I know that animals express certain emotions like fear, pain, joy, etc., but what about other, more human emotions?
If two boy dogs liked the same girl dog, would one get jealous if the other one got the girl?
Would the winning dog laugh at the other dog?
Would a cat play a trick on another cat just for fun?
If an animal’s friend died, would another animal comfort him?
Are animals jealous of humans because we have technology? Do they even know?
This doesn’t address the exact questions you’re asking, but let’s see… my #1 dog Sasha acts very jealous if we pet other dogs and not her. She barks at us and tries to get between us and the other dog.
When my all-time favorite cat (Michaelmouse) died, his companion cat (Merry) grieved over him so much she really didn’t want to live at my house without him. She had grown up with him, and was very attached to him. She basically left the house and wouldn’t come in and spend time with me like she used to, and finally died also. I really think she grieved herself to death.
On the other hand, I don’t really think dogs notice a lot of what we have re technology. It’s just stuff they don’t care about.
My cat clearly displayed “bitterness.” My father lived with us briefly while undergoing chemotherapy. He spoiled my cat and taught him stupid tricks using Doritos as a reward. My cat thought that my father was his best buddy as they would spend most of the day together.
When my father’s chemo sessions were over he moved back to his own apartment, out of town. When he came to visit, my cat heard his voice and then man-oh-man! did my father get an earful.
We could hear angry “muttering” from upstairs – it sounded like a little, old lady mumbling obscenities under her breath. The muttering got louder as my cat stomped down the stairs. With big, round, mad eyes. My cat continued his multi-syllabic tirade. Wen my father tried to pet him, he hissed and tried to bite him. For 20 minutes (seriously, my mom kept an eye on the clock to see how long he was having his tantrum), my cat paced around muttering loudly and looking at my father like “where the hell have you been.” Then my father gave him a Dorito and the cat forgave him for running off.
Max and George were brothers from the same litter of Siamese kittens. Max was of average intelligence for a cat, but George was quite stupid. He even had crossed eyes and the vet suspected he may have actually have had some kind of malformed brain. Max played tricks on George – presumably for fun. E.g. He would open the cupboard under the sink with his paw, curious George would go inside, and Max would shut the cupboard behind him. There George would stay until a human found him.
Dogs routinely comfort each other in cases of loss or injury. And Max did apparently take some pity on his stupid brother, George, and would leave a freshly killed mouse for George to discover and “kill.” (George was always very proud when he “killed” a mouse and would do victory laps with the mouse in his jaws.) Max was the proficient hunter, but he always encouraged to his brother to “hunt” the mouse he’d conspicuously left in the yard for him.
So I’d guess there are some emotional nuances that we don’t really give animals enough credit for having. But the probably aren’t as emphatic about it as we are.
Dogs are very aware of status. I walk my dogs frequently and I have noticed that if another dog barks at them, they stick their noses up and whine a bit but they will not bark. Sometimes one or all of my dogs will bark first. In this case, the other dogs, (stranger dogs) whine but will not bark.
One of my dogs can be snide. I will give them each a treat. The other dogs eat their treat immediately. Bandi saves hers and then teases the other two.
I had a cat for 17 years. When I had to put her down, Tera would walk around the house looking for her. Or at least that is what I thought she was doing. She was off her food for a few days and seemed depressed. She and the cat were good pals.
If an animal’s friend died, would another animal comfort him?
I’m pretty sure this is true.On Oct.22,2001,my husband and I had to make the hardest decision we’d ever made, which was to put our 3 year old black DSH Precious (who was anything but) down due to excessive behavioral problems. Our other cat,Rumpleteazer, had grown up with Precious as we got them at about the same time. For weeks afterward (and sometimes even now almost a year and a half later),Rumpleteazer would go around looking for Precious in all the usual hiding spots and become very upset when she couldn’t find her. Precious was Rumpleteazer’s buddy. They were often spotted playing together, grooming each other and even sleeping together in a heap. I know that our youngest kitty, Buttercup, tried to console Rumpleteazer by getting her to play but Rumple just didn’t want to play and I guess saw Buttercup as an intruder or interloper. I’m sure that’s why she STILL won’t play with her. In Rumple’s mind, I figure she sees Buttercup as the problem because right after we got Buttercup is when Precious was put to sleep.
On the (imaginary) Straight Dog Message Board there is a pit thread about my dog. "Why must you hide my chewtoys you A$$fk B***h?!"
Occasionally, she visits her boyfriend, “Pups”.
The thing is, Pups loves to play with chew toys of all sizes and shapes, but he isn’t too bright. When I go to pick her up, Pups is absolutely thrilled to see me, and comes over to greet me. While he is thus distracted Killer (my dog) hides his toys. Bh!
Obviously my dog can experience the emotion of smug superiority.
There is more to it than that, but the “toy hiding routine” was the first one I thought of.
Alright, this isn’t exactly addressing the question, but it’s kind of related. I have a dog who gets really, really jealous. If I pet another dog, Mia growls. If I have a guy over to my house, Mia barks and barks and barks. If that guy kisses me, Mia trys to jump in the middle of us.