The Myth of the Dumb Animal

I have posted before about the ill founded exceptionalism of the human race. Let’s start with one thing I want people to understand. We are simply members of the animal kingdom ourselves, not some kind of master species. Our pets are generally far more intuitive than we are and we ignore their instincts to our detriment. So, what can we learn from our pets?

First of all, unconditional affection. We are extremely bad at loving other living things with no agenda. We want to know what we can get from them. Well, pets stay with us for food, you might argue. Evidence shows that you are wrong. Pets will stay in houses where they are underfed or mistreated because of that unconditional love they have. When they are abandoned they shut down because they lose so much whereas many of those who abandon their pets do so without feeling the least bit guilty. However much pets go through, they want to love and trust again.

Second, your pet will be able to sense a ‘wrongun’ very quickly. If someone visits the house, they size up the unconscious cues that we all give off and decide whether to approach, to observe or to avoid. If they avoid the person, that is an excellent indication that they are not particularly pleasant.

Third, we have a lot of difficulties in ascertaining the emotional state of our pets. They have to be exhibiting extremely unusual behaviour for us to notice. We on the other hand only need to be showing small signs, imperceptible to other people and perhaps even to ourselves, and our pets will pay closer attention to us, be more affectionate and will do that until we feel better at least temporarily.

Finally, our pets learn what we are like and what our routines are far more quickly than we realise. They are often ready to greet us as soon as we come home. I remember reading that they can identify the sound of your footsteps long before you come into view because of their excellent hearing. If we go away on holiday, particularly a long holiday, they will get agitated even if someone they know is taking care of them during your absence. Our cat Albus had my daughter looking after him for nearly three weeks during Christmas 2024 and her schedule was very different to ours. He was absolutely fine, being fed, played with and cared for, but when we got back and he had forgiven us, he spent a good few days reintroducing us to his correct schedule!

Our pets are intuitive, loving and loyal. In return they deserve the best care and attention we can give them. We are the true dumb animals in this relationship and the sooner we realise that the better. That said, there is one thing I do want Albus to understand. If it’s raining outside one door, it will be raining outside all of them so there’s no need to try all three! ☔☔🤣🤣