This was a very interesting read. Animal interaction is very much a part of my everyday life, but I've never really thought to sit down and dissect my own viewpoint like this. So, forgive me if I start to ramble; I simply found this piece thought-provoking.

I'm with you in that I don't understand cats. At all. It doesn't help that my family has never had one, but feline behavior in general is something I find confusing. As with most animals, I do enjoy spending time with cats, but I often ask my friends to explain certain things about them. There's a lot to admire about cats, I think, but ultimately their sheer self-sufficiency is what I find most confounding (which I suppose would come as no surprise, seeing as I am a canine person).

However, I love rodents, and like to think I have a pretty good understanding of how they work. I've heard many carnivorous therians talk about experiencing prey drives toward their small animal pets, but I've yet to deal with that; I'll certainly have similar reactions to squirrels on the street, but not with my own animals. I think part of it - aside from that fact that I'm human and would have no desire to eat my pets anyway ;P - is because my dog-self thinks of them almost as pups of some sort. My gerbils are small and fragile; they need to be taken care of and handled gently, and since dog-me can be intensely maternal, I think that's what manifests the most when I am interacting with them, and it works in concert with my human affection. I'm aware that what I just wrote probably sounds silly (especially since I don't often get the "pup" reaction from babies), but that's just the way it is for whatever reason.

Thanks for sharing!