Not sure if this is the right sub but I’m curious. Pets usually have no choice in who adopts them and what people they end up with. So I’m wondering if they just develop some sort of “Stockholm syndrome” and only show us love because they don’t really have another option and decide “hey I’m stuck with this two legged thing, and they feed me and pet me, so I might as well just lean into it.”
Currently cuddling with my cat and it just crossed my mind!
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I dont think my cats love me just because they have no choice, but because we’ve built a real bond and they feel safe and secure with me😸
They have a choice. Some people give up their pets because they aren’t feeling the love from them. Some pets can be outright vicious.
Do a little digging into the way animals act when abused or neglected (no need for practical experiments; it’s already well-documented). While domesticated species are bred to be amenable to humans on purpose, that doesn’t stop them from becoming very antisocial if the bad experiences keep stacking up.
My take is that non-human animals can’t feel love, and things like love and hate are really products of society that are unique to humans.
As someone who grew up with a dog that clearly disliked me, no
That dog only liked my mother. She barely tolerated the rest of the family
That’s how it starts, Stockholm syndrome.
Dogs are pack animals that form bonds with their pack, and their human is the head of the pack.
The theory around cats, or at least indoor domestic cats, is that we infantalize them, so we keep the role as their mother. I’ve never had a cat allowed outside, so I don’t know if they’re more independent and less attached to their humans.
My cat has the option not to be affectionate. I fed him and took care of him when the only evidence there was a cat in the house at all was that cat food disappeared if left unobserved. He deliberately chooses to be affectionate.
My cat definitely does not love me
If you were put in a house with another person and they treated you nicely, you’d probably come to some sort of cohabitational balance as well, maybe even enjoy and with time seek out their company if they were nice and played all the games you like and brought snacks home.
But if you were scared of people because you’ve never met one before or because they were mean to you in the past, maybe not. Some animals are like that too. So I think it’s more that most of them are literally bred to socialize well with humans and feel that the comfort and safety of a home is a fair trade-off for a few freedoms.
No? They love us because we care for them and love them.
> Or a cat that actually likes being near me and wants to cuddle. Unlike mine who sits the other side of the next room staring at me through the door…. Just let me love you you miserable prick! X x
A message I literally just got from my friend with a dick head of a cat. No, they do have a choice
No pets are domesticated which means their genetic makeup has been changed to basically like humans.