What makes a child's life inherently more important than a cats? And who decided that?

They are both mammals that can be loved ones to others. They both have a right to life by virtue of being born in the first place. One does not have value above the other except in the eye of the beholder.

Saying that though, I always find the arrogant human-superiority 'someone made us Lords of the Universe above all living things' argument to lack objective credibility.

My childhood cat used to wonder through people's gardens. In one garden a dog went for him and...

...my cat ripped its eye out.

Further, the owner didn't tell us until years later as they knew that we were not responsible for the actions of our cat.


Note: I take no pleasure in that and feel very sorry for both the dog and its owners.

That's very interesting......... and if I asked myself the same question I really don't know???

I adore my cat, she is my baby BUT she isn't a baby So I'm not sure???



Whilst I agree with the above (I've bolded it) in theory the fact is there is a difference between human life and that of a cat... Simple as that. Its the way society is and is reflected in our laws, our moral codes and the way we see things.

I abhor animal cruelty, and as I am "Mummy" to a very young and beautiful kitty I cannot understand what would make a person treat a defenceless animal, that relies on humans, in such a way. I also feel the same way about child cruelty.... But I cannot compare them to each other

No one decided it for you. You have to use our own judgment, just like I can use my judgment to describe the stupidity of someone who would even think for the merest of seconds whether to save a cat over a child.

Yes, but that is a case of 'we' are humans so we think that humans are more important. WE have created those societies and laws. The subjectivity, bias and self-interest is clear.

I don't tend to buy in to that. Being an animal lover and interested in nature and wildlfe, I tend to have a holistic/objective view - we are one species of animal among many and we are not as 'special' as we think we are. Look at all the fuss over finance and credit and economies and recession; we have over-complicated our lives to absurd proportions while other animals just get on with it!

There is also the matter of us damaging this planet so much.

So, I do not believe humans are inherently 'better' than other living things and I have no blind loyalty to my species. I may be able to do some things that a cat can not do, but there are things a cat can do that I can not. So, what criteria is to be used on who is more important?

If an alien was to come down and take an objective view of life on the planet, what will he think of humans? My bet would be "Puny bipeds with destructive natures and delusions of grandeur"

Try saying to any of your friends that 'i will swerve my car to save a cat and kill a child'.

After picking yourself off the floor you will find that you have practically no friends. You want to be part of the human race then you live by its very basic rules and that is ahuman child is more important than a cat under all circumstances.

Why not get a bumper sticker to say that if you beleive you are so right.

I have never read such rubbish in all my life.

1. The car thing is a daft situation that YOU made up and unlikely ever to happen.

2. I never said I valued every cat over every human. Although generally I prefer cats. People are bloody annoying, as you have demonstrated by the tone of your post.

3. Pick myself off the floor? Not sure what you mean? If you mean my friends would attack me then that is not exactly a glowing recommendation for the human race. Secondly, my friends wouldn't dare. Thirdly, they are well aware that I like animals and don't have some automatic worship of humans above all beings. Many of them have the same objective and holistic views.

4. Where are these rules? Who decided them? Why is a child so special? Because they have tantrums and wear dungarees? Because they might just be our future yobs?

5. Why should I?


Who do I like best? My loyal pets or the morons at the same event as me last night who stood in my view because they couldn't work out their seats, spent the entire evening getting food, made idiotic noises with gormless expressions and then turned up half an hour late when our coach was waiting to leave. They don't get a free pass because they are humans - I have never been more irritated in my life.

You seem to have a lot of problems with people, and blame them for it.
Its probably your attitudes like "I would save my pet, before a child", that make people "shun the weirdo", that cause all your problems you face.

In regard to "why should I", I think you are simply demonstrating why you are one of the causes of the all the problems in society.

But your judgement would be seriously flawed in referring to such a person as "stupid. Granted, they may not fit your particular moral code. But to my mind there is absolutely nothing inherently stupid about saving something close to your heart, over something that may not even say thank you, and whom you will never see again.

It appears to me that you are casting aspersions on the intellectual powers of your fellow forum members, merely because they don't agree with you. Newsflash the world is run on disagreements. There is no right or wrong when it comes to opinion, there is just opinion.

I almost did that. I swerved to avoid a cat and had it not been for the kerb being particularly high, I would have hit a child. Were my friends who were in the car with me shocked or surprised? No, because they know me and know my views and feelings. Had I hit the cat I would have been devastated. Had I hit the child I would have thought "Oh well, who knows what a ******* he may have grown up to be." We don't all think the same. Children mean nothing to me. I wish people were born aged 20. As for the parents, as far as I'm concerned, once you've got the floppy f@nny, stretch marks and piles, you may as well go for it again.


I wouldn't waste a second of my time thinking about it. I know what I would do.

You are hardly a shining example of why anyone should value a human over an animal.


Says who? You and those who share your point of view. Not all of us do and that should be accepted as much as those who do share your point of view expect theirs to be accepted. I will say it again, children mean nothing to me.


Absolutely. What's mine is mine and what is somebody else's is theirs to look after and to miss. I won't miss it so why should I care?

All of them?

Errr....hold on a minute. Nobody's said that, have they. It's just an invention by you. We were talking about saving a pet over a human, in a drowning situation. Not swerving deliberately into the path of a child to avoid an unknown cat. That is a totally different ball game, with entirely different ground rules. Pretty obviously, nobody (or very few) would do that should they ever find themselves in such an exquisitely rare set of circumstances, and in the split second they had to decide.

Its winter...time to stock up on anti freeze. Thank god for some inventions!!

So I am one of the causes of all the problems in society because I don't see why I should go out and buy a bumper sticker saying that I like cats?


Do you see how absurd that is?