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I've been giving the idea of pets a considerable amount of thought of late.
When comes to pets, there are two kinds of people in the world: cat people and dog people. Unlike red or blue states, no one seems to mind which camp either group is with, it's understood it's just a characteristic of human personality. Ironically, cat people aren't threatened by dog people.
Once you know the signs, you can pretty much know what kind of furry creature an individual prefers. Sometimes, people are in denial; e.g. they want to be a cat person but they're really a dog person. But mostly people know which side they're on in this dichotomy and are happy to declare themselves.
What are the differences? Personality, basically. Some personalities match with some people and those same traits drive other people away. I'm sure hundreds of traits have been enumerated on the net. Rather than rehash those, I'll pick the one characteristic that I believe all other descriptives stem from; attachment.
Both dogs and cats form a bond with their caretakers according to their nature. It's how the animal treats this relationship that draws a person to them. To dogs, their owner is the center of the universe, the top dog. A dog seeks to please, to be accepted, to ensure that it is a valued member of it's pack. To cats, the owner is just another ( albeit big, ungraceful, and silly looking ) cat, who knows where the food is. Cats show no interest in ingratiating themselves with their owners, though they do seem to acknowledge the relationship.
I've tried not to reveal my leanings here, but I'll now admit, I'm a cat person. I like dogs too, I'm fond of most animals as I find them genuine and intriguing. I grew up with both species in the house and lavished childhood affection on both as I could. Still, as a basic affinity that I have no control over, like sexual preference or love of chocolate, I'm just more drawn to cats.
Regardless of the animal prefered, we do develop amazingly strong attachments to them. Some people care more for their critters than they do for other people. Sometimes, more they other members of their family. Part of this is simple anthropomorphism. Since the creature can't express itself in human terms, we become the interpreter of their behaviors. We assume they have the same motivations as we do, so in our eye our animals become more human. That's the simple answer; you believe your animal loves you because it's all in your head.
Still, there's more to it. I believe animals have the same basic emotional equipment as people, without all that nasty high order thinking to get in the way. They don't analyze the world, or ascribe motivation to it, they simply experience it. If you should accidently hurt your animal, they don't react like a human at all. They don't blame, the danger is past, they move on. Indeed, they don't show any fear at all of their owners, they seem trusting. Perhaps, if they don't feel anger they assume they're safe.
Try looking at your pet when you're angry, they know it. Try threatening them with a big stick when you feel happy; they play with the stick. To me, it seems critters interpret threats in their environment in a far different way than people.
Back to attachment. The one thing we do with our pets that we don't do with people; touch. Oh, we hold our partner, but too much holding might have "meaning". We hug children, but too much attention may be taken the wrong way by a cynical observer. Pets? They get it all.
We pat our pets. And hold, and coddle, and cuddle, and coo, and physically interact with our pets far longer and more closely than we do with most fellow humans. Animals grow to enjoy this and come to us to experience the display of affection they can understand on the most basic level. And, in turn, we feel that affection mirrored back at us.
Is it any wonder we feel close to our pets? Sometimes I think that if we could treat other humans with the same honest caring we can show a dog, the world would be a happier place.
When comes to pets, there are two kinds of people in the world: cat people and dog people. Unlike red or blue states, no one seems to mind which camp either group is with, it's understood it's just a characteristic of human personality. Ironically, cat people aren't threatened by dog people.
Once you know the signs, you can pretty much know what kind of furry creature an individual prefers. Sometimes, people are in denial; e.g. they want to be a cat person but they're really a dog person. But mostly people know which side they're on in this dichotomy and are happy to declare themselves.
What are the differences? Personality, basically. Some personalities match with some people and those same traits drive other people away. I'm sure hundreds of traits have been enumerated on the net. Rather than rehash those, I'll pick the one characteristic that I believe all other descriptives stem from; attachment.
Both dogs and cats form a bond with their caretakers according to their nature. It's how the animal treats this relationship that draws a person to them. To dogs, their owner is the center of the universe, the top dog. A dog seeks to please, to be accepted, to ensure that it is a valued member of it's pack. To cats, the owner is just another ( albeit big, ungraceful, and silly looking ) cat, who knows where the food is. Cats show no interest in ingratiating themselves with their owners, though they do seem to acknowledge the relationship.
I've tried not to reveal my leanings here, but I'll now admit, I'm a cat person. I like dogs too, I'm fond of most animals as I find them genuine and intriguing. I grew up with both species in the house and lavished childhood affection on both as I could. Still, as a basic affinity that I have no control over, like sexual preference or love of chocolate, I'm just more drawn to cats.
Regardless of the animal prefered, we do develop amazingly strong attachments to them. Some people care more for their critters than they do for other people. Sometimes, more they other members of their family. Part of this is simple anthropomorphism. Since the creature can't express itself in human terms, we become the interpreter of their behaviors. We assume they have the same motivations as we do, so in our eye our animals become more human. That's the simple answer; you believe your animal loves you because it's all in your head.
Still, there's more to it. I believe animals have the same basic emotional equipment as people, without all that nasty high order thinking to get in the way. They don't analyze the world, or ascribe motivation to it, they simply experience it. If you should accidently hurt your animal, they don't react like a human at all. They don't blame, the danger is past, they move on. Indeed, they don't show any fear at all of their owners, they seem trusting. Perhaps, if they don't feel anger they assume they're safe.
Try looking at your pet when you're angry, they know it. Try threatening them with a big stick when you feel happy; they play with the stick. To me, it seems critters interpret threats in their environment in a far different way than people.
Back to attachment. The one thing we do with our pets that we don't do with people; touch. Oh, we hold our partner, but too much holding might have "meaning". We hug children, but too much attention may be taken the wrong way by a cynical observer. Pets? They get it all.
We pat our pets. And hold, and coddle, and cuddle, and coo, and physically interact with our pets far longer and more closely than we do with most fellow humans. Animals grow to enjoy this and come to us to experience the display of affection they can understand on the most basic level. And, in turn, we feel that affection mirrored back at us.
Is it any wonder we feel close to our pets? Sometimes I think that if we could treat other humans with the same honest caring we can show a dog, the world would be a happier place.