this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2025
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Did I miss the explanation of why this person thinks such a fuckin stupid thing?
The thing I've seen is that when they show dogs an image of their owner while the dog is in a PET scan, and show the dog pictures of other animals, the same part of the brain lights up, while showing the dog pictures of other dogs lights up a different but close area of the brain. Doing the same test on cats had one area lighting up for other animals, but the same part lighting up when shown their owner and when shown other cats
While it is scientific people should provide the context that we don't really understand brains fully yet and this doesn't mean that his belief or conclusion is correct
3 college professors (1990) suggested we read Desmond Morris' books. Don't know how the science has stood up, but he believed this. Dogs and cats think humans are weird versions of their own species, that we're basically their parents, and act accordingly. Nothing IRL has dissuaded me from that notion.
One interesting idea I got from him; When we're small we love huge animals, see them as parents. As we get older, we like small animals, see them as our children.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Morris
Again, don't know how it stands up, but The Naked Ape is damned thought provoking.
Cats react differently when seeing an unfamiliar cat than they do when seeing an unfamiliar human.
Also, people should keep in mind, that kittens are born with their eyes still sealed shut for a while. So once they open their eyes and finally get to see the world, they naturally accept the creatures that have been and continue to care for them.
Think Morris touches on that! Been 35-years since I studied him though. Afraid to read it all again in case he turned out to be so very wrong.