Do Animals Get/ Sense ANGRY?
Discussion
Here is an example...
A cat sits happily on a wall sunning itself in the afternoon warmth. Two Human/ people walk past and shout out in a cheery voice. The cat will invariably run off.
Same scenario... but this time the people shout angrily at each other 'I hate you, you touched my sister!'
Is the cat scared/ frightened... can it tell the difference between the shout of joy and the shout of anger?
If I am being chased by a Tiger intent on eating me is that Tiger 'Angry'... how about if I slap it round the face?
Dogs certainly can feel 'revenge'... how about other animals.
Is this the key step between self awareness and instinct?
A cat sits happily on a wall sunning itself in the afternoon warmth. Two Human/ people walk past and shout out in a cheery voice. The cat will invariably run off.
Same scenario... but this time the people shout angrily at each other 'I hate you, you touched my sister!'
Is the cat scared/ frightened... can it tell the difference between the shout of joy and the shout of anger?
If I am being chased by a Tiger intent on eating me is that Tiger 'Angry'... how about if I slap it round the face?
Dogs certainly can feel 'revenge'... how about other animals.
Is this the key step between self awareness and instinct?
But are they 'ANGRY'
Are they feeling anger when they get in a conflict with another animal. Do Lions get annoyed when the gazelle gets away.
Obviously not to the same extent we do but do they feel that at all.
As I said, I know Dogs can feel it, and following that Logic I presume Dolphins can get a bit pissed off.
But how about Horses, do they get Angry?
Are they feeling anger when they get in a conflict with another animal. Do Lions get annoyed when the gazelle gets away.
Obviously not to the same extent we do but do they feel that at all.
As I said, I know Dogs can feel it, and following that Logic I presume Dolphins can get a bit pissed off.
But how about Horses, do they get Angry?
I dont know about anger as such ,but dogs certainly feel emotion ,to a point .What does your dog do when you say "Walkies"? How does he behave when you tell him off ? What is he like when someone he knows comes to visit? How does he defend you if some one is aggressive towards you or your partner ? What is he like with the postman ? I'm not sure you could quantify what my dog feels towards the postman as anger ,but he certainly ticks him off !
When we lived together as a family, over the years we had two retrievers; if there was a reason to discipline one of them there was clearly an emotional response in body language, particularly in the ears but also tail between the legs, etc.
If we had a heated argument between us, we could see the same types of indicators that the dog wasn't comfortable with the raised voices and associated activity - even though the dog wasn't addressed. Sometimes they'd come into a room to see what was going on - sort of showing concern?
It would be so clear that the dogs would be unnerved enough that they would benefit from some reassurance after things had calmed down, or a few doors had been slammed and someone had stormed off.
And to answer, do animals get angry - definitely! As a child I realised, you can only mess around with a dog so much before it will be pissed off enough to bite.
If we had a heated argument between us, we could see the same types of indicators that the dog wasn't comfortable with the raised voices and associated activity - even though the dog wasn't addressed. Sometimes they'd come into a room to see what was going on - sort of showing concern?
It would be so clear that the dogs would be unnerved enough that they would benefit from some reassurance after things had calmed down, or a few doors had been slammed and someone had stormed off.
And to answer, do animals get angry - definitely! As a child I realised, you can only mess around with a dog so much before it will be pissed off enough to bite.
Given we are mammals and experience emotions it would follow that other mammals, at least, also experience them - as far as they experience anything in the same way we do.
More important is the fear reaction. Mammals almost certainly experience it - in fact anything with an adrenal gland probably does as it is this that controls the "flight or fight" reaction - which is an evolved survival advantage. Pain too.
This is why, despite us being the ultimate predator, we are fussy about how our food animals are killed. We don't like fear and pain and therefore don't particularly want to inflict it on anything else.
As to our more advanced emotions: anger, jealousy, envy, or even love? To be honest I think we'll never know. We can approximate some of them by looking at the animals behaviour - maybe animals that mate for life "love" one another? But it's more likely we simply look at animals behaviour and read our own emotions (and values!) into them. Big mistake they aren't us!
It's the thing that makes me laugh in the trashier end of science-fiction. Not only do the Aliens speak English
but every last one is actually a human. In reality we'd have as much of an idea of what their life experience was like and of talking to them as with a dolphin.
More important is the fear reaction. Mammals almost certainly experience it - in fact anything with an adrenal gland probably does as it is this that controls the "flight or fight" reaction - which is an evolved survival advantage. Pain too.
This is why, despite us being the ultimate predator, we are fussy about how our food animals are killed. We don't like fear and pain and therefore don't particularly want to inflict it on anything else.
As to our more advanced emotions: anger, jealousy, envy, or even love? To be honest I think we'll never know. We can approximate some of them by looking at the animals behaviour - maybe animals that mate for life "love" one another? But it's more likely we simply look at animals behaviour and read our own emotions (and values!) into them. Big mistake they aren't us!
It's the thing that makes me laugh in the trashier end of science-fiction. Not only do the Aliens speak English
but every last one is actually a human. In reality we'd have as much of an idea of what their life experience was like and of talking to them as with a dolphin.Yes of course they do.
If one of our cats is told off, she will storm across the room and attack one of the dogs. If we are telling off one of the dogs, she comes running into the room and attempts to attack the dog....
Also, you get situations where a dog is bitten by a dog, they bite back.. Not out of fear but out of revenge. It's a "feck you" type of bite back IMHO.
Dogs know if you are angry, and will creep and crawl around you. I believe they very much sense our moods and react to them.
If one of our cats is told off, she will storm across the room and attack one of the dogs. If we are telling off one of the dogs, she comes running into the room and attempts to attack the dog....
Also, you get situations where a dog is bitten by a dog, they bite back.. Not out of fear but out of revenge. It's a "feck you" type of bite back IMHO.
Dogs know if you are angry, and will creep and crawl around you. I believe they very much sense our moods and react to them.
One of our dogs used to get pee'd off sometimes, especially when she was chasing rabbits, if she thought they were running as fast as they could, she'd just run after them.
If she thought they were playing with her, running just fast enough to keep in front, but not really pulling away, she'd yowl at them, which made them do it even more!
If she thought they were playing with her, running just fast enough to keep in front, but not really pulling away, she'd yowl at them, which made them do it even more!
My mates dog gets really agitated when people play fight round him The dog can't tell the differance between that and malice. Even shouting can get him worked up.
I also saw a blue tit peck it's own wing off in a fit of rage after seeing somone park in a disabled space who was fine. I thought he was taking it a bit seriously getting that angry but it's not my place to judge.
I also saw a blue tit peck it's own wing off in a fit of rage after seeing somone park in a disabled space who was fine. I thought he was taking it a bit seriously getting that angry but it's not my place to judge.
- only about 50% of this post may be true
Jasandjules said:
Yes of course they do.
If one of our cats is told off, she will storm across the room and attack one of the dogs.
One of our cats used to hate having his back legs touched. Used to drive him into a wild rage. Two minutes winding him up and he'd seek out his smaller sister and give her 2 minutes of full on wife-beater.If one of our cats is told off, she will storm across the room and attack one of the dogs.
Go up to a sleeping cat and pretend it is a piano and tap your fingers up and down it's side as though your were pushing the piano keys to play a tune. Watch the cat become angry, it's ears will go back, it's teeth will be shown and it will either bite you or take a swipe at you with it's claws.
It can therefore be determined that playing a cat like a piano makes it angry.
Answer to question posed: Yes.
It can therefore be determined that playing a cat like a piano makes it angry.
Answer to question posed: Yes.
dibbers006 said:
But how about Horses, do they get Angry?
Oh yes 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lHSLf5YRr4
10 Pence Short said:
Jasandjules said:
Yes of course they do.
If one of our cats is told off, she will storm across the room and attack one of the dogs.
One of our cats used to hate having his back legs touched. Used to drive him into a wild rage. Two minutes winding him up and he'd seek out his smaller sister and give her 2 minutes of full on wife-beater.If one of our cats is told off, she will storm across the room and attack one of the dogs.
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