We humans labor under the conceit that we are the only animals that grieve and have an impluse to be protective. Similar outcomes as those described above resulted from experiments performed on rats. See our feature The Rate Race by J.D. Galleger.
Study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry Vol 121 Dec. 1964. 584-585 Titled “Altruistic” Behaviour in Rhesus Monkeys! Jules H Masserman, M.D.; Stanley Wechkin, PH.D., and William Terris, M.S
If the only prayer you said in your whole life was “thank you,” that would suffice. ~ Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 – c. 1327), German mystic, theologian, and philosopher
“Gratitude is a memory of the heart. If we can remember, why can’t you?”
Gypsy (the grandkitty) and I blog together at The Cat’s Meow.She’s the creative/spiritual inspiration. I do the keyboarding. As you can see, Gypsy is rather outspoken.
Originally the blog was entitled The Peaceable Kingdom. We changed it when we realized that surprisingly – or perhaps not so surprisingly – that name didn’t invite traffic. It does, however, encompass the meaning and intent of the blog. While we hope to brighten the workday for readers with funny, cute, or inspiring videos and beautiful animal photos, the underlying message is about respect for our younger brothers and sisters in nature and for the connections among all sentient beings. Many of the posts are about interspecies friendships: animal and animal, animal and human. The implied question we posit is that “if they can do it, why can’t we?”
Animals give us so many gifts (lessons) including: companionship, unconditional love, and gratitude. This lion does indeed have “memory of the heart” as the Gypster says: Ten years before that video was taken, Anna Torres, who runs a nonprofit animal shelter on donations and the proceeds from her teaching job, rescued the lion, Jupiter. He was starving and dehydrated and ill. She cared for him and still does and he is grateful and shows it.
The BeZine 