The cuteness factor.....

Photo:  Little cutie, one month old.  Have you ever seen anything cuter?

I think this is what makes it easy to fall for animals that are in our care.

Look at those big brown eyes.  The fuzzy baby fur.  The adorable appearance of this one month old bunny.  The "miniature" quality of the animal that he will become.  The emerging personalities of each one in his litter.

Of course, with chicks or ducklings, it would be cute, adorable.....chick-fuzz (rather than fur), and their dashing around to keep up with mama hen, and the way they peek out from under her feathers as she nestles in with them at night.  With sheep, cute, curly wool, big brown eyes, little-kid antics, leaping in the air and dashing around just because that's what they feel like doing.  With the piglets, it was bully-on-the-playground (but so endearing) rough-housing, and puppy-style play that would draw us in.

It helps when the animal reacts with excitement as you walk up to care for it, too, but that's not totally necessary in order for the cuteness factor to reel you in.  Chicks don't come running unless you're feeding them, and the mama hen has to OK that first.  The baby bunnies are curious, but they scatter to the corners of the cage when I open the cage door or scream in terror if we try to hold them.  Barn kittens take plenty of patience and work in order for them to even stay out in the open when you come to feed them, but....the cuteness factor is there, so we work to tame them and make them "friendly".  And it's such a nice reward for all that patience when the half-grown kitties finally come running to see you and rub up against your legs instead of peering out from the dark corners of the hay loft!

These animals really don't have much use for me except that they have come to expect that I bring the food at certain times and that when I show up, it means good things for them.  Other than that, there's no real friendship or camaraderie.

The cows might stand for a pat on the rump or a scratch under the chin, but they quickly toss their heads and look around for the fresh hay that they're expecting.  I wouldn't set out a special meal for Bessie (the milk cow) and pour our my heart to her, expecting her to patiently listen.  She would dig right in, munch her grain, and wonder why I was still there.

The pigs might love being scratched behind the ears with a stick, but their focus is on how to get that stick out of my hand and into their mouth, not on "Wow, I LOVE Farmer Laura SO MUCH!  I could spend ALL DAY with her!"  :)

It's not like a dog or a cat which would seek out a sign of affection.  

It's not like sitting down to lunch with a friend and sharing the best and worst of your week, or like worshiping in church with friends who you've known for years.  

It's really a one-sided show of affection (by the person), with a primal "what-can-you-do-for-me" reception on the animal's side of things, no matter how deeply I (or anyone else) might care for them.  

If pigs are meant to be meat, if cows are meant to ultimately provide milk (and meat), if chickens and ducks are meant to provide eggs (and meat), and rabbits are meant to provide meat.....why would I bother scratching behind the pigs' ears, patting cows on the side as I pass by them, scooping up screaming baby rabbits to hold them close, or risking a hard peck on the hand from a mama hen as I reach down to scoop up a baby chick and cuddle it?  It doesn't make logical sense to become attached to something that is just being raised to provide something for us.  Barn cats are kept to kill rats and mice, right?  End of story, no interaction necessary.

And then the question would be....where's the joy in going through this farm experience WITHOUT loving my cow, or enjoying the presence of smelly pigs, or delighting in the antics of cute baby animals (or huge pigs, for that matter)?  What if I just did the work without scratching Ruby's forehead, or patting Bessie's side where I see the calf moving inside her, or making sure that our cats stay friendly and don't become so wild that they won't approach us?  We enjoy the company of our dogs and cats in suburbia, why NOT take joy in the presence of animals that are ultimately kept and cared for to provide something for US?

Way back in the garden of Eden, God told Adam to name and care for His creation, and it seems that God meant for us to take joy in what He had created 

("God saw that it--His creation--was good").  

So, having said goodbye to the pigs and moving on..... for the next 4 weeks with the baby rabbits, the next month or so with Charming the calf and Ruby the heifer before they move on to the next phase of their lives (or otherwise), I will continue to take joy in having them here, and in their cuteness, whether or not they show any affection for me in return.  :)  

The cuteness factor......maybe it's there to melt your heart and encourage a bond with that creature, whether or not it's the reasonable thing to do!  

Laura
http://dykstrasfarm.blogspot.com/