Hello,

As some of you may know, I have just lost my own "child".... actually two in the last two months, so my feelings may be a bit raw and on edge at the moment.

But, with regard to whether or not animals can "love", let me tell you that with Tasha's passing, her "kitty" (a cat brought in as a companion for another, but who instantly bonded with Tasha... her Rottweiler mother), has been meowing around the house and this evening settled into the exact spot where Tasha slept for the last 5 years. After Tasha's burial yesterday afternoon, we allowed Chat Gris (the "kitty") to visit the grave, not really expecting anything; but , Chat Gris surprised us by rolling around on top of the grave, rubbing her scent glands on the sides of her mouth, onto the ground directly above Tasha's body.

In another instance, when Ginger (Tasha's older [non-related] "sister") passed away two month's ago, Tasha started deteriorating almost within one week -- I honestly think she loved her sister so much that her grief compounded her illness.

Of course, other "rationalists" will come up with other "reasons" for this behavior, but I prefer to think that it shows love on their part. Not just towards their humans, but also to their fellow animals, in this case, their counterpart "caregivers"... they all relied on each other for mutual support.

I am now concerned for Chat Gris that she may become depressed, so we are trying to make sure she knows that we are not going anywhere soon -- I guess you could say it's a reason to spoil her even more than she is. The odd thing is.... her nickname has always been "Evilene" since she could turn evil in an instant.... since ginger's passing two month's ago, her attitude has changed dramatically, and since Tasha's death yesterday, Chat Gris is very cuddly.

My point....???!!! (Is there one?) Animals do love.... we, as humans, are but animals ourselves, so if we can do it, they can do it.

If your biology teacher has a problem with this explanation, please tell her to sign on here so we can 'splain it to her.

gp