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[ISTP] ISTPs and animals

seamaid

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Do animals bond easily or strongly to you, in a way that's striking enough for other people to note?

Seems my ISTP bf is some kind of Beastmaster... just wondering if having a way with animals is particular to him or common among ISTPs. It's one way I can tell how caring he is underneath the somewhat remote exterior. And it makes me wonder... how is he so good at knowing animal psychology and yet quite clueless sometimes when it comes to people?

(However, I have a female ISTP friend and she doesn't seem to care much for the critters. She's always always wanted a child though, and got one as soon as she could and is a most excellent mother.)
 

Snuggletron

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all of the ones I know love aminals. Some of them more than humans.
 

jixmixfix

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I'm good with animals and I love my cat. I think it could be the tertiary Ni that acts as an unconscious understanding of animal instinct.
 

SillySapienne

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The ISTP I know is a cat guy and has somewhat of a disdain for dogs.

However, in his defense, he did tell me, once, that he likes them in "theory."
 

Walking Tourist

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Ever since I was little, feral cats followed me to school. My parents have two cats but they are mostly glued to me. I feed them and take care of them. I work occasionally as a pet sitter. I also bond easily with dogs.
 

KDude

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i like all mammals :p but not too big on scaly critters, fish, or birds.
 

toast

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My ISTP bf pretty much likes anything with fur, scales or claws. He's a cat magnet. Much more receptive and attentive to pets than he is with people.
 

Kingfisher

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i like animals a lot.
i had a border collie named Jack for years, he went everywhere with me. so we had a real companionship, and while i had him he was definitely the most meaningful part of my life.

i used to ride horses a lot in west Texas. at some point my wife and i know we are going to start a ranch in New Mexico.

i am drawn to all kinds of animals. i like the simplicity and raw power of them. animals feel to me like they are rooted in reality.
i have 2 tattoos of animals also.
 

sLiPpY

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That's an interesting observation Heinel...

Cat magnet? Possibly? Visiting a friend's parent's house, their outdoor cat was rarely to be seen...especially with strangers. Cat would show up and sit beside me when outside. Visited my friends brothers house, sitting outside with a group of people. That cat would come visit too.

I'm not really a cat person, and as someone else mentioned the stray ones seem to notice me too.

When I visit people their dogs "go crazy" in being social enough, I've often heard that I'm the only person aside from their immediate family that gets that type of interaction?

When I was a kid my grandfather would send me out to bring the cattle back in, to the barn area. Herd of about twenty-four cattle would just kind of notice I was standing there and start to moo. So silly kid would moo back, and then turn to start walking toward the barn. The entire herd would follow.

Every once in a blue moon, there's an encounter that un-nerves me a bit. Like a fox seeing me on the way to my car, and coming within five feet. Just sitting there, and smiling like the sly ones do.

Or, having a buck visit at the same time each morning when I'm sitting on the porch drinking coffee. For a period of a couple of weeks.

I don't understand it, and had just assumed nothing really out of the ordinary for many people... Over the years if I had a pet that seemed uneasy about a person. That person most definately wasn't invited back...
 

Amargith

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Because animals do not judge.

This.

Also, just a guess here, but compared to animals, body language is something we royally suck at as humans, but if any of the 16 types is going to be somewhat decent at it, it's going to be STPs.

On top of that, most people either don't wanna go near an animal or wanna pet it or touch it and look at it = big no no for the animal. But if you sit quietly, without any expectations, and make little to no eyecontact (no staring!)..animals will be curious enough to check you out on their own.

And I'd say that ISTPs with their observing ways definitely do this, without even realizing it ;)
 

Poki

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I dont like cats much either. They dont know how to properly play. Give me a dog anyday, they know how to play fight without pulling the claws or the teeth out and biting. They also have this curious sideways look like they are trying to understand whats going on.
 

LEGERdeMAIN

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I like most animals. when I was a kid my mom would bring home injured/rescued animals. we had snakes, possums, all kinds of iguanas, motherless birds...I enjoyed them all. sometimes I run through the woods half-naked and growl at anything that moves.
 

chocolateturtl

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I LOVE animals :) My brother and sister make fun of me because I love our dog so much.

When I came home from college after my first semester, I cried when I saw my dog. My siblings, not. I'm sure they felt loved haha.
 

ChocolateMoose123

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I like animals. I don't know if I love anything more than anything though. Now that I think a bout it, maybe there is something to ISTP's and animals thing. Stray cats seem to like me for some reason and I always find myself gravitating toward household pets to the exclusion of the people in the house. :)
 

Heinel

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This.

Also, just a guess here, but compared to animals, body language is something we royally suck at as humans, but if any of the 16 types is going to be somewhat decent at it, it's going to be STPs.

On top of that, most people either don't wanna go near an animal or wanna pet it or touch it and look at it = big no no for the animal. But if you sit quietly, without any expectations, and make little to no eyecontact (no staring!)..animals will be curious enough to check you out on their own.

And I'd say that ISTPs with their observing ways definitely do this, without even realizing it ;)

I agree with this. Also the other day I was watching some TV show about pets, and how your body language, as well as the body language of the animal's owners, are the only messages pets perceive. If you are tensed, the animal will sense that tension (but not why) and they just reflect the tension back to you.

So if you are open, the animals will like you.
 

Amargith

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I dont like cats much either. They dont know how to properly play. Give me a dog anyday, they know how to play fight without pulling the claws or the teeth out and biting. They also have this curious sideways look like they are trying to understand whats going on.

That's coz it's dangerous for cats to fight.They don't enjoy the benefits of being part of a pack..no one will take care of them if they're injured. They're more likely to avoid conflict as they're only likely to fight for territory or rights to a female. No hierarchy there usually (it's complicated, but it comes down to this). They make lousy pack animals and that means they don't know how to 'give' in a game when they've lost coz surrender could mean death, as there is no pack mentality which allows the survivor to just take a lower rank in the pack. They keep fighting and it's not for play usually. Some cats can learn, especially when living in a colony, but playing is always a risk as it real quickly turns into a real confrontation in which they either go their seperate ways or some serious damage can be done. Even in a colony, they only combine efforts for food and guarding kittens, not for group survival. It's kinda like being roommates instead of being family. You're on your own, even in a group.

Also one of the reasons cats and dogs don't get along. Forget for a sec that dogs and cats are rivals for prey and territory, when a dog wants to play, he approaches the cat with a wagging tail = aggression to cats. Goes wrong before it even started :D
 

Biaxident

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Also one of the reasons cats and dogs don't get along. Forget for a sec that dogs and cats are rivals for prey and territory, when a dog wants to play, he approaches the cat with a wagging tail = aggression to cats. Goes wrong before it even started :D

Don't forget the crouching behavior dogs generally exhibit when they want to play, to a cat it looks like they are getting ready to attack.

Unless they grow up together. Most of the cats I had, thought of most dogs as giant playmates/jungle gyms.
 

Amargith

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Don't forget the crouching behavior dogs generally exhibit when they want to play, to a cat it looks like they are getting ready to attack.

Unless they grow up together. Most of the cats I had, thought of most dogs as giant playmates/jungle gyms.

:yes:

Didn't know how to describe it so I omitted it, but very true!
 

Poki

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Don't forget the crouching behavior dogs generally exhibit when they want to play, to a cat it looks like they are getting ready to attack.

Unless they grow up together. Most of the cats I had, thought of most dogs as giant playmates/jungle gyms.

Most kids think of me as a giant playmate/jungle gym:doh:
 
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