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 Disgust
In
the human context, originally this
prevented us from eating contaminated food
or coming into contact with filth. In
modern humans it is also applied to other
stimuli (the thought of doing something,
an image or a situation). It is an
avoidance mechanism. In cats, whose livers
are not good at dealing with toxins, the
avoidance of stale food is probably caused
by a similar mechanism. Cats rely on
smell, taste and "disgust" to
avoid tainted food.
Desire
(Lust)
Associated
with the basic mating urge without which
we would not breed. Desire is associated
with pheromones and body language; and
causes chemical reactions in our own
bodies when we experience it. It is
associated with mate-seeking, assessment
of a potential mate's suitability and
courtship behavior rather than just with
copulation.
Sadness
A
form of psychological discomfort
experienced in non-ideal situations; it
helps us to avoid non-ideal conditions.
Humans have a wide range of
sadness-emotions varying from grief,
transient upsets and some forms of
depression (a chemical disturbance in the
brain) have symptoms like sadness. Cats
exhibit depression in some situations and
some cats have been reported as
"inconsolable" when a close
companion dies. Separation anxiety in cats
and dogs may be partly due to the sadness
mechanism.
Happiness
A
form of psychological comfort/satisfaction
experience. It helps us seek ideal
conditions or repeat beneficial behaviors
(eating, sex); chemical reactions are
involved - feel-good chemicals are
released in the brain. In cats it is most
often seen as "contentment" and
is also evident in cats and kittens during
play. Play is a self-fulfilling behavior
which produces "happiness" by
release of feel-good chemicals.
Anger
A reaction to a non-ideal situation when we
intend to fight; chemical reactions occur in the
body as part of the fight or flight response. It
can also result in displacement activities such as
self-mutilation. Cats which are handled against
their will exhibit obvious anger. Most vets are
familiar with sheer feline fury though it is hard
to distinguish "anger" from the
"fight" reaction. "fight" is
relatively transient; anger (a bad mood) does not
pass so quickly (a cross cat will stay angry even
when the stimulus is removed).
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