Are Pets Happy?

Do people think pets are happy living domesticated lives, or do you think they don't really care either way?

Personally, I think if they had the chance to live "naturally" without interference, they'd probably prefer it, as they're much more in tune with instinct than humans allow themselves to be. But we've created this framework that basically forbids "wild" animals roaming around; we have Animal Control come scoop 'em up and cage them. Of course, there are public safety concerns, but it's a big step from allowing safe living of "free" animals and having them as pets, riding in cars, wearing Halloween costumes, not being allowed to enter and leave the house as they please.

I have pets and one is pretty comfortable in our home, but one just wants to be outside all dang day and hunt chipmunks until they become extinct. Both have been with us since shortly after birth, so they haven't had radical lifestyle changes.

Thoughts?
(note: I was a Philosophy minor, so I might be overthinking the plight of the "non-human animal" more than people tend to do) less

YES! I think that "overpopulation" is a manmade concept and that it is measured by our own standards of normalcy. It ignores the fact that humans themselves have created imbalanced ecosystems, which ultimately allow invasive species to thrive (like the snakehead fish). less

So because humans have created imbalanced ecosystems, we should allow feral domesticated animals to imbalance it even more? Sorry, that's some really backwards logic. That's like saying we shouldn't do anything about the rabbits in Australia, which are wiping out native species at an alarming rate, because it's our fault there aren't enough native predators to get rid of them.


There's also a lot of anthropomorphization of animal sexuality. Most animals have sex for reproduction, not for pleasure. I've heard horse owners wanting their mares to mate so as "not to deprive her of the experience". Cue horror when realizing that horse mating is a short, violent act that does not appear to produce much pleasure for the mare. Cats do not have sex for pleasure, otherwise they would have sex with females not in estrus. Dolphins and apes have sex for pleasure, but I've never heard of anyone keeping a singular pet of one of them.

Also, for animals looking out the window, my cat who was brought inside after living outside looks out the window. He went outside once after being brought in, and was back in a day, begging to be let back in. He will now ignore the door completely, even if it's wide open. My dad's cat, who loves looking out the windows, went out onto the porch once and accidentally got shut out. She was desperately clawing at the door within moments and bolted back inside. less

He does play favorites, but it depends on what his little brain is thinking at that moment. When he wants to play, go for a walk, or go for a ride, then dad's his favorite. If he hears firework or loud noises and is scare, he'll come to me. He sees himself more as an equal to my son, so he'll play with him, but does not expect anything much from my son. less

I think it depends what type of animal we are talking about. I believe pets such as horses, would prefer to live wild, with no human interferance. I believe pets like dogs and cats would prefer to have human interaction. Majority of dogs love to please, and I think it is just in their nature to look to a human (when there is no presence of a canine pack) as their pack leader. But I completely understand what you mean by wondering if they would be more content without humans. less

It doesn't ignore the fact that it's a man-made problem. To the contrary, it embraces it. Domestic animals no longer fit into the natural world in the way that their ancestors did (they are invasive species by default anywhere but in human care), and can push out other species if humans don't take responsibility. It's one of the ways humans have caused an ecological problem, through our animals.

Furthermore, overpopulation is how so many animals end up homeless, starving, and dying in the streets because there are too many pets and not enough homes willing to take them in.

Pet overpopulation is a very real problem worldwide. To say it's not is to basically turn a blind eye to one of the biggest problems in the world of pets and pet care. Allowing domestic animals to breed indiscriminately is irresponsible of us, which is why spaying and neutering are so important. less