Cows are having a bit of a moment lately. Look no further than social media’s newfound love of so-called cowpuppies, miniature cows that are treated like puppy dogs, or even sometimes humans. Some get groomed, others Jet Ski. Even full-sized cows are winning people’s hearts.
Life on the farm was a far cry from other farms. Over the last three years, I have learned to manage pastures and help newborn calves latch on to their mamas. I also learned that “cattle” is the proper gender-neutral term, whereas a “cow” is a female that has had a calf.
While cattle are as intelligent and as lovable as dogs, I have found that they go through life at their leisurely speed. Whereas dogs adapt to the rhythms of human society in all its varied forms, cattle do not abide by sudden movements or states of human agitation. By forcing people to adopt their pace, cattle connect us to the environment in ways that no other animal does. It may be time to take seriously the beneficial effects of cattle on our mental and emotional states, just as we do for other animals, such as dogs and horses.
Cattle are sensitive creatures. They have evolved a suite of sensory adaptations to detect predators at long distances. Their visual systems are highly sensitive to motion along the horizon, where dangerous animals lurk. They have great night vision, a keen sense of smell and hearing at least as good as a dog’s or cat’s. Because they are wired to keep an eye out for predators, they sleep only four hours a night (and even then it’s in snatches of five minutes at a time). People often say that elephants never forget, but neither do cattle. They can recognize pictures of herd mates as well as humans they know.
Charles Darwin argued that both humans and animals possess a similarity in the expression of emotions. We can, of course, discern basic emotions, like pleasure and fear. But what endears dogs to us is their apparent capacity for what we take as their version of love, the longing in their eyes to be with their people, and their overall willingness to please.
How do you know cattle love you? Pretty much the same way you do with dogs. My bull, Ricky Bobby, happily lies down next to me and puts his horned head in my lap. He loves for me to brush him, and he will even roll over for a belly rub.
To get this close to cattle, a person has to adopt their unhurried tempo. Sudden movements trigger their flight reflex. The famed stockman Bud Williams, revered among ranchers for his insights into cattle psychology, used to say “Slow is fast”, the fastest way to get cattle to do something is to slow down to their speed.
I learned this lesson with Lucy, the boss cow of my herd. When I acquired her, I could not get within 10 feet of her before she turned away. Six months later, one evening she eased up to me silently, put her head down, and waggled it a bit. Cattle do this when they want to be licked (which is how they show affection). Here Lucy was, inviting me into her social circle. It was so plaintive that it brought tears to my eyes as I scratched her behind the neck. In time, she let me sit with her, even to the point where I could use her as a fine backrest.
When I sit with cattle I notice things that I would not normally pay attention to, like the shades of green that grass takes on in different stages of maturity, the crunch it makes when they chew it, or the sweet smell of their breath as their stomachs break it down to digestible bits. I feel like I am channeling Walt Whitman when he said “I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.” Through cattle, I have learned the restorative effects that come from not moving.
Domesticated animals are said to serve three functions, sometimes called the 3 F’s: food, fiber and friends. Dogs have made the complete transition to friends. For most people, cattle remain solidly in the first two categories, but I have no doubt that they can be friends, too.
You just need to slow down and sit with them for a bit.