Tiny feathered wings flutter around my sun draped bedroom. A monotony of flitting sounds accompany the lifeless bird’s movements. My cat, nose and ears growing pink from the surge of blood cascading through his tiny little veins; adrenaline catapulting his eager acrobatics, is enthralled. Instinct now governs the onslaught of his actions. Thought processes transfixed on one, profound and penetrating objective: KILL.
“This is a reflecting pool of our own human processes.”
Minutes earlier he was purring intensely, baritone vibrations resonating through his body as he gently kneaded the blanket fixed over me. It wasn’t until I decided to pick up his favorite toy, swirling the wand to and fro giving the illusion of a flying bird overhead, that he quickly metamorphosed from cuddly stuffed house cat to masterfully lethal predator. And THIS is exactly what I love about animals, and strive to educate others about. Because this behavior is NOT unique to house pets. This is a reflecting pool of our own human processes.
It has always deeply fascinated me that an animal can choose to love you. Research in animal behavior has grown extensively over the past few decades and, whereas previously, people suggested that animals were driven by a mere instinct to survive, void of the types of emotions we believe humans are the sole purveyors of, it has become clear that there are deeper, more intrinsic cognitive processes at play, notably with domesticated animals. Cats are of particular interest to me here because we have not spent generations breeding them purposefully to achieve specific behavioral outcomes (I highlight behavioral because we have clearly bred for aesthetic value). Whereas with dogs, great measures have been taken to attempt to remove predatory enhancements while “breeding in” stable temperaments with kill-bite inhibition. However, if you have spent any significant amount of time with either species, you know that those instincts still lie dormant within, and you never mistakenly take risks by assuming your dog or cat, can’t hurt; can’t kill.
Instincts are useful, and yes rooted in the survival and propagation of one’s species. Although instincts shouldn’t be ignored, in a society in which we’ve evolved past the point of needing to constantly defend against proximal, physical threats, they can become problematic. This is evidenced in the amount of training, socialization and desensitization we provide our pets in order to acclimate them to a world where acting on their instincts, can have dire consequences. But what about humans? Have we fully suppressed and eradicated our base nature to a point where we can live freely, in unity without perilous impulses surging through our self proclaimed sea of harmony? Haven’t we evolved to a level of self adequacy and intellectual transcendence to put compassionately driven social utility ahead of our primal urges?
“Dogs that react aggressively towards an environment that is completely benign, do so because their instincts incite them to fight and protect against the unfamiliar, against the other.”
I think it is easy to see the answer is “no.” But the question still remains as to “why?” As I stated earlier, instinct has value. But, when underutilized, it can haphazardly gear into overdrive, creating the apparition of danger, where none in fact exists. Dogs that react aggressively towards an environment that is completely benign, do so because their instincts incite them to fight and protect against the unfamiliar; against the other. This is clearly exemplified through the dog that lunges at the scooter, barks at the delivery trolley or bites the houseguest they have never met before. We’re primed and coded to perceive anything that is unfamiliar to us as a potential danger. The more we do not understand it, the more uncomfortable it makes us. How do we get rid of it? What is their intention? The skateboard that grumbles mercilessly down the street must be on its way to do harm. The stranger that reaches over my head to pet me, must be trying to hurt me. It sounds silly to place ourselves in the mind of our animals, but it is important to do so. Not just to understand their mental faculties, but really, to better know our own.
“Othering” is not some political construct drummed up to advocate for social equality. Earliest evidence of the term dates back to the late 1800s, and more recently, has been used in academic discourse to refer to the process by which any one group systematically stigmatizes another through a negation of identity, allowing for a potential to discriminate. In plain terms: “You are different from me and what I believe in, therefore you are lesser than I am and I fear what you will do to my world.” This is not a ploy. It is not made up. This is nature. This is how we operate.
Every person does this to a certain extent, and so I’m not here to denigrate any one group for their beliefs, or inclination to protect what they hold dear. But I am here, purposefully driven to write this so that everyone can better assess their choices and the many thoughtful processes we engage in that shape our behavior. Because again, the fascinating part of animal nature is our ability to rise above what we’ve been programmed to do in order to make better decisions; to be more forgiving, kinder, compassionate.
Through my work with animals, I am tasked with helping these little primal beings capable of savage brutality, achieve a sense of embraced calmness and, most importantly, security in their environments. The concept of safety, in my mind, is paramount to teaching any living creature, to suppress their instincts in favor of a more relaxed, collegial, and altruistic way of being.
“Because he loves me and I'm not an 'other' to him. Just a big clumsy cat in his world.”
However, this does not happen without exposure to the very thing that you fear to know. Once you are near the elusive “other” and experiencing first hand that no harm comes upon you, can you begin your process of understanding. For example, it is only through desensitization training with that "other" thing, that a dog or cat can accept it as a part of their world, even build positive associations with it. It is through learning the inanimate object, like a scooter, is not fueled by any malicious agenda, that they can stop fearing it, and thus reacting towards it. It is through them being repeatedly socialized with different people, animals, etc., that they can begin to sense that these are living creatures looking for love and protection, just like them. It is through my relationship with my cat, day in and day out, allowing him to feel safe, providing him with life sustaining support, that an emotional connection has been built, and love established. These processes do not happen overnight, and they require us to overpower much of what makes us an animal. But that isn’t because we aren’t animals anymore. It is because we’re on our way to being the next best versions of ourselves. We’ve been given the capacity to shape who we want to be, and that is an incredible gift that we must not abandon.
* * *
I give a final whisk of the bird toy wand and watch as my cat shakes off the rush of his kill instinct. Wide eyes that are amber pools inlaid with black carbon slits look at me curiously as he stalks over and rubs his head against the back of my hand. He is a little killing machine and I love it. Because he loves me and I am not an “other” to him. Just another big clumsy cat in his world. And it makes me think: you cannot bear witness to the atrocities of our past and say we are beyond them enough to not let it seep into our future. Because we are not far enough evolved to have eradicated that very inner, biopsychosocial process of “othering.” And while that still lies dormant within us, we must achieve a higher level of self awareness to ensure it does not navigate us down a destructive path. We are stark in our ability to both love and hate. We are one of the most intriguing creatures to exist on this planet, because we are able to know ourselves and our inner workings so deeply, that we can change them if we so choose. Take time to reflect on that. Make sure to not only get to know yourself, but all of the “others” you haven’t given a chance to yet.
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