ANIMAL FEELING - A Podcast Discussion

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Hey everyone — apologies this post is coming later than usual. I am out of the country at the moment!

Our next topic will be about animal feelings and animal sentience. As I dropped my cat off at a boarding house on my way out of town, I was wondering: how does good ole Richard (the cat) feel about this? What can animals see, smell and hear that we can’t? How does pain manifest? So, as normal, we will have three podcasts all of which explore these questions.

ALSO - please come for the fun announcement at the end.

“Animal Minds” - Radiolab (59 min)
When we gaze into the eyes of a wild animal, or even a beloved pet, can we ever really know what they might be thinking? Is it naive to assume they’re experiencing something close to human emotions? Or is it ridiculous to assume that they AREN’T feeling something like that? We get the story of a rescued whale that may have found a way to say thanks, ask whether dogs feel guilt, and wonder if a successful predator may have fallen in love with a photographer.

"The Sensory Perception of Animals" - Fresh Air (44:50)
There's a vast world around us that animals can perceive — but humans can't. Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Ed Yong talks about some of the sights, smells, sounds and vibrations that other living creatures experience. His book is An Immense World.

"Do Animals Feel?" - Food Focus (34:36)
What do animals feel? Mike has a discussion on sentience with Dr Georgia Mason, Director of the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare. Georgia provides an overview of the state of the science on sentience and some perspectives on implication for welfare.