AI Insight
This study examined how 194 U.S. participants would respond to defensive behaviors in cats and dogs, finding that people's beliefs about animal emotions significantly influence their intervention choices. When participants perceived fear in animals, they favored gentler interventions like relocation, whereas perceiving anger led to more severe responses including spanking or relinquishment. Importantly, people who believed animals have morally relevant emotions were less likely to use disruptive or punitive interventions, regardless of whether they perceived fear or anger.
Why it matters
These findings have direct implications for animal welfare, as misconceptions about pet emotions may lead owners to use inappropriate or harmful interventions for behavioral problems. Understanding this connection could inform educational programs that promote humane, effective responses to companion animal behavior and reduce rates of pet relinquishment.
Understand the Science
Previous research has shown that differences in people’s experiences with and beliefs about animals—in addition to contextual factors—influence how they perceive pet emotions, which is associated with animal welfare. The present study examined whether behavioral intensity, beliefs about animal emotions, experience with animals, and perceived emotion predict how a person would intervene when cats and dogs exhibit defensive behaviors. A U.S. sample (N = 194) completed vignette-based tasks manipulating species (dog vs. cat) and behavioral intensity (low vs. high). Participants rated perceived animal fear and anger and indicated their likelihood of utilizing each of six intervention strategies. Measures of beliefs about animal emotions and animal-related experience were also collected. High-intensity behaviors increased both perceived emotional intensity and the likelihood of intervention. Fear was attributed more than anger overall, and perceptions of anger increased with behavioral intensity. Perceived fear predicted lower-impact responses (e.g., relocation). Perceived anger, however, predicted higher-impact interventions (e.g., relinquishment and spanking). Beliefs about the moral relevance of animal emotions predicted a reduced likelihood of using the same disruptive or aversive interventions. These findings extend prior research by showing that emotional perceptions and participant characteristics shape responses to companion animal behavior, with implications for animal welfare and human–animal relationships.