My parents don’t like cats and dogs, we were only allowed fish when we were young, so I have never been a huge animal lover. Plus, I’m somewhat of a hygiene freak, so the prospect of hairs, fleas and allergic reactions has never really appealed. Although I have respect for animals, I generally prefer human beings, regarding them as complex yet beautiful. No doubt there are many people who feel the opposite way. It always made me cringe when people would show me photos of their pets wearing bonnets and calling them their babies. To be honest, I’d just think, have some children already…But lately, I have been hanging out with a couple of cats that belong to my best friend’s ex-wife, and am developing an appreciation for them.

What I am particularly interested to know though is…do animals actually have genuine affection for people? Do they actually notice or care who is feeding or stroking them or are they just motivated by their instincts / needs? I have a feeling the latter may be true for cats but not so much for dogs. A friend of mine thinks that dogs are simple-minded yet loyal, whereas cats are independent and insubordinate. He respects cats more than dogs because they don’t obey human beings, they use them to satisfy their needs. Naturally, I would like to believe that animals can form genuine connections with individual people but am not 100% convinced. Can anyone enlighten me?