Place of cats and dogs in Islam.

Originally posted by flyingzone I think your description of your cat's behavior is�very anthropomorphic. It does not "delight in" knocking objects off surfaces just to piss you off. It does not do things in a "calculated way". Your anger does not "amuse" it. Cats do all that because these are what cats do naturually. It's us, humans, who apply "human qualities" to our pets. But I confess I do that too. I think most pet owners do.

At first I thought so too, but no, really, it is a very smart creature and has learned how to apply its natural behaviours in a way so as to produce a reaction. I imagine it has no idea why it has produced a reaction, it just knows from experience that it can. And it is, indeed, amused - it is very common for animals to attempt to elicit reaction for their stimulation. They get bored, which is just a word we use to describe being under-stimulated. We may anthropomorphize animals sometimes, but we do also share characteristics with them, and a need for stimulus is one of them.

An example: there is a small mirror on the wall in the bedroom. The cat can get up on the dresser, and lift it a bit, and then let go, causing it to slap against the wall. At one time, maybe it was just curious to see if there was something behind the mirror. But now, it does this to wake me at night. It has learned that doing this repeatedly, will cause me to wake up and eventually to try to stop it or maybe just to have a tantrum, throwing blankets and pillows around. If it was just doing this out of its own curiousity or natural behaviour (which it must have done at one time), then it would do it either at a specific time of the day, or random times, and it wouldn't matter what I was doing. Instead, it does it only when I am in the bed and asleep - never in any other case. Since I work shifts, it's not just a case of the cat being nocturnal either. Lately, it has even discovered that caterwauling while slapping the mirror produces an even greater reaction, faster. It even experiments with different noises, settles on one for awhile, before discovering a new and even more grating howl. It's just a question of association, like the Pavlovian response; animals learn to associate one event with another. In this case, the cat has learned to associate slapping the mirror, with causing a reaction.

The dog does similar things at times, but unlike the cat, is choosy about what kinds of reactions it gets. It actually avoids causing anger, though the same process of association is involved. There is even a fascinating associative process between the cat's behaviour and the dog, where the dog has also associated some of the cat's behaviours with an angry reaction, and now, when the cat slaps the mirror and caterwauls, or does certain other things, the dog barks at it.

Originally posted by edgewaters An example: there is a small mirror on the wall in the bedroom. The cat can get up on the dresser, and lift it a bit, and then let go, causing it to slap against the wall. At one time, maybe it was just curious to see if there was something behind the mirror. But now, it does this to wake me at night. It has learned that doing this repeatedly, will cause me to wake up and eventually to try to stop it or maybe just to have a tantrum, throwing blankets and pillows around. If it was just doing this out of its own curiousity or natural behaviour (which it must have done at one time), then it would do it either at a specific time of the day, or random times, and it wouldn't matter what I was doing. Instead, it does it only when I am in the bed and asleep - never in any other case. Since I work shifts, it's not just a case of the cat being nocturnal either. Lately, it has even discovered that caterwauling while slapping the mirror produces an even greater reaction, faster. It even experiments with different noises, settles on one for awhile, before discovering a new and even more grating howl. It's just a question of association, like the Pavlovian response; animals learn to associate one event with another. In this case, the cat has learned to associate slapping the mirror, with causing a reaction. The dog does similar things at times, but unlike the cat, is choosy about what kinds of reactions it gets. It actually avoids causing anger, though the same process of association is involved. There is even a fascinating associative process between the cat's behaviour and the dog, where the dog has also associated some of the cat's behaviours with an angry reaction, and now, when the cat slaps the mirror and caterwauls, or does certain other things, the dog barks at it.

Edgewater, sounds like what you have is actually a very intelligent and playful cat that, like you say, may be understimulated. (I think my cat is more docile than yours probably because he is less intelligent.) Even though you sound quite irritated by it, I can see deep down you really like your cat (which seems to have more personality than your dog). Just imagine the day when your cat is no longer with you, you will realize how much you're missing it and its "annoying" behaviors.

Cats and dogs actually don't have such a long lifespan. So when they are still with you, enjoy their company and their love.

Originally posted by R_AK47 As everyone has probably figured out by now, I hate dogs and cats. The only decent pets are the scaly, cold-blooded ones. They don't smell, don't eat much, live in cages, and look cool.

You can't be serious. R_AK47, you are simply pathetic...

Animals are living creatures, not some furniture in your house.

Originally posted by barish You can't be serious. R_AK47, you are simply pathetic... Animals are living creatures, not some furniture in your house.

Whats so special about "living creatures" and since when did communists start caring about them? 

Barish is a fanatical communist, that is why I mentioned communism and its history of respecting living things. 

Originally posted by R_AK47 Barish is a fanatical communist, that is why I mentioned communism and its history of respecting living things.

Still baffling .... I think you've just committed almost all the basic logical fallacies known to those who are used to logical thinking (e.g. tu quoque, Strawman, Red herring, guilt by association, slippery slope, etc.)

Originally posted by barish Originally posted by R_AK47 Originally posted by barish You can't be serious. R_AK47, you are simply pathetic... Animals are living creatures, not some furniture in your house. Whats so special about "living creatures" and since when did communists start caring about them? How is my political ideology related with this subject? Do I associate fanatical Christianity and fascist ideas with your disrespect to animals?

 I guess political ideology doesn't have much to do with this actually.

Why should we respect animals?  They are just creatures that are lower on the food chain then us.  Animals should respect us, not the other way around.  If you like an animal, keep it.  If it is worthless (as a lot of them are) then get rid of it.  I don't dislike all animals.  Some of them I do like.  However, there are a number of them (including cats and dogs) that I very much dislike.

Edited by R_AK47

Originally posted by R_AK47Why should we respect animals?  They are just creatures that are lower on the food chain then us.  Animals should respect us, not the other way around.  If you like an animal, keep it.  If it is worthless (as a lot of them are) then get rid of it.  I don't dislike all animals.  Some of them I do like.  However, there are a number of them (including cats and dogs) that I very much dislike.[/QUOTE  animals are owned and eaten and used by humans and many of them serve humans to live. being nice to animals is common sense, said by religion or not. its clear enough that those are innocent creatures many of them served and serving by providing food, cloths, transport and as pets emotional comfort and other services to us humans. from all that they deserv our mercy and respect. we kill them to eat them

 animals are owned and eaten and used by humans and many of them serve humans to live.

being nice to animals is common sense, said by religion or not. its clear enough that those are innocent creatures many of them served and serving by providing food, cloths, transport and as pets emotional comfort and other services to us humans. from all that they deserv our mercy and respect.

we kill them to eat them for survival but that killing should be done in the quickest way so not make it suffer.