50 "Shameless" Pets That Stole Their Owners' Partners And Didn't Even Feel Sorry About It

In other words, Bartal assumes that there’s a sense of empathy that all conscious animals share (even though the exact extent and the way it’s expressed might differ). Looking at the capacity for empathy as a continuum instead of something that’s binary opens up a lot of questions about morality and how we treat animals.

Bartal and other scientists’ research found that socialization was a vital aspect of empathy. To put it bluntly, the more we socialize with someone, the more quality time we spend with them, the more we’ll become emotionally attached to them and willing to make sacrifices for them.

Not to get too ahead of ourselves, but this sort of research sounds a lot like the scientists finding the building blocks of love, affection, and whatever else you might want to call the starry-eyed look on your pets’ faces as they’re hugging you while your partner looks on in envy.

What did you think of this post? Which photos got your hearts beating the fastest with how adorable they were, dear Pandas? Got any similar photos of your pets stealing your significant others’ hearts? Drop us a line or a photo in the comment section. And, before you go, you might want to check our old post about a woman who documented how her cat stole her husband in hilarious and over-the-top cutesy photos right over here.