LITTLE ROCK — Do dogs and cats have emotions?
Scientists believe that animals feel emotions like fear, anger, jealousy and happiness, although there is some debate about whether animals are aware of their emotions.
"All animals and people have the same core emotion systems in the brain," says animal scientist Temple Grandin in her book Animals Make Us Human (Hougton Mifflin, 2009). She cites the work of neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, who has called the core emotions systems the "blue ribbon emotions."
"That means that when you stimulate the brain systems for one of the core emotions, you always get the same behaviors from the animal," Grandin writes. "If you stimulate the anger system, the animal snarls and bites. If you stimulate the fear system, the animal freezes or runs away."
The "blue ribbon" emotions systems described by Panksepp are seeking, fear, rage and panic.
The seeking system is the most pleasurable of the systems because it involves anticipation - looking forward to something good or wanting something good. It could be likened to curiosity, Grandin says, although most people don't regard curiosity as an emotion.
"Seeking is always about something you don't have yet, whether it's food and shelter or Christmas presents or a way to understand animal welfare," she says. A cat stalking a mouse and a dog searching for a bone are examples of theseeking system in action.
"Seeking is a very pleasurable emotion." This is why dogs enjoy toys that make them work for a reward. An example is the Kong toy that can be filled with treats or kibble; the dog must work to get the goodies out. The joy is in the effort, the anticipation, the seeking of the treats much more than in the having (although they like that, too), which is enjoyed only briefly compared with the seeking.
A lot of a cat's behavior is motivated by seeking because cats are "super predators." Their seeking system is very strong, Grandin says. Anybody who has spent time with a cat knows this (although they might not know what it's called) because they've seen the cat become instantly alert at the slightest motion in their vicinity and chase a string, a sunbeam or even a shadow.
The rage system is what provides an animal that has been captured or is being restrained the energy it needs to struggle, Grandin says. Frustration is a "mild form of rage" that results when a person or animal can't get or do something.
For example, as I write this my dog is noisily exhibiting frustration because my laptop computer prevents her from getting something she wants - to sit in my lap. (My cats kept their frustration level low by not letting anything like a laptop prevent them from doing what they wanted; they would simply sit on top of the laptop.)
The fear system, Grandin says, is the easiest to understand. Its purpose is to stimulate the survival instinct when an animal is threatened. While the "panic system" may seem to be the same as the fear system, it's not. It refers to social attachment, such as a dog needing the company of other animals or its owners and feeling anxious when separated from them.
Other scientists have noted the existence of emotions such as jealousy. Dr. Friederike Range of the University of Vienna's neurobiology department said in a report published in December that dogs have a sense of fair play and become jealous or resentful when another animal gets more attention.
If you've got more than one animal, you've probably witnessed this. You can't give one dog a treat and ignore the other without the second dog letting you know what he thinks of such unequal treatment. Also people who are dating know that a pet isn't always happy about a new person paying attention to its owner. The pet may do something like worm its way between the owner and the visitor (or intruder, which is how the pet regards the new person) to keep them apart.
Do you have a question about pets? We'll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Rhonda Owen, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O.
Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail askcreature@att.net
Family, Pages 31, 33 on 08/26/2009