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09 September 2006

Why do we pet animals? [More:]Sorry if this sounds naive, but I'm genuinely curious.
And drunk.
And getting married tomorrow.
posted by mudpuppie 09 September | 00:58
just answer the quenstion.
posted by Hellbient 09 September | 01:07
I already did. We pet them because it makes them happy, and because it makes us feel good.
posted by mudpuppie 09 September | 01:08
But I ask you: Why do animals look us in the eyes? They haven't been taught about the cultural imperative of eye contact.
posted by mudpuppie 09 September | 01:09
We pet animals because it makes them and us happy, cats and dogs associate it with the grooming behavior of their mothers.


Animals look us in the eyes to discern intent and mood, it's not just cultural. Dogs are smart, cats are perverse. I need ramen. Happy wedding Hellbient.
posted by Divine_Wino 09 September | 01:25
Because the word "fondle" sounds suggestive, and "grope" is just nasty. Next question?
posted by rob511 09 September | 01:49
My cats are mother and daughter. The mother still grooms her daughter, washes her head and face, etc. Consequently the daughter isn't keen on me petting her and will only let me if she hasn't had any attention from her mom for a while. The mother loves to be petted though, because she has no mommy to do it to her, except me.
posted by essexjan 09 September | 02:23
Rabbits spend a lot of their resting time in physical contact with other rabbits and lower status rabbits will groom higher status rabbits. As a result they enjoy gentle petting and snuggling and can be very demanding if they want it now. Beides, they're soft and pretty much irresistable, so it works for everyone.
posted by tommasz 09 September | 07:23
mudpuppie, some animals use eye contact to establish hierarchy so maybe that's some of it. But I think they learn it from us.
posted by tommasz 09 September | 07:27
(hellbient, you're getting MARRIED today? Congrats! We want pictures, OF COURSE).

And I pet my dog because she begs for it. Seriously. Standas on top of me, uses her paw to move my arm under her to rub her stomach, pushes her face into my hand so I'll pat her head. The little devil. (Although the little devil killed a cockroach this morning, so she's in my good graces today).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 09 September | 10:13
Because they are soft and silky and nice to pet. Because they were designed that way, for us. Intelligently.

Or, you know, what the others said.

And yay for getting married today! Congratulations!
posted by gaspode 09 September | 11:12
Petting is grooming. Humans clearly have atavastic mild social grooming instincts. Our two favorite pets have social grooming instincts, too. I'm sure there's domesticated animals that don't like to be petted or are indifferent to it.
posted by kmellis 09 September | 11:25
CONGRATULATIONS HELLBIENT!!! SAVE THE HEAVY PETTING FOR LATER. EWWW. DID I JUST SAY THAT?!?!
posted by safetyfork 09 September | 13:03
Petting - dunno. But, here's a fun fact about eye contact in the canine kingdom for you: Dogs consider it RUDE to look them in the eye, and will do almost anything to not do so with you. They will look away, etc. to appear polite.

Very nice and proof cats suck.
posted by Lipstick Thespian 10 September | 12:09
Cats don't like eye contact, either. For both cats and dogs it's a challenge. But for dogs it's an expected challenge from an owner, as the pack alpha will regularly do aggressive things to which submissive behavior is expected. In other words, dogs don't hold it against us and they avert their eyes as a submissive gesture. Cats do dislike it, to a degree, but slow, deliberate eye blinks change the message to one of trust where such a relationship already exists.
posted by kmellis 10 September | 14:30
We pet animals because having sex with them is considered innapropriate. In public, at least.
posted by dg 10 September | 23:21
At the time, I was thinking it was because we appreciate animals, and it's human to appreciate. And empathy, because we know what feels good and we like to make others feel good. Also, there's probably something there that keeps us attached to nature and our furry friends.
posted by Hellbient 11 September | 12:34
It's Friday night. You could come to IRC. || Possibly the funniest troll in recent memory

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