• SpicyTaintdeleted by creator
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    7 days ago

    deleted by creator

  • aaaa@piefed.world
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    7 months ago

    My cat was an “old man cat” for a while before he passed.

    Anyhow, a “man cat” just sounds like a cat who dresses up like a man and fights crime

  • Cousin Mose@lemmy.hogru.ch
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    7 months ago

    I’ve read a lot about how dogs have evolved to hit some of the same triggers that human infants do. I’ve also read about how we tend to view pets as children in our minds. I imagine that that all plays a role in it.

    • Dasus
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      7 months ago

      We totally do.

      You can address a pet like you would politely address an adult, but only in a jokey way. Like “oh, and who’s this handsome gentleman/lady?”, same as with kids.

    • saltesc
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      7 months ago

      I dunno. I view my dogs as companions. Yeah, they need me to look after.them like they’re children, but I need them to take care of me in the wilderness, protect the house, cheer me up, entertain guests, tow me on the longboard.

      There’s no association with them and a human child for me. If anything dog ownership has shifted my mentality into the symbiotic relationship of a pack. I think being stuck thinking of them as children would make for some very miserable times and bad behaviour from both the owner and the dog.

      • Cousin Mose@lemmy.hogru.ch
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        7 months ago

        I agree, but I also think the studies are speaking more broadly and possibly on a subconscious level. I feel the same as you but at the same time I can acknowledge evolutionary traits they might have.

  • InvalidName2@lemmy.zip
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    7 months ago

    Generally speaking, the terms man and woman are reserved specifically for humans. I couldn’t tell you why, but I suppose it doesn’t really matter.

    For pets, the use of boy/girl probably does have a lot to do with how people tend to infantilize their companion animals.

    Additionally, the boy / girl terminology is often generalized to cover all animals, particularly when adults are interacting with children and by extension when children are interacting with each other. It’s not uncommon to have a child ask something like “is that a boy rabbit or a girl rabbit?” but it is a little unusual to hear an adult ask another adult that same question, unless it’s sort of tongue-in-cheek or maybe in the presence of kids.

    • Revan343@lemmy.ca
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      7 months ago

      Adults would generally use actual adjectives, ‘male/female cat’ instead of ‘man/woman/boy/girl cat’

    • Bazoogle
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      7 months ago

      Easy to do based on their small size, large eyes, big ears, and fluffy fur.

  • TheDoozer
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    7 months ago

    Same reason I refer to my 14-year-old dachshund as a puppy.

    Because he’s my puppy.