Our Furry Friends: The Science of Pets

Our Furry Friends: The Science of Pets

In the U.S., more than half of households have a pet â€“ usually more than one. Theyâ€™re usually considered members of the family, and some of us even call them our â€œfurry children.â€ The strength of the human-pet bond tells us as much or more about ourselves as it does about our pets, and in this eBook, Our Furry Friends: The Science of Pets, we look at why dogs and cats behave the way they do and what makes our bond with them so strong. In her opening article, â€œPets: Why Do We Have Them?â€ Daisy Yuhas discusses the variety of reasons for pet ownership, including our emotional need to nurture other living things. This emotional bond brings its own benefits such as social support and reduced stress, making us happier and healthier. How and why pets came to adopt humans is another question entirely, and two articles, â€œFrom Wolf to Dogâ€ and â€œThe Taming of the Cat,â€ look at the evolution of the human relationship with dogs and cats, respectively. Petsâ€™ behavior is examined further in several articles, including â€œThe World According to Dogs,â€ in which Julie Hecht deciphers what it means when a dog wonâ€™t play and whether that â€œguilty lookâ€ really indicates a feeling of responsibility. Meanwhile, in â€œThe Inner Life of Cats,â€ Kate Wong investigates feline quirks such as why cats purr or bring their kills to their humans. Finally, all pet owners know that animals feel things, and science is starting to agree. As we learn in â€œDo Animals Feel Empathy?â€ and â€œWhen Animals Mourn,â€ many species grieve over the loss of relatives or close companions, indicating that empathy and grief could have neural and evolutionary roots.

Country	USA
Author	Scientific American Editors
Binding	Kindle Edition
EISBN	9781466859012
Format	Kindle eBook
Label	Scientific American
Manufacturer	Scientific American
NumberOfPages	180
PublicationDate	2015-12-21
Publisher	Scientific American
ReleaseDate	2015-12-21
Studio	Scientific American

Our Furry Friends: The Science of Pets

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