Do non-human animals have emotions?

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion_in_animals

I don't have a way to sum this question up neatly.

So I'm just asking, do you think animals feel grief, etc.?

And can you provide some anecdotal examples of animals in your life displaying emotion?

From my experience, they do.

Yes.

Don't cats' purring and tails pointing up count? They seem to be really happy. Dogs' wagging tails? I think those happen when they are happy and excited.

When my grandfather passed away, his dog that had been very attached to him kept looking for him and to the other members of the family the dog was looking very sad, though this is the interpretation of the dog's behavior by the family members.

I've seen a lot of animals display a wide range and depth of emotion, including complex.

One of my cats stops eating every time she is separated from me for more than 3 days - it's put her life in danger more than once. She also gets extremely jealous and territorial of both me and anything she considers her territory - she has defended me against 2 large dogs (successfully, might I add, both ran away whining), other people and various other things before. She sulks at me for multiple days if I come home smelling of another cat (jealously issues ). Cats actually have one of the best and longest lasting memories of any animal - including emotion. My cat has certain people she refuses to go near after 1 incident - if they are stupid enough to treat her as a pet and interfere with her free will by force, she won't let them near her ever again.

The last time one of our horses was moved to another country the other one grieved for the next 6 months - not eating, pining, waiting constantly where they used to met. He wouldn't settle down until I put one of her old blankets in his stall so he could still smell her scent.

When one of my dogs was sick, the other one has stood guard and helped in any way possible - including chewing her meat for her and then giving it to her when she was too weak to chew it herself. As well as keeping her warm - usually they don't sleep together like that unless it's cold.

They do. There is no question.It is just a matter of learning to read them.
Even cats can be happy, loving, playful, sad, angry, unhappy, and they can grieve badly, - to the point of dying.
I had two cats, siblings, very attatched to each other.
One of them died, and the other went through all the normal reactions: Chock, raw gief, denial, regrediation, depression and coming to terms.
It took 3 weeks, and the vet wasn´t too sure, that he would survive. Even 3/4 of a year later, when hearing his brothers name, he would run to the door, an afterwards sit very quiet under the table, looking sad for a couple of hours.
Birds are the same.

Non human animals, who, in addition, have a self awareness are among others whales, elephants and ravens, - and, no doubt, large parrots.

There are non human animals, who decorate, make aesthetic evaluations and use tools. Mice can put together instruments to reach a goal, imagine a technical solution, so to speak (I´ve seen it).

The great difference is, that they do it when nescessary, - we do it for fun most of the time.

I also remember the time when I lived with a cat.

When I called his name in the backyard, he always very excitedly ran and came back to me from wherever he was, meowing all the way. I felt his personal attachment to me. I think it was his emotion.

When he got scared by something, he panicked. I picked him up and held him to calm him down. I was shocked at how hard and fast his heart was beating then. I thought he might die from heart attack. I think he was in extreme distress. He was OK.

When I had to finally let him go back to his proper owner, I had to send him by some kind of courier. It was rather cruel, but I didn't have a choice. In the cage he was scared and kept meowing. Again I think he was in distress in an unusual environment. That was the last time I saw him and it was really heart-breaking to let him go in that way (I guess that's my emotion).

Isn't fear an emotion? Everyone knows that animals have the concept of fear.

Indeed.