Animals act by instinct, humans act by emotions. An animal cannot “love you”, it will buddy up with its owner because the instinct tells him that he provides shelter, food, medical care.

Is this correct? No way! Such statements can only come from people who never had close contact or owned an animal!

Animals do show emotions! Why would your cat come, jump on your lap and start purring? Why would your dog greet you with wagging tail when you come home? You are not feeding them at this very moment. So why are they pleased to cuddle up, excited, happy to see you again?

Because they love their owners! Admittingly, it’s a cat-love or dog-love; nevertheless it’s love. Love is something that cannot be proven with science, it can’t be guaranteed, love can occur all of a sudden, or develop slowly over time. Love can dwindle; love can turn into hate. It’s a pure emotional thing, chemistry, strong affection, attachment, loyalty.

Cats and dogs love differently.

A dog that is well cared for, trained, and has a loving home will try – by all means – to please his owner. He will follow commands eagerly, snuggle up with or near you, welcome you back home happily, be protective of the family to an extent that he will risk his life in case of danger. How often have we read that a dog kept a lost child or person alive by snuggling up, protecting them from the cold. We have heard about cases that dogs howl and bark for help, sometimes running miles to find help if something happened to their owners. Dogs have saved lives by waking up families in case of fire, gas leaks, and natural disasters. Dogs and cats have a much better instinct than humans and might even be able to warn you (if you understand your animal’s behavior) about upcoming disasters such as earthquakes, etc. Dogs and cats have been known to mourn for their owners, not leaving the place of an accident or even sitting at gravesites, refusing to eat. Lost dogs and cats are known to be able to travel hundreds, if not thousands of miles to find their owners.

Cats are more independent animals and will show love and affection on their terms. A cat will come when called (yes, you can train them!), but that does not necessarily mean that he/she is “in the mood for love”. Though some cats like to snuggle up to their owners for hours, some give you short bursts of affection only.
If you annoy your cat, she might ignore you for hours, even days. Cats are not quick to forgive and forget, but they are loyal. An abused cat might try to escape, to run away from you, a cat that is just annoyed because it dislikes brushing or nail clipping will ignore you, but still love you.

Cats have been known to risk their lives for someone they love, fighting off snakes, even intruders. Cats and dogs are sensitive to their owner’s feelings, mood, illness or injuries and will try to comfort them.

If all this were not love – what would you call it?