Pets

Discussion in 'Philosophy' started by THEeric, Apr 14, 2012.

  1. how do you guys feel about pets? my family has 3, two dogs and a cat. listening to the way my parents talk to them kind of disgusts me, as if they are slaves or something. yelling at them for barking, which is nothing more than talking... i mean we don't treat our pets 'bad' or anything we take care of them but i still feel as if my parents like pets because they have some kind of god complex...

    my cat is my favorite of our pets and i think i'd do anything ofr her well being, i do my best to treat her as an equal and give her the freedom that she should have..
     
  2. Animals are people too, just a different kind. Many treat them as surrogate children, very much like they did their own kids, the same ones they screwed up. But animals are not meant to be pets, not really. I'm sure they appreciate the simplicity such lives bring them in not having to hunt for food, always be ready to defend themselves or their territory, etc. But most people aren't able to avoid anthropomorphising them.

    When we can see them as they actually are - a cat is not being affectionate when it rubs its face on you - its marking you as its property. A dog is not talking when it barks, it is defending its pack or territory, making its presence known, etc, then we can live around them in some kind of harmony.

    There are still too many dog owners who leave their dog's shit where it falls, and just too many cats in general. I have never 'owned' an animal.
     
  3. i disagree with this part of what you say, you don't think a cat is capable of affection? you don't think dogs talk to other dogs? well communicating... i guess though defending its pack and making it's presence known IS communicating..

    there was a study on the noises dolphins make, and a certain handful of noises were used significantly more than others suggesting intelligent communication. obviously dolphins are among the smartest of animals so their communication will be more complex, but i see no reason why this wouldn't apply to dogs and cats as well.

    i have no problem with keeping pets, as yes we're probably mostly helping them by taking them in and providing stable food and shelter and (usually) care. but i agree with you that most people tend to treat pets as children, the very ones they fucked up. my mom is terrible for this, i think she just has this innate need to feel needed, and she treats her pets that way.
     

  4. Not in the sense we understand affection. It's too easy to see human emotion from something a cat might do because it feels nice. They are quite cunning, and intelligent creatures. I've observed cats for many years.
     
  5. This is how I feel, I hate that people belive cats/dogs are meant to be our pets. What bullshit!! How can people treat a cat or dog like a slave, they're just as alive as us and deserve to be treated as such. I also don't like when people say they "own" or "have" a cat, dog, etc.
     
  6. you think thats bad?

    us humans view animals as vegetables. shit, youll even read things about how farmers "grow chickens" and "grow cattle."

    at least pets have a happy, loving life.

    cattle & poultry are doomed to a life of despair and solitude. do you think all those stress hormones are good to eat?


    next time you eat anything, look at all the things that have given their lives for your satisfaction.......than look at your home (wood), your clothes (cotton), everything. its tragic.





    -OSUB
     
  7. Dogs enjoy being apart of our lives. They see you as family, dogs listen because they see you as the leader of their pack. I don't see anything wrong with letting dogs live with us. I dong agree with leaving a dog on a chain all day or cooping them up in a house all day. They enjoy nature as we all should. Nature is our true home, your house is a shelter.
     
  8. please don't come into a thread about pets with an argument about veganism. there is a thread for that
     
  9. #9 skateandsmoke, Apr 14, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 14, 2012
    How do you know dogs "enjoy" being owned by humans. I don't think it's wrong to ALLOW dogs to live with us (I don't know about you) but most people wouldn't just let their dogs leave their house if he/she wanted to.

    And THEeric I believe OSUB's comment actually has a place in this thread, he was speaking of the mistreatment of animals by humans.
     
  10. i agree with this. i still disagree about the affection though. i watch my cat (<there is the possessive speak again.. oh well) all the time and i see sadness, fear, anger, affection all the time...


    the reason i prefer the cat to the two dogs is because i love how she just observes. she sits quietly and watches. dogs love playing, they're full of energy. but the cat... she will play from time to time and meows a lot but i look at her and i always see the wheels spinning. i used to be against letting her outside scared something might happen to her but now i let her out all the time so she can just go explore. it fascinates me how intelligent animals can be even t hough most people overlook it
     
  11. the problem with this i think isn't that we like to tie them up... but we have to. can't piss off your neighbors you can even get the cops called on you for letting them run around. ironically cats haunt around almost completely unnoticed lol

    OSUB's comment is in line with what is/was being discussed in the vegan thread. i have no problem talking about it but this isn't the thread. i have no hard feelings by the way and don't mean to insinuate that you are trolling OSUB
     
  12. [quote name='"skateandsmoke"']

    How do you know dogs "enjoy" being owned by humans. I don't think it's wrong to ALLOW dogs to live with us (I don't know about you) but most people wouldn't just let their dogs leave their house if he/she wanted to.

    And THEeric I believe OSUB's comment actually has a place in this thread, he was speaking of the mistreatment of animals by humans.[/quote]

    Do you believe dogs know they are being "owned"?
     
  13. i'm gonna define 'owned' as losing freedom to the actions of another for the purpose of this discussion. cool?
     
  14. [quote name='"THEeric"']

    i'm gonna define 'owned' as losing freedom to the actions of another for the purpose of this discussion. cool?[/quote]

    Does the animal have the ability to comprehend that definition. You may know you "own" them, but do they know that.
     
  15. #15 flammzrant, Apr 14, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 14, 2012
    [quote name='"skateandsmoke"']I also don't like when people say they "own" or "have" a cat, dog, etc.[/quote]
    Lol.......what?
    I don't own my friends but I have friends just like my family has 2 dogs.
    We bought our dogs from people to we do technically own them but we don't treat them like our property..
    [quote name='"xG20Tx"']

    Does the animal have the ability to comprehend that definition. You may know you "own" them, but do they know that.[/quote]
    My dogs know where they live and who with, so in a sense they do know they're owned.
    I think they can comprehend why we're the ones giving them food, letting them out, etc, since they bark at those who aren't us.
     

  16. Whether they do or don't, they are still being controlled by people. Are you trying to say that owning a dog is justified because they don't know they are owned?
     
  17. if this is a serious question... yes. a definition is just an idea. a word represents an idea (or an object). i have zero doubt that the animal has the idea of freedoms

    ~something about a putting a wild lion in a cage versus one bred in captivity~

    so i'm reading what you said again... and it occurs to me that it is the same exact thing you asked prior, with different words lol
     

  18. The thing is there is more than one definition of the word "have" and one of them is "Possess, own, or hold."
     
  19. lol.. funny anecdote time...

    i had a girlfriend when i was in 8th grade and we were hanging out with a bunch of people... (and i think she was cheating on me, maybe maybe not i dunno but...) i don't remember how the topic got brought up but i was saying how she could do whatever she wants because i didn't own her..

    and she was offended by that lol. now i was young and i (still am) didn't understand fully the concepts of relationships at the time...

    but she got mad at me for saying i didn't own her lol (funny to me) :smoke:
     
  20. [quote name='"skateandsmoke"']

    Whether they do or don't, they are still being controlled by people. Are you trying to say that owning a dog is justified because they don't know they are owned?[/quote]

    No that is not what I am trying to say.
     

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