Animal Suffering

Am I the only one who has wondered what it is like for an animal suffering from psychological repression on its birthday? Take for example the otter. As I understand it, otters don't mind living alone, but they prefer to have at least one other otter living, if not in the dam, then in close proximity to it. When the dam is being built, that's another matter altogether, and can sometimes be like the wife and the mother-in-law in the same kitchen at Thanksgiving. But once the dam is built, what is there to be passive aggressive about really? How many things are there to clean up and put away? And how many real alternative choices do parent otters really have to argue about with their in-laws with regard to disciplining the young?

But if an otter is clinically depressed or repressed, that must almost certainly throw an incredibly rusty wrench into the works. (Note: I am not exactly certain if clinical repression is a legitimate diagnosis based on the DSM, which for all you lay persons stands for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but let's face it, the DSM gets revised all the time, so if clinical repression isn't there now, it certainly will be eventually.)

"What sort of rusty wrench?" you ask, "and what sort of things does an odder have to repress?" I have no idea. But it must be awkward when that birthday rolls around. I care about these things. I am a compassionate soft male. "Love otters. Don't eat them."