Spend a small amount of time with a cat or a dog, and it becomes pretty clear that they have moods and emotional states
Completely agree. Anecdotal I know, but I've experienced a few cases that make me certain that cats (and therefore other animals) do, indeed, have moods and emotions.
The first time I was away from my cat for more than a day (I was away for three), she sat in my front window the entire time and wouldn't leave. I had a friend feed her and she barely left to eat, wouldn't play or otherwise interact. When I got home, she saw me through the window and started meowing and pawing at the window. When I came in the door, she flopped on her back on the ground in front of me and started purring.
A friend of mine has a cat that she had to bottle feed. He (the cat) is now ultra-protective of her and gets extremely jealous when she pets her other cats - occasionally going so far as to attack the other cats for it, or not letting her pet him afterwards.
That's only two of many examples. The stories that I've heard from dog-owner friends make a good case for dogs having emotions and moods too.
We have a cat like that. He was taken from his mother too young, so over attached some. He gets upset if my wife pets any of our cats in front of him, and will sit approximately six feet away, facing away, and ignoring us if we call him over (generally you just have to look his direction). His ears twitch, so you know he heard you, he's just too stubborn to give in.
Completely agree. Anecdotal I know, but I've experienced a few cases that make me certain that cats (and therefore other animals) do, indeed, have moods and emotions.
The first time I was away from my cat for more than a day (I was away for three), she sat in my front window the entire time and wouldn't leave. I had a friend feed her and she barely left to eat, wouldn't play or otherwise interact. When I got home, she saw me through the window and started meowing and pawing at the window. When I came in the door, she flopped on her back on the ground in front of me and started purring.
A friend of mine has a cat that she had to bottle feed. He (the cat) is now ultra-protective of her and gets extremely jealous when she pets her other cats - occasionally going so far as to attack the other cats for it, or not letting her pet him afterwards.
That's only two of many examples. The stories that I've heard from dog-owner friends make a good case for dogs having emotions and moods too.