The Truth About Cats and Dogs

[Rodri]

Just recently there has been a number of youtube events involving cruelty to animals and in particular cats and dogs. This has caused public outrage in many cases and justifiably so. In my opinion such behaviour is equivalent to cruelty to small children in many ways and I base this belief on science rather than just emotion.

Domestic pets, particularly the modern breeds of dogs and cats have been created by humans through selective breeding processes for thousands of years. As a result of this selective breeding, the household pets we have today are drastically altered in many ways from their wild ancestors. One of the results of that selective breeding is an alteration in the very nature of the animals to bond closely to human beings in a loving way. This has made many of these animals instinctively driven to seek out human contact and companionship.

In many ways they are whole new types of creatures, that we humans have created for our own companionship and comfort. As such I feel that we as a species have become as responsible to the domestic animals as we are to our own children. That is why I find these types of cruel acts as reprehensible as an act of child abuse.

Any careless act of cruelty to any type of animal is wrong but it is particularly bad in the case of cats and dogs.

[Reasoner]

I can agree in a way, Animal cruelty such as this is inhumane and is taken way too lightly. They should be treated in much higher standards.

[John Adams]

Just recently there has been a number of youtube events involving cruelty to animals and in particular cats and dogs. This has caused public outrage in many cases and justifiably so. In my opinion such behaviour is equivalent to cruelty to small children in many ways and I base this belief on science rather than just emotion.

Domestic pets, particularly the modern breeds of dogs and cats have been created by humans through selective breeding processes for thousands of years. As a result of this selective breeding, the household pets we have today are drastically altered in many ways from their wild ancestors. One of the results of that selective breeding is an alteration in the very nature of the animals to bond closely to human beings in a loving way. This has made many of these animals instinctively driven to seek out human contact and companionship.

In many ways they are whole new types of creatures, that we humans have created for our own companionship and comfort. As such I feel that we as a species have become as responsible to the domestic animals as we are to our own children. That is why I find these types of cruel acts as reprehensible as an act of child abuse.

Any careless act of cruelty to any type of animal is wrong but it is particularly bad in the case of cats and dogs.

I feel the word "created" places too much pride and ego on our act... However, it is an apt word, even if I do not fully agree with it.

On to the subject as a whole, I agree.

Following your logic, they are our children. However, I feel this should extend to all animals, at large. They are, in addition to the points you make, sentient. As such, they should be treated as such.

Perhaps not sentient on "our level" (though again, this may well be simply a bi-product of our belief that we are the "most advanced", which, in many ways, we are), but to deny the fact that they are not intelligent (as a species), is wrong.

~John

[JPA32]

The problem with that is that animals, notably cats and dogs as you have stated in this thread specifically, aren't the same species as we are, they don't hold the same lives as we do. People generally assume that they're lesser than we are because they lack things like a central language and other forms of supposed higher intelligence that we do have.

I don't feel that these domesticated animals are a form of "new creature", I see it more along the lines of an old creature that's been given a different opportunity to live it's life with a human partner rather than in the wild. Akin to how humans moved from nomadic and wild to agricultural and settled lifestyles.

While I don't think that animal abuse of domesticated pets should be altered to a form of child abuse, I do think the laws regarding abuse of animals is far, far to forgiving than they should be.

[Rodri]

It is said that all dogs are descended from wolves and all domesticated cats are descended from 5 different species of wild cats. Many of the breeds of both cat and dog that humans have developed share very little in common with their ancestral species and the wild species may be in threat of extinction or indeed already extinct. Although these domesticated animals share the genes of the wild species they are descended from, selective breeding has altered the genetic structure of the modern breeds to a point where you could no longer call a Miniature Poodle a Wolf or a Burmese Cat a Wild Cat.

[imnothere]

add to the breeding the fact that we take them from their parents as soon as they are weened. we become their family group.
i saw a documentary on working dogs and how they differ from pets. they are allowed to stay with their parents or at least giving to a working pack so that they can grow and fully develop into adult dogs.

just as children who age with out growing up become pesky adults to the community at large when they can not find a social niche, stray pets are pesky in that they lack the ability to think and act rationally like adult animals are expected to.

i agree that wild animals are very different from domesticated ones. but to counter that wild humans are just as different from domesticated ones. so thats not really supprizing

[AbstractAngel]

Pesky or not, I think the main idea in my mind is that cruelty in any form is disgusting. Especially when it comes to violent cruelty. I get the whole idea of "defending yourself", if an animal is trying to attack you it's fight or flight and I feel no anger towards that, it's survival. Even for food I can understand. But for fun? I can't say that is acceptable in my eyes, and broadcasting "just how heartless you can be - weee!" makes me want to vomit in my very soul.

[Arathorn136]

A while back in my home area, word was being passed around about an incident that had happened involving two boys and a cat. I will not go into many details here, as it is gruesome and utterly disgusting what these two young men did. The cat ended up being killed, but only after long painful torture. Yes, really. But I really don't want to go into details. I get too angry and upset.

Anyways, I agree that animal cruelty is wrong. Cats and dogs have shown that they can still love, create bonds, provide companionship, and be every bit as comforting as another human being, sometimes even more so. We have literally created ourselves the perfect companion. One who will never hate us, doesn't care what we look like, how we act, dress, what language we speak, but is always there to provide unwavering companionship.

When a human being destroys that, they are destroying something that can benefi. Us all as a hman race. Animals could teach us a lesson. But when insane invidiuals take it upon themselves to harm an animal when it is in reality, similar to ourselves, it makes me sick.

[imnothere]

i havent seen any of the vidoes we're talking about here. i was just pointing out that yes animals are like children, more so then we think. sorry if i was unclear.

[AbstractAngel]

i havent seen any of the vidoes we're talking about here. i was just pointing out that yes animals are like children, more so then we think. sorry if i was unclear.

I think your point was very clear, I think we just diverted - sorry! I hope you didn't take my post the wrong way, I agree with you on that point. The main idea in my head is that regardless of upbringing to me, a life is a life, and it is to be treated with respect.