4 ms·
I've seen animals behave in a way that suggests disgust. For instance, cats don't like strong smells on themselves. My cats are much more reluctant to be petted
by actsasbuffoon 10y ago
I've seen animals behave in a way that suggests disgust. For instance, cats don't like strong smells on themselves. My cats are much more reluctant to be petted after I've just washed my hands with fragrant soap. They often sniff at my hand and back away. On occasion they'll even threaten to swat at my hand.
I assume they evolved (what I'm suggesting is) the disgust behavior because it makes them easy for other animals to smell, which makes it hard for them to hunt, and easier for larger animals to hunt them.
In fact, the Wikipedia article you linked to has a section about an acquired disgust response in mice. I agree that there's a difference between acquired disgust and innate disgust, but it's an indication that animals are capable of feeling something akin to disgust.