Which of our pets truly loves us, and which doesn’t care about a person?
Does your dog love you? Most likely, yes. And the cat? And the fish? And in general, how to understand that your pet belongs to animals that love people? Desperate to find answers in the nearest veterinary clinic, the correspondent of the Melmagazine.com portal interviewed breeders of popular pets and biologists – experts in animal behavior, and compiled this list. In it, animals are listed in descending order of the ability to love a person (that is, to become attached to the owner and express this affection).
1. Dog: adoration machine
Dogs are already animals that love people very much. And an attentive attitude, upbringing and love can make an affectionate puppy even from the most gloomy and unsociable dog. The most affectionate dog breeds are Labradors, Poodles, St. Bernards and Collies.
The relationship between dogs and humans is unique. They learned to live next to a person: to digest human food rich in carbohydrates, to read our emotions, to distinguish the words of human languages. Kyle Kittleson, Animal Behavior Specialist: “The main way dogs express love is by touch. Dogs lick people and allow people to stroke themselves, in this way expressing kindness and affection. Dogs also read your behavior and adapt to it – so when a child appears in a house where there is a dog, the dog, as a rule, begins to protect him. ” Dogs have the ability to love like no other animal – and therefore they are in the top of our list of pets that love people.
2. Parrot: love on the edge
Parrots quickly adapt to life with humans if there are no other birds nearby. The main thing to remember is that these pets are very fond of people, so if you devote enough time to them, you will not be left without mutual affection.
A dog loves a person like a brother( sister) or a best friend. Parrots (except for the wavy ones, we will talk about them later) love differently – as a jealous and often unbalanced romantic partner. “Parrots need a lot of attention,” says biologist, expert on the large fauna Deji Asiru-Balogan. “If a parrot does not receive enough attention and love, it can even perform strange, self-destructive actions – for example, pulling out its own feathers or banging its head against walls”- he says. Parrots aren’t just social; in the wild, they are VERY social, explains Deji, they live in large flocks, and their survival depends on constant and close interaction with their own kind; communication is necessary for these birds to maintain a healthy body and mind. If you meet a lonely parrot in the forest, it means that he is either wounded or sick.
Asiru-Balogan adds that a parrot becomes a good pet only for a person who has raised it from a chick: they become very attached to the first owner, but with great difficulty – to a new one. This is worth remembering when starting a parrot: they live a very long time – sometimes more than 70 years!
3. Pig: tenderness and affection
There are many stereotypes associated with these pets as well. We all know the saying: “dirty like a pig.” But in fact, pigs are clean animals.
Keeping domestic pigs (especially small mini-pigs) has been fashionable for ten years now – and for good reason. Pigs came in third on this list of pets that love humans due to their ability to bond with humans and show that affection almost as intensely as dogs. They are social enough to appreciate communication and affection, and smart enough to learn commands. “They like it when their back and sides are scratched; this is how they show that they trust people – and such trust speaks of a serious affection”, the experts say.
4. Rats: intelligence and tenderness
The domestic rat is very clean and can become a wonderful pet that will conquer anyone with its affection and devotion. In addition, rats are one of the smartest animals. They are known to be among the most intelligent creatures on the planet. So they can easily be called pets that love people. Sonya Joerg ,a biologist, notes: “In nature, rats communicate a lot with their relatives, and people, with whom they live nearby, are perceived as big rats.”The indicator of trust, according to Joerg, is the distance between you and the animal: in nature rats live close, often interacting with each other. So if your pet spends time in your arms or on your lap, that means it considers you as its own relative or friend.
5. Horses: love in the singular
Domestic horses also love people and are submissive. They become attached to the owner and serve him truly. Representatives of certain breeds, for example, the Akhal-Teke, are distinguished by their pride, but these pets are extremely loyal to their owner. Yes,
horses do not quite fit into the “pets” category, but they are certainly capable of loving a person and becoming attached to those who take care of them, which is why several experts interviewed for this article voted to include horses on the list. In addition, their history of cohabitation with humans is not much shorter than that of a dog. Horses are not supportive of all people, sometimes their connection with the owner becomes exclusive – in the sense that a horse allows only one person to ride it or even take care of itself. They accept affection and even look for it and surely can be called a real friend of an owner.
6. Cats: continuous contradictions
On the one hand, cats behave quite independently – at least when compared with the devotion that dogs demonstrate. On the other hand, cat owners have many stories to tell of how cats became true human friends.
Cats are the most controversial pets on the list: experts say they don’t care about people – but some examples of behavior are difficult to interpret other than as a manifestation of affection and a demonstration of love for a person.
In the wild they live alone, but sometimes they form groups in which they communicate quite closely. However, their survival does not depend on the ability to recognize signals and guess the emotions of other cats; They do not hunt or raise offspring together, so their social skills are poor. On the other hand, cats have already five thousand years of close proximity to humans. Time, which was spent side by side and often under one roof, softened their character and made them tender companions – but hardly taught them to love. “Cats look at you as if you were service staff,” Asiru-Balogan says. Jörg has a similar point of view: “You are probably a source of food and sometimes entertainment for the cat..” On the other hand, it is not so rare for cats to try to “feed” the owner – to bring a killed mouse or bird; in addition, many domestic cats distinguish owners from strangers. Perhaps, in their little heads, a feeling of love for a person glimmers a little.
7. Ferrets: love outdoor games
Ferrets have irrepressible energy and infect others with it. These pets love people and can cheer you up at any time.
Jörg notes that predators tend to be interesting pets. “Predators are characterized by a wide variety of behavior patterns, including playing. Through games they learn hunting skills. If predators live next to people, they have more energy and time to play than in the wild, so they can play all their lives.” In addition, these are paired animals, and the person whom the ferret can fall in love with is quite capable of replacing the beloved ferret.
These pets may be scared of you because of your size. But if you spend a little of your time, be patient and treat them kindly, then they will definitely start to trust and love you.
Hamsters and guinea pigs are not as affectionate as rats, but according to Kittleson, they will always prefer the society of the owner to the society of a stranger. This hardly sounds like love, but this is already something.
9. Budgerigars: good buddies
If a wavy parrot gently rubs his head against your hand, climbs over your body or tries to clean it, then it definitely loves his person and feels completely safe near you.
If large parrots (gray, macaw, cockatoo) love people hysterically, are jealous, offended and depressed when they receive less attention, then budgerigars and other medium-sized flocking parrots (cockatiels, lovebirds) love their owners rather as good friends. They live in small flocks or pairs, they love to communicate, but they are unlikely to start pulling out their feathers when they see that you have stroked another bird.
10. Rabbits and chinchillas: prefer their own kind
Despite the opinion that these pets are not very fond of people, their owners assure that in a good mood, pets are quite loving.
Asiru-Balogan notes that rabbits get along well with people, but prefer the company of other rabbits; if they have a furry companion, they will choose it over the owner. Jörg adds that, unlike predators, rabbits and guinea pigs are not very diverse in behavior. For most of their lives, they chew something or sleep; there is simply no room for love in this herbivorous life.
11. Snakes: Trust and Habit
Snakes are considered the most dangerous killers on the planet. However, few people know that they are actually capable of becoming human friends. These reptiles can become very attached to a person. Like a dog, they can quietly lick the owner when he strokes its tummy.
Surprisingly, snakes know how to love a person – well, or at least distinguish the owner from other people. Asiru-Balogan believes: “The pythons are especially gentle, they allow people to stroke themselves and take in arms.” When starting a python, however, it should be remembered that attachment is formed slowly. The snake’s trust comes with months and years of strict routine. Snakes are slaves to habits; the more predictable your behavior, the more they trust you. And even if the python knows you well and allows you a lot, you should not expect much from him. Kittleson elaborates: “The behavior of snakes is not as varied as that of mammals. The latter may be interested in many things besides food – exploring new territories, playing games. Snakes are created to survive and fill their belly, so they do not have much time for tenderness.”
12. Iguanas and other lizards: almost indifferent
Some iguanas love to be scratched behind their ears (more precisely, behind the ear holes). If a reptile is accustomed to hands from an early age, then such a pet can become a friend of a person, and it can be stroked, squeezed and shown to everyone without fear of being bitten.
“Working with reptiles, I have never noticed any displays of affection for individuals”- the biologist Kittleson says. ”But perhaps lizards are not completely indifferent to their owners, – he recalls one outstanding case – three bearded lizards liked to sit close to their owner”. But the specialist does not know what this behavior meant. “Is this love? I don’t know. I don’t even know if I ever loved myself. I can only confirm that those lizards definitely preferred that woman’s company.”
13. Turtles: no emotion
Each turtle has its own character, its own inclinations and preferences. But it should be remembered that the turtle is still a wild animal that is not used to living in our apartments and in contact with people. So there is no need to talk about special love for a person.
The reptile’s brain is not able to love a person, experts conclude. You can live side by side with a turtle your whole life, but if you transfer it to another owner, it will not notice it.
14. Aquarium Fish: Too Far Away
“They’re in the water, and you aren’t, and that’s a serious obstacle to communication,” says Jörg, and Kittleson adds, “Goldfish can be quite smart and can be trained, but don’t expect the fish to bond with you.” So, unfortunately, fish can hardly be called human friends.
15. Spiders: you are just a shadow for them
To be honest, spiders are really difficult to call pets that love humans …
Of course, spiders are at the bottom of the list. Spider breeder Chelsea Mann, owner of The 8th Page Tarantulas cattery and owner of 175 spiders of 140 species, speaks eloquently: “In all the years of working with them, I have not received a single argument in favor of the fact that in their view I am more than a shadow on a wall. Invertebrates simply do not have enough nervous system resources to form social connections.” And accordingly, to love a person.
Related Content: Top 5 pets children can take care for, 9 healthy foods for dogs.
