged to slaughter rather than humanely euthanized. Typical of the industry’s attitude, John Byrnes wrote, “Forget the pig is an animal. Treat him just like a machine in a factory” (Hog Farm Management). "

    I got my Christmas card today from Linda Blair who created the "Linda Blair World Heart Foundation" that works to stop animal abuse. She also is a vegan. Animals love, get jealous heck yeah! My rat terrier teases my mom's chihuahua mercilessly with his favorite toy. She smiles when he gets angry. ~Love, Kate of the apostate vegan animal lover class

  • startingover
    startingover

    ApostateKate

    I've been thinking about this thread all day. I have thought many times about going "vegan". What has held me back is the seeming inconvenience and the thought that my change will in no way impact the situation. It's just so overwhelming.

    For me it all goes back to the idea that we are all just animals. If I was hungry enough could I kill to eat? I have never faced it so I don't know. I honestly don't think I could. I think it would be easier for me to die instead. I wonder if there were humans in ancient times that felt like I do, who lived at a time when killing to get food meant survival.

    As far as the god required animal sacrifices and the connection with Jesus, I have no use for the ransom sacrifice thing, it makes no sense to me whatsoever. I know to some it makes sense, but it never has to me. Never.

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