Tag: pets

Animal emotions

Anyone who has ever owned a pet, at least of the warm-blooded variety, knows that animals have rich emotional lives. Dogs whine piteously when left alone; cats sulk when their owners are going out and leaving them at home; horses can develop such strong attachments to each other that they refuse to be put into …

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Robot dogs and the people who love them

Dogs have been man’s best friend in the animal kingdom for thousands of years. They’re loyal companions and can even perform useful tasks like herding sheep and fetching slippers. They are easily attainable, cheap, and come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and temperaments. But in the past few years, a new breed of …

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Purring

I’m a cat person.  Don’t get me wrong; I like dogs.  But I like cats more.  (It’s an odd thing: although many dog people absolutely hate cats, I’ve seldom met a cat person who hates dogs.  But that’s probably a topic for another column.) One of the nicest features of a cat is its purr.  …

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Animal intelligence

People with pets find it hard to believe, but scientists continue to debate whether or not animals are conscious–that is, whether they’re aware of themselves as individuals. Some still claim that anything animals do is strictly the result of conditioning. Others are willing to grant animals a certain amount of intelligence, but argue that animals …

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