To find people who dislike animals a bit cold in general

[Tinhatattheready]

Yes it’s probably goady. Yes I’ve made an apt name change but...

Honestly - anyone I’ve ever met who’s “not an animal person” always seems to be a bit... off.

I’m not talking about those who are say scared of dogs, or a bit mistrustful of cats. I mean those who are very much “it’s just an animal” (and no I don’t include farmers in this either.

I know plenty of people who are nervous of animals and they’re lovely / but have known maybe around 3 people who really are jist “who cares” and they are not so nice.

I realised a while ago that I don't have any friends who smoke or dislike animals! Speaks for itself really!

I don't mean to keep getting at you, but the thing that strikes me about your posts is that you're overly focused on the more performative actions - caring for pets, going "awww" at kittens, crying at films. But somebody who doesn't act like this may well care deeply enough about animal welfare to change their lifestyle - ie. actually give up animal products. And yet you'd probably judge them to be "cold".

Couldn’t agree with this more.

I only buy my meal from a farmers market (a luxury to be fair) which I am told is well reared bit obviously I don’t go down and check.

Even if ‘well-reared’ it was still slaughtered for your benefit. You don’t love animals if you pay for them to be killed because you like the way they taste.

I'm not keen on animals and find that many people who claim you like animals only like
certain ones. For example they love dogs but would eat a battery farmed egg or eat at Nando's.
True animal lovers - vegan and treating all animals as equal is really rare.

@ZeldalovesLink so as I said before what should I do? I’m not going vegan - so should I stop rescuing dogs as I’m a hypocrite?

Anyone who eats meat obviously doesn’t have much of a problem with animal cruelty. Even if you only buy happy/spoon fed/raised by pixies meat directly from a farmer who slaughters their own animals, that animal has still died so you can eat it. Not because you need to eat it, but because you like the taste.

And if you buy meat from anywhere else (even if it’s ‘organic’ and ‘free range’) you have no idea how it’s been treated

so as I said before what should I do? I’m not going vegan - so should I stop rescuing dogs as I’m a hypocrite?

You should go vegan, or you should accept you’re not an animal lover. But all means keep rescuing dogs. By all means keep being a hypocrite. But accept that you’re not an animal lover, and that it’s not reasonable for the OP to call other people cold for not cooing over animals when she literally eats them.

I wonder if people realise that they’re “all or nothing” attitude makes people chose nothing?

Does it? People are that easily swayed from their core beliefs?

Very true

wonder if people realise that they’re “all or nothing” attitude makes people chose nothing?

Oh really? This thread is full of people who’ve decided to hate and abuse animals now because a vegan told them they aren’t a real animal lover if they eat animals?

Sounds totally plausible.

I would say a farm animal like a cow, sheep or pig purly exists to provide food for us. I can still be an animal lover and care about the farm animals well being. I can care about the food it's eating, the environment it is living in and even the way it's killed.
The same as with pets, they are there for our please.

Working animals are there to do a job for us.
I think you can care for the fate of our domestic animals and be an animal lover.

I haven't heard anyone say a plant lover is a hypocrite because they eat plants! Same applies to animals.

@ZeldalovesLink I meant - for someone on day a medium to low income (who isn’t going to go vegan) - all is investing in more expensive eggs, meat etc.

If you like animals and someone goes on about how much they dislike animals, then the animal-hater is probably not a great person to be around, not because they dislike animals but because they go around talking down things that make other people happy.

There might be other people who dislike animals and listen to other people talking about adorable kittens or fascinating rats politely before moving the conversation on to something else.

And there are probably other people who love animals but hate football or comics or ballet or soap operas or brutalist architecture or running and go on about it in front of people who love those things, and they probably aren't very nice people, either.

I haven't heard anyone say a plant lover is a hypocrite because they eat plants! Same applies to animals.

Plants aren’t sentient. It’s quite an important distinction.

wonder if people realise that they’re “all or nothing” attitude makes people chose nothing?

Because that would be a mature response. 🙄

I haven't heard anyone say a plant lover is a hypocrite because they eat plants! Same applies to animals.

I’m assuming you’re being deliberately provocative, because if you genuinely can’t see there’s a difference between eating animals and eating plants then I’m a bit worried for you.

Plants aren’t sentient. It’s quite an important distinction

Still a living thing that has needs and will thrive in the right environment. Some also do better in a group some do better on their own. They are also very clever in using their environment... as for sentiment, I don't think we know enough about plants to tip the statement either way!

Sorry Op but your argument is flimsy and deeply flawed. You don't seem able to define "people that like animals"

You're writing off a whole section of the population as "cold" based purely on the fact that they don't go mad over cute baby penguin and puppies, don't like muddy paws and don't cry at Bambi or cat rescue adverts?

You must see how judgmental and lacking in critical thought that makes you look?

There's also a slight whiff of sanctimony, as in "I love dogs as pets therefore I am a warmer, better person"

Sorry I'm sure you're a nice person You just haven't thought your theory through properly!

I have literally heard it all now, this thread 😱

@ZeldalovesLink I completely agree with everything you have said.

I try to stay quite open minded and I do think people can care for Animals but don't always do the right thing, sometimes out of not knowing. But I have to say I find it quite difficult when people say they are Animal lovers and then eat them, visit the zoo, go fishing, ride Elephants or swim with Dolphins on their holidays etc.

I personally prefer the presence of Non-Human Animals because of their lack of judgment, and I feel more understood and accepted. This may be due to a "me" problem though as I can be quite sensitive and overthink. That being said, I feel strongly about Animal rights and Human rights, I think they go hand in hand. I am a very empathic person, sometimes too much, where I feel helpless that I can't save everyone and everything.

I have often been called extreme for my dedication to Animals, I have also been made to feel very uncomfortable at events where I choose not to consume Animals. So in this sense I do feel that people who don't truly love Animals can be cold.

I realise I have gone off topic here, so apologies.

I have literally heard it all now, this thread

Haha I've found it reasonably entertaining for a Sunday evening. The plant lover angle is quite funny.

"Call yourself a plant lover? Is that lettuce in your sandwich, you cold unfeeling bastard"

@Sakura7

Agree with you OP. It's one thing to be nervous around them, but I've also found that the type people who think a pet is "only an animal" and have no empathy for them, also tend not to have much empathy in other areas of their lives.

Very true. I know of one person who lacks empathy, hates animals and is basically a complete bitch in person

😂😂😂 Carrots screaming in pain, they don’t even have a central nervous system.

@SmileyClare apologies I was writing a Mumsnet post rather than serving hypiothesis for a masters. (And is I’m her honest after a glass of wine).

But i do think people get what I mean. People who can’t say stroke a dog, admire them sweetness of a baby penguin or laugh at a cats haughtiness time me is cold.

My sister hates all animals. So for her, yes I would agree with that statement. Mind you, she barely shrugged when Bambi's mum got shot or when Mufasa was caught in the stampede. She's a very cold woman.

This reminds me of a sitcom (possibly friends??) where they're berating a character for not getting emotional at bambi and he sarcastically says something like "yes, it was very sad when they stopped drawing the deer."