My experience tells me the oppposite: That animals have complex and unique emotional lives, and that they are capable of emotions analogous to human sadness.
Yeah, I didn’t want to stray too far from the thread topic originally, but I own a pair of cockatiels, and they definitely have their own set of emotions-- it’s more easily visible since their crests give a visual indication. Alternatively, they can lose feathers and such when stressed, and something like that can be influenced by the removal of otherwise normal attention (though not necessarily neglect).
With dogs, I’d say it’s very obvious.
No, I’ve grown up with pets all my life. As I said in my post, I have a cat who I love to death, and is very affectionate towards me and cuddles with me at night, greets me when I come home, comes to me when I call her, etc.
My boyfriend’s dog will play with me, come to me when I call her, etc. She’s more sensitive to the teasing though, and sometimes I go too far and she gets scared or upset.
And it’s not like I am doing this stuff behind locked doors… my BF and sister and such are around and they tell me to knock it off sometimes, which I do, but most of the time they don’t think what I’m doing is abhorrently evil, or whatever.
I don’t blame you for not wanting me around your pets. I would never hurt them though. Like I said, I love animals and it’s just this weird urge. I think it’s a bit of hyperbole to say that I am treating them like ragdolls though, when I do engage in the teasing.
I would say cats as well…
Lol that’s almost exactly what it’s like.
I didn’t say you treated them like ragdolls, I said I’ve known people who have. You seem to be downplaying from what you originally said, which is that you suffer from this problem of wanting to hurt cute animals.
I understand. I just wanted to put out there that despite my natural urges and occaisional meanness, I still maintain healthy, happy animals whom I care for and have for years, who are still happy to see me, cuddle with me, etc.
I don’t doubt that.
How do you tease the dog that gets it so upset?
Oh… well like making it dance with me on it’s hind legs, tickling and prodding it on the belly, sliding her across the floor like a sled (GENTLY, NOT LIKE KICKING HER SO THAT SHE GOES SLIDING, I mean like pushing her along like you would a box), putting her up high on a shelf (and then helping her get down of course), chasing her around the house, jumping out and startling her, that kind of stuff.
Yes I know it’s mean, yes I know I shouldn’t do it, and no it’s not a regular thing.
To be honest, some of those are normal. I know a bunch of owners who take great care of their pets, but also tease/play with them.
There is definitely a line, but the pets also regularly respond and even provoke it.
When I was younger I would do a lot of that kind of stuff. I don’t know if the URGE to do those things are abnormal. Do you have the choice to stop? Because I would if I were you. I’m not saying you sound like you abuse animals, but you seem to piss them off. If you can help it, don’t be a bully.
This is not the animal cruelty thread I thought it would be, a good thing though.
Just don’t do this. Oh those poor, poor kitties.(The current top comment is priceless btw)
I don’t know if that’s a fair comparison. Cats only have one emotion – arrogance.
Oh that’s right!!
:rolleyes:
I’m a dog person too, but cat’s are what I would pick if I had the choice. And they aren’t JUST arrogant!!! 
Is aloof an emotion?
My parent’s cats are quite capable of feeling emotion. When they are packing for a long trip, one of the two cats will lay on luggage so it’s hard for my folks to pack, she also poops in places she shouldn’t when they’re gone. When both my parents leave the house, the cat cries out.
The other cat doesn’t really care, but that’s just because she more chill. This has nothing to do with emotions, but she does play fetch! They both follow my dad around so they do play favorites. They also bond with each other which is something my two previous cats never did.
I had a cat named Rocky growing up, who I was very close to and slept in my bed every night, and when I went off to college he started losing patches of fur and getting scabs. My mom took him to the vet, and it was determined that he was suffering from a stress induced condition brought on by me leaving the house permanently. Evidently cats can become VERY attached to their owners, to the point that they will literally start licking their fur and skin to the point of bleeding and such. He got better eventually, after he got used to it… but yeah, anyone who says cats don’t experience emotions are not very well experienced.
Not normal for regular cute animals. But I’d have no problem taking out a few pigeons/flying rats any day. Wouldn’t do it myself, but it wouldn’t cause me any problem to see gross things like that taken out.
For that matter, I used to be a pretty avid ornithologist (as a hobby), but now they just piss me off, those noisy, messy birds. Kill them all! (No, I’d never hurt them, but I’d be fine if they were all just gone all of a sudden). Also squirrels – they can go away. Their ecological niche doesn’t seem important to me. They’re also loud and messy.
For even “cute” humans, I’d do them personally if they hurt a kitty. And if their dog did it, I’d have no trouble taking care of the dog, and, if threatened by the owner after the fact, her too.
(not a physician or licensed mental health care provider)
If they are just occasional intrusive thoughts, I think that is pretty common. Do a search for “intrusive thoughts” and you can find reams on it that indicate that it is common, and, to some extent, normal.
If the thoughts become strong desires to the point where it is seriously distressing or disabling, or they lead you to actually go out and harm cute animals, it might be a good idea to schedule an appointment with a therapist or even your regular doctor.
I’ve been so overwhelmed with love for my girlfriend that I’ve wanted to crush her skull with my hands. There’s no way of physically expressing such rapturous emotion, and so according to my body or whatever, the next closest thing is rending her to fleshy pieces. It’s reminiscent of that scene in Punch Drunk Love, where Adam Sandler’s character is professing his attraction to his love interest’s face by saying, “I just want to fucking smash it with a sledgehammer and squeeze it, you’re so pretty.”