Posted on 08/19/2007 9:57:06 PM PDT by DancesWithCats
The domestic cat is a contradiction. No other animal has developed such an intimate relationship with humanity, while at the same time demanding and getting such independent movement and action.
The cat manages to remain a tame animal because of the sequence of its upbringing. By living both with other cats (its mother and littermates) and with humans (the family that has adopted it) during its infancy and kittenhood, it becomes attached to and considers that it belongs to both species. It is like a child that grows up in a foreign country and as a consequence becomes bilingual. The young cat becomes bimental. It may be a cat physically but mentally it is both feline and human.
Once it is fully adult, however, most of its responses are feline ones, and it has only one major reaction to its human owners. It treats them as pseudoparents. The reason is that they took over from the real mother at a sensitive stage of the kittens development and went on giving it milk, solid food, and comfort as it grew up.
This is rather different from the kind of bond that develops between human and dog. The dog sees its human owners as pseudoparents, as does the cat. On that score the process of attachment is similar. But the dog has an additional link. Canine society is group' organized; feline society is not. Dogs live in packs with tightly controlled status relationships among the individuals. There are top dogs, middle dogs, and bottom dogs; and under natural circumstances they move around together, keeping tabs on one another the whole time.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Dude, I don’t murder unborn babies, but still do not have any of my own. We are waiting to be financially stable enough to go on one income and homeschool our children. Please do not tell me that loving my “furbabies” in the mean-time is sick. Not loving them would be sick.
I believe British zoologist, Dr. Desmond Morris, figured all of this out long ago. He’s of the opinion that cats view us as parental figures; dogs view us as pack leaders.
I wonder what the writers of this article would make of my husband - soldier, man, etc, LOVES cats... And definitely not a loner! Of course our “fur-babies” actually do like to follow us on walks and will follow us around the house like little puppies!! LOL
Do you think they are human?
That was what got me riled!
An Australian woman was killed by a pet camel given to her as a 60th birthday present, police have said.
Dromedary camels can be dangerous if treated as pets without discipline.
The woman, whose name was not released, was killed at her family’s sheep and cattle ranch near Mitchell, 350 miles west of the Queensland state capital Brisbane, Detective Senior Constable Craig Gregory said.
The 10-month-old male camel — weighing about 330 lbs — knocked the woman to the ground, lay on top of her, then exhibited what police suspect was mating behaviour, Mr Gregory said.
“I’d say it’s probably been playing, or it may be even a sexual sort of thing,” he said, adding the camel had almost suffocated the family’s pet goat by straddling it.
Chris Hill, a camel expert, said he had no doubt the camel’s behaviour was sexual.
Mr Hill, who has offered camel rides to tourists for 20 years, said young camels were not aggressive, but could be dangerous if treated as pets without discipline.
The woman was given the camel by her husband and daughter. “She had a love of exotic pets,” Mr Gregory said.
The fate of the camel was not known.
Great birthday present.
You're so right, they aren't human. They are a little better than that. I've never had to hide my jewelry from my 'fur-babies' like I have from some people. I've never had to come get one of them out of jail, as I have had to do for some people. I've never had one lie to me to my face and stab me in the back as I have had some people. I've never had one spread a single untrue word about me, as I have had some people do.
You're so right, they aren't people, and I thank God for that fact every night of my life.
Preach it, brother. My cats and dog represent the best life has to offer.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.