Why have I always had more empathy for animals than people?

Please bear with me as I’m being honest and it might not make me look good but its not something I can change.

Ive always had more empathy for animals thank people but I’m not sure why. I work in healthcare and so t think I have as much empathy for people as most have. For example at news of a patients death or their first call home in a while my collegues tend to get upset and tear up. Whereas I feel I have to pretend that I’m sad as it does ya the t me as much.

Yet when it comes to animals (when I read about cruelty to animals etc) it really affects me to the point where I can’t read more on it. It’s things like on farms/slaughterhouses really there’s an article recently about pigs being beaten and cut open alive with no anaesthetic. In a way it makes me have even less sympathy for people as compared to how animals are often treated I just think that people are pampered.

Then when people start to make jokes about animals suffering (Ive seen it in the replies to threads on animal cruelty on tsr) I feel less empathy

I couldn’t work with animals helping them though as I couldn’t deal with what I’d see

Reply 1

username5706823

Original post by Anonymous

Please bear

Nice pun

Reply 2

username5794123

I guess it’s because you prefer an animal’s company over a human’s company? I can heavily sympathise and empathise with this (minus the animal cruelty part, I’m neutral for the most part). I just prefer being with my cat as opposed to being with a human and that’s because I can’t understand humans that well, hence insinuating the fact that I understand my cat better than humans. I’m not sure, but maybe you could have the same experience/reasoning?

Reply 3

ashvinsingh

Original post by Anonymous

Maybe it’s something brought about by you working in healthcare? You hear news of tragedy of humans all the time, but the death or misfortune of animals to you is somewhat rare? So you feel it’s valid to feel sad about it. But just my thoughts. (Edit - I mean this could’ve made the difference of how you feel towards humans and animals more vast)

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

Original post by 0ptics

Thanks for understanding and not slating me

I do enjoy the company of animals but thinking about it I think it’s more to do with the injustice that I perceive to be present and the treating of animals as objects/garbage to be used and disposed of. It’s the principle of the thing. Like cruelty to a child is bad but when it’s all over the news I think well it’s happening to animals on a mass scale surely this should get attention as well

Reply 5

username5794123

Original post by Anonymous

I think I get what you mean now. I suppose that the reason for having more empathy for animals is because of how normalised animal cruelty is? Like, yes, human cruelty is just as bad but the fact that nobody views animal cruelty as bad could be the reason for the extra empathy?

Reply 6

Anonymous #2

Original post by 0ptics

Autism?

Reply 7

username5794123

Original post by Anonymous

Autism?

Yep.

Reply 8

Anonymous #2

Original post by 0ptics

Yep.

Same. I agree with your post, my cat is my best friend.

Reply 9

Anonymous #3

I'm honestly the same, animal cruelty stories have affected me so much in the past and make me so sad. Also with films, I'm not as affected by a human death, but I will cry if an animal does. I'm especially a huge dog lover :h:

Reply 10

FeistyBrit

I too work in healthcare. I care deeply for genuinely sick people. BUT I definitely am far more upset when animals are abused, die etc. I can watch a person die and not cry. But an animal dying I can’t stop hurting. What you’ve described is me too T. I’d choose an animal over a person. And that’s bad. In a way. 🤷*♀️🤔