Do animals have feelings and emotions ? many of us would like to believe our pets know what we are saying and thinking and they know we love them and care for them and sometimes we nearly think they are communicating with us, but what I'd love to know is, do they have feelings like humans ? do they think and understand like humans ? do they get attached to owners ? or is it just us believing that ?

Its beyond doubt that atleast dogs, if not other animals can understad humane emotions etc. And its quite obvious that most of the domestic animals get attached to their owners.

They have probably some feelings like attachment etc towards humans,
but not at the level that humans have, but at a much lower level.
most of it is just instinct for animals.

-F

I think pets have emotions. We have to bear in mind that they are living things just like us. I doubt they can understand but if they will be trained, I guess they could. We shouldn't take them for granted, right? We benefit a lot from them and they should be treated right.

Of course they have feelings and emotions! You can see it so clearly when your pet is happy, frightened, or sad. I know about dogs who died of grief when they were separated with their owner - that tells you the depth of their love.

Yes definitely, especially dog. I had my own experience. My grandfather had one dog for nearly 6 years. Suddenly my grandpa dead due to heart-attack. From that day the dog didn't take food and he also dead after 10 days. We wonder the dog's affection..........

It is a fact that they have feelings & understandings like we have and communicate in their language, only thing they don't is talk like we talk & think like we think. I had a puppy dog when i was small, if it doesn't see me for one day it will becomes sick and doesn't eat/drink anything, the next day it sees me comes and hugs me for a while & i could see tears coming out of her eyes, that time i only have to give her food to eat, she always sleeps under my cot where i sleep, but met with an accident and died. The same case with my friends puppy too.
They can't express their love & gratitude but has that in them.

I am not quite sure if we can call them feelings, but they do get attached to their owners. Their emotions might be on a lower level but they primarily use their instincts; thus, when they feel that no harm is meant towards them and that we are friendly, they probably feel safe as well.

Heck yea they do.

I volunteer at a horse rescue, and - tragically - we lost one of our new horses recently. He had been severely starved and neglected, and was simply too far gone to be saved. He had such an impact on the other horses in the herd, though, one in particularly. This older gelding was devastated when he passed - he stopped eating, stopped being his usual energetic self, stopped calling to people when they came out to the pasture. Turned out in the pasture he had been in with his friend, he kept returning to the place he had fallen for the last time, and would just stand - as though he were looking and waiting for his friend to come back.

He noticeably lost weight in the few weeks before he started eating somewhat normally again, and there was no doubt that he was grieving. It was heartbreaking to see him looking for the horse that had become his best friend in such a short time.

So yes... I know they have feelings.

I believe animals have feelings as well. They do understand us in a way. Although they could not express it in words, their actions could tell. By the way, how do you express your love to your pet?

I believe that animals have feelings and emotions and they are also sensitive to the feelings and emotions of others. They can also recognize friends and enemies more readily than humans.

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I'm with you on that, selene. I could picture it with my cousins pet. Do you agree that pets could also read our expressions? I mean, like dogs, they knew if we are afraid of them.

Animals certainly have feelings and get attached on a much deeper level than most people give them credit for. We rescued a dog from a shelter because he had a sweet temperment and we felt that he'd be easy to train and fit in with our 'family' (me, my boyfriend and two cats). He stayed sweet for a very long time but there's a vast difference in his orignal "I'll do this trick and earn that treat" and his current adoration. Before he'd look up when we called his name, now if he hears any of us say anything in a happy voice his tail's wagging because he feels like he fits in now and is part of that joy.

And my cats are generally independant animals but if I'm ill they only ever leave my lap to go and hunt me presents like mice which then get dropped at the foot of my bed so I don't have to cook that night. They're sweet that way and I can bet you a million pounds they wouldn't waste their super important sunbathing time on anybody else.

I think that people who believe animals only get attached to people who feed them and no more haven't actually developed a proper bond with an animal, the difference is strinking and irrefutable.

I've noticed, each one of my pets had a completely differetn personality.

Zoey is the fiesty, loving one. She loves to snuggle, but she's good at spending time alone

Lu is the "innocent" one. If you turn your back on him, he will make a mess. He knows right from wrong, but not when you're not looking lol

Rose was the fiesty, don't mess with me or imma scratch your eyes out kinda cat. She got more loving as she came to trust us. I miss her! I can't believe she died

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-Brittany Brydahl