Do you think that animals can contemplate their death?

To me this is an important question. I do not think that they can sit around and discuss death but if in danger of dying, do they know that they are in that state.

Love,
Betty

I know that birds do. They know that if they show weakness they will be pecked to death, so they stay with the appearance of health until they drop dead.

9/18/2010

Betty..

I do know animals know when a person is missing and
they get very depressed. Next door to me they have a manchester
terrier less than a year old and they had a white poodle 14 years
old , the other dog knew something was wrong with the poodle, he
could hardly walk, since he passed away Duke the terrier has become
very nasty towards Dusty, now I don't know if it's because the other
dog passed away or that terrirers are like that ? I do believe an animal
just like a human senses when the end is near when their ill, I do know
from my experience with having three cats and a dog, when their ill
and they have a look in their eyes asking : " Please Let me go." I know
it sounds nuts but I've seen that look. I have had that experience once
with a human , a good neighbor in NYC who was ill and she said to me
" Please let me go, it'll be alright." I still get choked up over this..


Love Joe

An age-old question. Is sentience what separates man from the animals? We cannot know, of course. We can only form opinons based on observations of animal behavior. Animals definitely have a survival instinct very much like ours. Fight or flee. Hang on for dear life.

Betty, I know that cats will leave home to die so they must know when death is approaching.

Very sad!

Elephants do. they go off to die alone, away from the herd. Why not other animals. We think that we humans are so superior. Our thinking is so limited. Even plants have consciousness.

Ann

Betty,
I believe they do. I had the same experience as Alice with a cat. They know when they're about to die and find a place to let it happen.

Some time ago I made a post about a cat that could sense when a human was about to die. I don't know if this is something special with cats.

I have not been to "let me go." I love life. I have made it through pain and discomfort.

I have a friend who says she is "ready to go." She is in great health that I wish I had a tenth of.

I have things to do. (There are way too many "I's" here.)

Animals know. We've had dogs that have grieved when their dog friends have died. It shows in their faces of sadness.

Carol

Carol,

I am glad you love life. Keep on loving and living. You are here for a reason.
Love you so much

One last thought. Humans are so funny. I had two mother in laws. One was good, one, not so good.

The one, not so good, talked about dying incessantly. "We could go at anytime she would say."

When she was 89 she decided she would live to 100.
She died at 89.

Shows how much, or little, we know.

Mankind has since the dawn of time corrupted themselves with their own delusions of superiority and self importance.
We have hunted other species to extinction, our crime of that self important attitude.
There are other species on this planet that deserve the right to be respected.
We as a species have a huge lesson yet to learn, which better be soon before we bring about our own destruction.
Our stupidity often exceeds our intelligence.
I was once told that when the first Atomic Bomb was tested no one knew for certain what would happen there was the theory that it would start a chain reaction that would never stop and consume all life on earth.
The only way to be certain was to detonate the bomb. So they decided to be optimistic and go ahead with the test and hope that whatever chain reaction would not be continuous and stop.
Insanity?
Sorry for my rant there .
So I am more willing to believe that all animal life have the potential to be self aware and contemplate in their own way their lives.

So that's my 10 cents.

It's worth much more than ten cents.

Carol

Keep ranting, David.

Ann

David ,

I love your rants. Do them on TV--maybe you will get rich fast.

David,
they continue to test Weapons of Mass Destruction with little regard for the Mass destruction it can cause. Just to possess the worst weapons gives them a sense of superiority. It has much to do with human nature:
*My car or house is bigger and better than yours.
*My PC is faster than yours.
*My bike has more speed gears than yours.
...

Abe F. March wrote:

David,
they continue to test Weapons of Mass Destruction with little regard for the Mass destruction it can cause. Just to possess the worst weapons gives them a sense of superiority. It has much to do with human nature:
*My car or house is bigger and better than yours.
*My PC is faster than yours.
*My bike has more speed gears than yours.
...

Abe, why?

I think it was either Eric Berne, Games People Play, or Thomas Harris, I'm OK. You're OK, where I first read that it all goes back to, "My dad can beat up your dad," and to power that comes temporarily from an illusion of security. I know that transactional analysis is out of date, but I wonder if it should be.

There was another book, written by one of the two above, called What do You Say after You Say, "Hello." which said that it was very hard for anyone to say a straightforward, adult-to-adult "Hello," without having any agenda or control game going on.

It all comes down to a basic fear, insecurity because underneath it all we get that there is nothing we can do to protect ourselves from bad stuff happening, and, rather than accept that, we have to get these momentary feelings of being better than by some self-deceptive practice of the illusion of control.

Ann

Fear is the issue. If one has that illusive "faith" that the universe is unfolding as it should and all one's needs (not wants) will be met as part of the natural order of things, then fear isn't an issue. Being "better than" provides a margin of security; at least someone has less.