Do you think its possible for a human to..

Draco

NOT Malfoy!
Thread starter
Veteran
Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Messages
8,721
Purraise
2,780
Location
LawnGuyLand, NY
Do you think its possible for a human to love another human (S/O) like they do to their animal companions?

I was thinking last night, playing with Monet.. and I realized I truly love him more than anything in this world.. I just have this great feeling inside when I hug him close.. then I wonder.. is it possible for me (or anyone) to love a person just as much with the same wonderful feeling? The same want to squeeze the stuffing out of them? I've never been in love with another person before, I really don't know.

I ponder too much. I know.
 

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,768
Purraise
3,489
Location
Texas
I think that pets fill the empty void in our lives when we don't have another human to love us and it's very easy for us to transfer those feelings to our animals. I don't think it's the same kind of love you have for another human, but it is a form of love that can give us a purpose and a sense of being needed.

I had Callie for about 2 years before my now husband came into my life and I loved her completely. However, the love I have for my husband is a different kind of love than I had for Callie. Even after my husband & I got married, I loved her the same and thought of her needs and likes when we made decisions regarding lots of things.
 

swampwitch

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 30, 2006
Messages
7,753
Purraise
158
Location
Tall Trees & Cold Seas Vancouver Island
Originally Posted by Draco

Do you think its possible for a human to love another human (S/O) like they do to their animal companions?
Yes, definitely, but like stephanietx said, it's different - with an SO you have a physical intimacy, too. Loving your child is a little different still, it's an extremely fierce protective love. I'm so happy you have Monet, it is a precious love that he gives you. I'm sending wishes and blessings that one day your find yourself surrounded with all kinds of unconditional love.
 

ducman69

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 18, 2010
Messages
3,232
Purraise
47
Location
Texas
There are three different types of love that I am aware of.

Emotional love is felt by the filling of an emotional need by the object of one's affection, and while that can be your sibling or a pet (I lurv's mah kitties) or a long-term wife or husband, it doesn't even need to be an animate object as some architects for example have described in great detail such a strong affection towards a cathedral or bridge of their design. So absolutely you can feel this for another person, but many are hesitant to emotionally invest in someone that can hurt them by rejecting their affection.

A mother's love for her newborn child is a type of chemical love, stimulated by mass release of the love hormone oxytocin not only during child birth but generally for the duration she is lactating. Mother's suffering depression that don't feel a connection to their newborn are usually simply suffering a hormonal imbalance.

Then there is romantic love that one can feel for their partner, and I admit that I tend to fall in love easily. Unfortunately, as we all know this chemical high eventually wears off, and it can often be like waking from a drunken haze where you realize how overbearing and annoying she really is and you wonder what the heck you were thinking and try to distance yourself amiciably with the least drama possible, heh. "Love is blind" they say. Bio-chemically, this is no different than consuming large quantities of chocolate, but on the plus side romantic love tends to give you a lot more exercise and has less calories than chowing down on a box of brownies.
 

feralvr

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 30, 2010
Messages
18,474
Purraise
689
Location
Northwest Indiana
I have been blessed to have married my soul-mate of twenty-five years now. He is the true love of my life. BUT
. I have a deep, deep love for my cats and I also have an incredible bond with one of my older Jack Russell terriers, Wilbur, my once-in-a-lifetime dog. The love I feel for my husband, cats and dog are all very, very strong and on different emotional levels I guess. If someone asked me to choose between all of them, YIKES, I don't think I could. I need all of them together, that is LOVE to me
.
 

bellaandme

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
2,001
Purraise
22
Location
Indianapolis, IN
For me, personally, the only other person I ever loved as much as my cats has been my mother. I once shared this with my mom and she said she that she was very honored to be as high on the list as my kitties!! I have been married, I have been in relationships, but none of them were unconditional. I'm sure the love for a child is intense, but not one that I can comment on. So for me, I don't think there is a way for me to love another human like I love cats. And I'm totally fine with that...
 

my4llma

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 23, 2010
Messages
9,556
Purraise
247
My great grandmother is the only person I ever loved as much as I love
Lynxx
, Luna and Midnight.
 
Top