BR> Disagree.  The cat is being a cat, the dog is being a dog - their
BR> synapses are prewired, and the cruelty is our perception, but not
BR> something about which the critters think - and cruelty, by
BR> definition, requires thought.
I believe you haven't had animals close to you at anytime in your 
life. Animals DO think. They're not necessarily intelligent, but they 
DO think. Fish, horses, dogs, etc are able to assess a problem, 
within a reasonable range, solve it and achieve a (their) desired 
result. Octopi and chimps are astonishing in their advanced thought 
and on a par with some humans. They're even more sociable than many 
of the "superior" species.
Getting into Chimps, and other primates...
Chimps have a dominance heirachy within their tribal structure. 
Dominant males will allow "wandering" females into their tribe and it 
has been known that the dominant males will actually gang-rape them as 
a means for them to be allowed to stay within the protective shell of 
the group. Also, the males will get so frustrated while hunting food, 
that after repeated failures they'll eventually become agitated enough 
to team up and distract a female who's fallen out of favor with one or 
more of them, then while distracted... kidnap the hapless female's 
child; kill it, and eat it.  Females have been known to kill rivals.
The native intelligence of a dolphin is yet to be determined with any 
certainty. This is because they're probably the most intelligent and 
social of all the creatures, except for their fellow mammals... man. 
They'll also rat-pack their females. Also, their teamwork while 
fishing is quite sophisticated.
Birds have been known to form lifelong bonds with their mates. Also, 
even lowly geese have surprised hunters as when one of the mates is 
shot out of the air, their partners will leave the safety of the flock 
to try and help them. Sometimes they won't leave, even knowing 
they're in danger.
Bob, animals think, feel and dream... but I guess I'm just talking to 
a wall.
DB 
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 * RM 1.31 3089 * Some people just don't get it.
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