The Emotional Lives of Animals

'Scientific research shows that many animals are very intelligent and have sensory and motor abilities that dwarf ours. Dogs are able to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes and warn humans of impending heart attacks and strokes. Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and alligators use low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances, often miles; and bats, dolphins, whales, frogs, and various rodents use high-frequency sounds to find food, communicate with others, and navigate.

Many animals also display wide-ranging emotions, including joy, happiness, empathy, compassion, grief, and even resentment and embarrassment. It’s not surprising that animals—especially, but not only, mammals—share many emotions with us because we also share brain structures—located in the limbic system—that are the seat of our emotions. In many ways, human emotions are the gifts of our animal ancestors.'


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Animal Cafes Offer Drinks, Companionship and Stress Reduction

 

'An interesting new trend has cropped up in Japan: animal cafes. There are over 100 cafes where customers can have tea, coffee and pastries while petting cats, rabbits, dogs, birds, and even goats in some places. There are several reasons for the emergence of such establishments. One is the decline in the number of adults with children. Many adults in the 20-30 age range are unmarried or in a relationship without children. 

Visiting an animal cafe is a social, almost familiar experience without the responsibilities of taking care of a companion animal. Other customers want pets at home, but their jobs consume too much time to care for a pet. Some rental agreements forbid pets, a fact that also generates customers at these cafes.'

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