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You’ve probably wondered, can animals think, reason or be self-aware but if you own a cat or dog you know they can!

Barbara "BJ" Andrews, SAAB

June 11, 2025

In the previous article about animal IQ ^{{Ref #1}}, we discussed how animals think and remember.

Birds and butterflies know when to migrate and where to go. Bison and other animals remember which water hole never goes dry and recall how to get there. That requires thinking.

How can an animal figure out which human understands them if not for reasoning… Ahh, now you are thinking!!! NetPlaces Network Science And Advisory Board member Dr. Roberta Lee, D.D., Ph.D.^{{Ref #2}} held four (!!!!) PHD degrees and she easily convinced me that no matter what we’re told, animals can reason and remember things that are important to their species.

When we see our leaders challenged, we “hope and pray” that they remain strong. Life is easier today; we don’t have to hunt to survive (food is everywhere!) and we have machines that can literally move mountains but it is our “faith” that keep us strong.

So, what do you "believe" in? Certainly, there is a God, but God is many things to many people. India has Hinduism (1.05 billion followers) Islam (1.605 billion followers) and Christianity (2.22 billion followers).

As a Quarter Comanche, I honor The Great Spirit which is the concept of a universal force. According to Lakota activist Russell Means, a better translation is “The Great Mystery".

It seems that religion depends on where we live and what we believe. Dr. Lee said “In the beginning humanoids "worshipped" only food and sex.” We laughed together but the amazing thing is that all around Planet Earth, humans honor and/or pray to a creator and “believe” that if we are worthy enough, our prayers will be heard and in some way, answered.

Dr. Lee said that when we humans began to evolve, God looked at his Creation and decided He could do a better job, also noting that the dinosaurs were eating up all the plants He had created.

So, the Creator did a re-design. He made humans with a bigger brain, stood us upright and gave us a sense of Self. Somehow, somewhere in our DNA, we know how special we are (even though we don’t have that “made in His image” exactly right) and we keep seeking ever more grace.

Bottom line, God is Almighty. Whether Christian, Buddha, Great Spirit, Muslim, etc. The Creator (whom many say is “dog” spelled backwards) demands that we honor all life. Take only what we need and respect the rest whether it is a plant, animal or human. When you think about it, animals do exactly that. Only domestic cats kill for the fun of it and that is because confined, they can’t kill for food…

Speaking of animals, they fight only for territory, food, and breeding rights but even so, they rarely kill each other. Animal rules are simple. Animals, with few exceptions, take only what is needed and covet not.

That sounds like a religious quote… Surely that is what the Creator intended.

Reference and Related Article Information: {1} Thinking About Animal IQ {2} Dr. Roberta Lee, D.D., Ph.D.

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