Pet
Psychology
Pet
Psychology
| When
watching animals sniff each other where they do, or chase their own tails,
it can be difficult to argue that they are intelligent. But even in their
silliest moments, many pet owners and animal enthusiasts have a hard time
denying that animals seem to have personalities, both good and bad.
Some people however, do not get to hand-pick their pets. Travis Nelson, a senior at Chico State, found his four-legged friend by accident. Pepper, Nelson's tabby cat, was on the roof of an apartment complex and Nelson found the kitten and brought him down. "I just wanted to save his life, but then he got attached to me," said Nelson. Three years later they are still together. Travis calls himself a dog person, and said if he were going to plan on having a pet it would be a Rottweiler or another athletic, masculine dog. Because, Nelson said, animals reflect the personality of their owners. Pepper will do for now, he acts enough like a dog, Nelson said. Pepper has many loyal canine-like traits, and often waits by the door for Nelson to come home. This may be a sign of separation anxiety, a problem faced by cats and dogs alike. For pet owners who worry that their pet may miss them too much, there is help on the Internet. For pet owners who feel like their pets have minds of their own, there are Web sites to explain why pets do what they do. On the less serious side, one site, emode.com gives meaning to feline fancies and canine quirks. If your cat is a little uppity and you wonder why, emode.com will give you a test to find out who your cat was in it's past life. And since people are animals too, the same site offers a test to find out what breed of dog you are, personality-wise. And if pets have personalities, are those personalities affected by the cosmos? Does a Pit-bull born under Aries exhibit different traits than one born under Capricorn? At Thepetchannel.com, pet owners can find out what is in store from the stars for their pets. The pet horoscopes page tells owners how a pet will respond to discipline or get along with a pet of a different sign, on a weekly basis. |
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