A Michael Broad Blog
Introduction The question of sentience in animals has long been a subject of philosophical, scientific, and ethical debate. Sentience, broadly defined, refers to the capacity to experience sensations, emotions, and subjective awareness. It is a fundamental characteristic that distinguishes living, feeling beings from inanimate objects or purely mechanical processes. In recent decades, advances in …
For a while I have been making the point that we tend to regard fish as inanimate objects to be scooped out of the oceans in vast numbers, fried and eaten. An unending source of nutrition for the dominant species on the planet. But each of these fish has – I would argue – …
My title to this article stems from a story in The Telegraph newspaper of yesterday which reports on a male veterinarian who ended his life because, in part, he was so distressed about a minority of relatively wealthy owners requesting that he euthanize their companion animals rather than treat them because the treatment would …
A recent study – and one which I would argue is pretty important – discovered that crows can hold grudges for 17 years. They hold grudges against people who have maligned them; who have been harmful to them and who they don’t trust because of experiences and interactions that they have had with these …
OPINION AND COMMENT PLEASE NOTE: Like other animal advocates I am disgusted and shocked at New Zealand’s attitude towards feral cats and the desensitisation of New Zealand children towards causing pain in animals, to ignoring the sentience of animals, in this notorious and controversial annual competition in North Canterbury in which children and their …
This is a comprehensive but highly understandable guide to the caregiving of cat companions based on the well-known Animal Welfare Act 2006 in the UK which is a high quality animal welfare law. All cat owners would do well to read it and digest it, particularly in countries such as China where there is …
I have never seen an article about domestic cats vocalising their pleasant day-to-day feelings despite the fact that it happens all the time and is a nice reminder that cats are sentient beings. If anyone doubts that domestic cats are sentient just listen to your cat when she curls up comfortably for a snooze …
The unfortunate and unpleasant phrase used in government and business ‘dead cat strategy’ needs to be discarded and never used again. Currently, in the UK, there is an enquiry into how the UK government dealt with the Covid-19 crisis (very badly by all accounts). It will cost a staggering £200m! What a waste of …
