by Melanie Thomas

Created on: October 23, 2010   Last Updated: May 14, 2012

I know some animals have a sense of humor, and I know they experience other emotions as well. Many animals may not have the "human" sense of humor, but, if they have a close relationship with their humans, they can play practical jokes and enjoy the results just by watching what happens. Below are two examples that have happened to me.

I once had a hound dog named Hillary. One day, I was on the front porch painting our front door. By my feet I had a rag to wipe up any paint drips that fell on the porch. There was a point that I needed that rag, so I reached for it, but it wasn't there. I made a quick sweep of the porch with my eyes, then saw Hillary in the front yard. She was sitting there with the rag in front of her watching me look for it. I went down the steps to retrieve it, while laughingly scolding her. Back on the porch, I put most of the rag under the metal door mat with a little piece sticking out. I went back to painting the door. Eventually I needed the rag again. I looked down to pull it out, and again, it wasn't there. I turned around and looked in the yard. There sat Hillary watching me, with a big smile on her face, her tail wagging away, and the rag in front of her. She had very quietly sneaked up on the porch, and pulled the rag from underneath the mat, all without making a noise to alert me to what was happening. She was having fun at my expense, so she definitely had a sense of humor.

The cats we have now are typical cats that sleep a lot, but interact with us many times during the day. One of our cats, Jai, is the most fun to watch. One of her favorite things to do is to come to the back door and beg to be let in. When either my husband or I go to open the door, she runs off. I'm sure she thinks this is hilarious, since "her people" are dumb enough to fall for it over and over. Or she will reverse the situation-she will want to be let out, but when we open the door, she frantically runs to another room in the house. Obviously, she has us trained, and I'm sure she enjoys the results.  

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