I never thought I could learn much from a dog or cat. They sleep when we sleep. They eat when we eat. I'm into observing animals being as wild as they can be in a captive environment.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
But cats to me are strange, so strange I cannot sleep if one is near.
I used to love dogs until I discovered cats.
I'd been interested in animal behaviour as a teenager and had thought of studying it at one point.
Cats are very independent animals. They're very sexy, if you want. Dogs are different. They're familiar. They're obedient. You call a cat, you go, 'Cat, come here.' He doesn't come to you unless you have something in your hand that he thinks might be food. They're very free animals, and I like that.
I've always been interested in animal behavior, and I keep reading about it because it's so surprising all the time - so many things are happening around us that we neglect to look at. Part of the passion I have for biology is based on this wonderment.
I have had strange animals as pets all my life. I was shy growing up, and shy people tend to interact better with animals than people. Animals are direct, not duplicitous.
Some kinds of animals burrow in the ground; others do not. Some animals are nocturnal, as the owl and the bat; others use the hours of daylight. There are tame animals and wild animals. Man and the mule are always tame; the leopard and the wolf are invariably wild, and others, as the elephant, are easily tamed.
Far too often animals are put to sleep when they could be saved through proper care and nursing.
We have a couple of dogs, but I wouldn't describe myself as an animal person.
As long as I can remember, I've always had pets. Something about the connection you share with this entirely different species just blows my mind.