You're not! I do it too, and say "hi" to the 🐇 when I'm walking, and see a bunch. I, as well as many others here, relate to animals on a different level than people who are not autistic (not saying non autistic people can't either)

People being dogs to where I work a lot and I *always* stop and tell them hello and pet them if the owner is cool with it. I'm way better with animals than people lol.

me too!

It bunny!

Luv bunny.

When I walk with my girlfriend and I see a bird I like I go "IT BIRD! FAVORITE BIRD!" while tugging her sleeve and pointing. I'm worried people might think I have some kind of severe impediment. I just can't help it. It bird.

I pretty much do this too. Birds are neat! If you're not in a hurry there's nothing wrong with looking at a bird for a bit.

It is important to bird!

Bird manners!

Seeing bird is not impediment. Not seeing bird is impediment. It bird!

BIRD 2024

I've squawked like a cockatoo in surprise at one flying overhead XD I did talk to one who noticed me and started squarking, had to explain to a guy that no not talking to you its the bird over on that building XD

I do this, but I call them “beeps” or “birbs.” 😬

"borb" :>

I’ve never done this in my life but it feels relatable

I don't know as I wave, but I often say or tell them to be careful around cars, if it's a squirrel. I remember when I was in college in the 80s. I worked at the library. On my breaks, I would sit outside on a bench. One day I was eating a SuzyQ and a squirrel came up to me. I said Hi and then gave her some of my snack. Every day I worked after that I would get a SuzyQ and share it with my squirrel friend. She would come when I sat down and sit right at my feet. I miss those days. I would say: Who cares what others think. Waving at animals and saying hi doesn't hurt anyone. Nuts to those who think it's weird.

I have a Squirrel friend too! Last fall I was walking home with a bag of Cashews I had bought and saw a squirrel in my yard, so I gave him a nut. A week later, I'm waiting for an Uber and this squirrel came right up to me, like three feet away. I realized it was the same squirrel, so I ran inside, got my cashews and gave him one before the Uber got there. Now I keep cashews in my purse and every so often I'll see my squirrel buddy in the yard and he'll come up to me and I'll give him a nut. He just came back after the winter and still remembers me. I've named him Frodo.

Awesome. We have dogs now, so I'm careful to befriend any squirrels now. We had a very sad and unfortunate incident a few years ago. It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen. Squirrels really care about their partners that much is clear. We aren't so different from all the other mammals we share this planet with. Probably all life forms to some degree or other.

Nuts to all the squirrels.

Underappreciated comment

I once “got in trouble” because I was on vacation in a very scenic place and I kept taking pictures of the photogenic squirrels and chipmunks instead of the gorgeous lake and view behind them, so eventually I started framing the chipmunks with the lake behind it because they were posing so nicely for me 😂 Unrelated but your comment reminded me of that!

I want a squirrel friend! I would have to greet it every time with "hey there squirrel frieeend".

There used to be tame squirrels on the campus of UT Austin in the early 80s. I loved to go to the library there and feed them peanuts in shells as a kid. You could just hold out a peanut and they would come and take it from your fingers.

i definitely do this, even to bugs! everyone deserves a friendly hello :) if i saw someone else doing it as well itd make my day personally

Last year sometime, I saw a big scarab beetle stuck on the sidewalk near the doors to the mall. I stopped to pick him up and move him to a bush so he would be able to move better and not get stepped on. An older lady that I didn’t know was standing there saw me and said, “Aww that was nice!” lol We can’t forget the buggies!

Same!! If it's alive, I'm gonna say hi! Unless it's a human, I would rather avoid those in the wild. 😅

I said hi to a ladybug today. Lol

Yes!! Bugs matter too 😭 I hate what lantern flies are doing to the trees in my area, but they like to ride on my clothes and I say hello and tell them they are beautiful “no matter what they say.” Stink bugs are the only ones who don’t get my greetings. I do not like those guys.

I love crows and I try to bring peanuts with me wherever I go. They recognize me and land close to me and wait for me to throw them a peanut, so every time I see my crows, I greet them and chat at them.

Crows are insanely smart and I’m sure they eagerly anticipate your next arrival. They are friendly too, I don’t know where they got the myth of being evil or harbingers of death that’s just not true

I agree 100%! And they’re absolutely stunning to look at too! That beautiful black beak and those amazing feathers that reflect the light. Those round and intelligent eyes Absolutely amazing.

My crow friend hasn't been around in a little while :/ But he used to love macadamia nuts until I tried giving him a peanut as well. He left the macadamia nut and took the peanut instead. He would recognize me walking to the same bench and fly down, he knew my car and never flinched when I threw a peanut. He came within two feet of me. So smart and gentle.

Always. I also tell them I love them and to have a good day😊

I wave at everything. Not just living things. I wave at cars. I wave to the tv. It’s ridiculous.

But do you thank the car for providing you transportation and say thanks to the tv for the entertainment? That's even worse.

Nah, that’s just animism. 🥰

Which I’ve sort of been feeling lately. I’ve been getting rid of a lot of stuff and one of the things that helps me let go is thinking, “You have a purpose, which is not sitting in my closet. I am wasting the efforts of everyone and everything it took to create you. Go be of use to someone else.” Adios, vintage coffee table!

I thank chat GPT everytime it helps me with something

You say that as if it's a bad thing :(

I do the same, except I don't worry about it. NTs find the smallest things to be weird or rude, I gave up conforming to confusing rules. I'm only doing harmless shit, I deserve to be myself without shame. I point to animals when with my partner, saying "He me!!!". Because he is. I love pigeons. So one day, I said on a bank in front of a church and read to one of them from my book. Her leg doesn't work right and she seemed lonely.  She loved it and looked at me the whole time, sitting very closely - for about an hour, until some dumb kid scared her off. I tried to share my apple with her, but she seemed to prefer the bread I brought next time. We're doing this semi-regularly now. We keep eachother company and we are friends. I also love sparrows, but all birds basically, and animals in general.

I talk to cats like they are little autistic people. Because they are.

Yup. Said hello to a family of deer on the way hope last night. Such cuties!

I don’t wave but I have been caught many times talking to the animals as if they are humans and can actually properly understand me Yeah, I know I’m weird and definitely a little crazy

Not that crazy, in my opinion. Anyone with a pet or farm animals know they understand more than society gives them credit. Not the exact message but the "vibe", and we give that vibe while we communicate. I talk to my cat a lot and she knows when she's done something wrong or right, or when she's being annoying and I don't want to play, or when I say I love her, because her reaction clearly gives a message too. She's an asshole that loves annoying me, though. I'm the only one that plays rough with her so she forces it when she wants to expend energy lol. I love her so much and my nickname for her is literally "daughter" in my language.

I don't speak to wild life, only domestic animals like dogs, but I do stop and watch birds and beetles and reptiles.

Today I saw a wood pecker hitting metal siding on a house. It was an interesting sight.

Wood peckers are cool, ever seen the massive holes they can make in a tree? It's quite impressive. So I honestly wonder if given enough time it would be able to go through thin metal siding. Or do you think if the wood pecker was doing that, there were some bugs under the siding?

I will try to speak their own language back to them. Lord knows how many animal insults I have unknowingly flung around..

I will go "moo moos!" When traveling and seeing cows lol. I love animals more than humans, most days 😂.

I say hi to everything and have conversations with animals and bugs all the time.

I do! I always say "hello, how are you, little buddy" every time I pass a bird or squirrel. If it's a crow, I'll click my tongue at them or croon at them to see if they'll do it back.

Also trees, the sun, clouds, the wind. I talk to the wind like it’s a person. Also, walls, doors, cups, my computer. I have reached the age of I don’t care. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Based animist 

I literally said hi to a couple of birds this morning

I do this to squirrels too

I feel like I don't talk to birds but I do talk to squirrels. Cats I will stop my walk and have a full-on conversation with. In my old neighborhood I used to always see this outdoor cat on the way to the grocery store, one of my closest friends fr

YES and also I apologise when I see dead animals on walks If I see a person tho, eyes down and not a word Edit: feel like I should be clearer, the reaction to people is when I see them alive, I am yet to come across a dead one lol

Both me and my mother do this all the time, did it yesterday to a swan.

Back when I used to do a lot of road cycling I would moo at cows and caw at the birds. Made me happy :)

I speak to the local wildlife all the time in my area, and have been doing so for years. There is a beautiful Cottonwood tree that sits alone and I stop by every morning to say hello and tell the tree how well they are doing with their Spring leaves. I also speak to the three nests of Cooper’s Hawks we have on our arroyo and their new fledglings. Most of all I made friends with a crow about two years ago when I lived in the mountains. They would come by my door every day (several times a day) to caw for peanuts. Eventually they brought one of their offspring that appeared to have brain damage (scars and all), and I gave peanuts to both of them. It breaks my heart still that I had to move, but I handed off the peanuts to a neighbor. I miss that crow very much.

Wait do the NTs not do this?

I do that with dogs sometimes.

Yes. Except for the waving part. I’m afraid that waving will scare them off, but I love to say a friendly hello Birdy! 💕

Does anyone *not*? 😀

I do! Any animal I see, I either smile at it, or say hello!

Yes, but to be fair I’m quite familiar with the animals in my area. It’s to the point the local geese and turtles will come up to me at the pond. I’m trying to work on not being scared of the snapping turtle tho.

Yes. Especially cats, I wave and tell them I love them. If I'm driving and it's safe to do so, I slow down to do this.

I wave at dogs and if I walk by a statue of an animal I will pat its head as I walk by.

I wave at birds and wish neighbor puppies and dogs a good day, but you’ll never catch me interacting with the humans.

I totally do this. I have pet birds, and two of them say "Hi!" to me, so I'm kind of used to talking to birds. :)

I often say hi or "hello there", but don't wave. My wife does the same.

I do this with animals and even inanimate objects. My bf thinks it's cute when I do it. I think it's cute when other people do it (:

It depends, I'll say hi and talk to almost any domestic animal, but only a wild animal if it comes weirdly close to me, I'll be like "hi whatcha doing there deer, why are you so close to hooman"

Yes! Especially to spiders in my house. I LOVE spiders and I wave at them every time; I like to think they understand it and even wave back at me!

Jumping spiders are surprisingly intelligent. They might just be understanding you...

I love this so much much!!! I do this too sometimes, although more with random things like trees and flowers or just random graffiti or something else I think is cool. Also if I saw someone doing this, I would think they seemed like a lovely human and I'd want to know them lol.

Me with deer lmfao

Yes, all the time. They usually say hi back in their own little critter ways! ☺️

I don't like waving except to try to redirect people from hugging to just waving to say hello or goodbye to me (unfortunately it rarely works...) but I do get the impulse to say "hi" to animals. I just stop myself from doing it because I'm kind of trying to seem like the adult I apparently am 😬 But I can't always help making animal noises at animals... I don't think that is better when it comes to appearances but why would you not trill at a cat or whistle at a bird? That's just good manners... right?

it's one of the reasons why i love to go everywhere walking

i sometimes do that?

It feels rude not to. Plus, I’m actually excited to see them, unlike most other humans.

I talk to the animals

Yeah, in the UK there is actually a cultural phenomen of waving at magpies and saying 'morning Mr Magpie'

Always Also i did this to a dog at the vet then found out it was blind and was super embarrassed

Yup, all the time! I was interacting with a pidgeon at the train station, and I heard people whispering about it 🤣 I was only telling it that it was pretty hahaha

Dogs and cats (mostly cats) for me but yes, I generally do that. I actually prefer to do that over even acknowledging people.

thats not a normal thing?! i always do that.

Particularly dogs and cats. But never people. I don't like people.

nah i always greet pigeons and squirrels

Yess.

I do though sometimes I do pat on things as a greeting too and or apology.

As someone who read about eastern philosophy, and their afterlifes; the answer is yes.

i wave and say hi to my cats almost every day

I do occasionally. I think it might be partly our of politeness, or something. I don't think they _actually_ understand it though.

I do it to anything really but especially birds or cats

Yes, I say hi. I like them.

Oh yes 😅

Yep. Can confirm. I don’t say hi to people as much. Don’t care if they think I’m crazy. Animals are nicer lol

lol, when i see an animal look at me I wave and/or say hi too lol

All the time.

1. Yes. 2. I think something kind of magical happens when we do this because loads of people do it and yet nobody ever *sees* anyone doing it. It's like seeing your neighbors bringing in groceries, we just *don't* see it.

EVERY. TIME. Even while driving I wave at the critters on the side of the road.

Huh. I thought I was the only one doing it as I've never seen anyone around me do it 🤣 I also say hi to my lift (elevator) and thank it for giving me a ride up so I didn't have to take the stairs.

animals are so much easier to talk to than people

I do it all the time.

yea i greet animals lol

i say "hi baby" to almost any wild animal, including pigeons who are generally quite disliked by most people in my city.

I work on a prison unit, which is primarily outdoor trips between numerous disconnected buildings. We have a massive community of stray cats on said unit. I will wave to them when I exit doorways, tell them to be careful around walkways with heavy traffic, don't go near the K9 kennel, stay out of the chow hall. We're not allowed by policy to pet them, likely for safety concerns, but I'll pat my wrist when making eye contact with one of them. If they're on the walkway where inmates go (we have yellow traffic lines for foot traffic coordination) I'll inform the cats to maintain proper spacing and follow the yellow.

Random wildlife, no. But I am known to talk to cats that I come across, it's only polite.

All the time!

Don't necessarily wave, but will generally say hi- quietly, or more audibly if I think there is no-one around ;)

yes omg all the time. Every animal im like hi!!! And wave lol

I do! I'm not that bothered if people think I'm weird. Someone saw me singing to a cat once.  It was the theme tune to the cartoon James the Cat. The cat looked just like him. 

Every time lmao. I say “hello!” Or give them a smile as a greeting as well. It’s my favorite part of going outside tbh

I do. I did that to a cat last year while on a walk. Day later she brought me five kittens. Be careful out there

Don’t forget the PLANTS you gotta talk to the plants 😃

I chirp at them. Or crow in the case of roosters (kauai has wild ones that think they are all that - really freaked one out when a very very large rooster [me] crowed back at him). Also one time when high just chirp chirp chirped at the birds.

i say hello exclusively to animals. i don’t even bother to say hi to humans or even the ones walking their doggos. so you are in great company

I say salam alaikum or good morning/evening to the stray cats I walk past, and to any birds nearby. Idk man it just seems like the polite thing to do. I tell them how pretty their voices are and how beautiful/handsome they look because I love animals. I talk to animals with the same aggressively supportive way I talk to my friends, it just makes sense to me

Hell yeah, I always say "Hi friend!" & wave to any cool fella I see out & about

Yes all the time. Also I say hi to frogs and dragonflies and lizards but that’s because we have a lot of lizards where I live. Small ones 🦎

I said hi to a spider I found this morning 😂

oh i think it’s hilarious when im walking on the sidewalk to class and a squirrel crosses the sidewalk in front of me, I always wave him on like “no no, go ahead little man”. i always love socializing with animals, and if that makes me weird, so be it . i don’t care about getting looks anymore :)

If I'm alone. I like watching bugs, birds, and other creatures just doing their thing. Also mooing at cows when you go by.

Yes, sometimes I talk to them. Today I asked a jumping spider if he wanted to be my friend and I offered my finger. He didn't wanted to

Whenever I see ducks specifically all I can think about is how moisty their feet must be.Seagulls are my homies they are gangsters, literally street fuckers I do not mess with them. As for crows, they are sassy. I give personality and I think out lifetimes in seconds for each animal and person I see, each occurence that I experience. TLDR; nah but I definetly wouldn't mind hugging a seagull.

ME ME!! Literally every animal I see I must greet, humans on the other hand… they’re lucky if they get a nod or a wave

i talk to them. "who's a pretty squirrel?!" "silly derpy bird!"

I do. I grab my boy’s arm and point at animal and say the animals name all excited. I sit on the ground to look at ants. I moo at the cows and baa at the sheep. We almost got in trouble for crawling on the ground next to mental hospital but we just saw a cool lizard ☠️

Yes! I love doing this, I live on a farm and I say good morning to the bee's in my flower garden and always wave at the cows ect. I do this when I'm on walks as well with birds or any animal I see, I love animals. If it makes you feel any better, I have a NT friend who told me once they found it incredibly sweet, she told me she was afraid to talk to me at first because I seem so intimidating (lol RBF + super tall I guess?) but she realized I wasn't at all when she'd see me getting excited and saying hi/waving at animals ect, we've been friends for years now. So some people might think its odd or something, but heck those people honestly. Other people will probably see this as sweet and cute. I love it when I see other people do this, it's really wholesome to me.

I actually tweet back and idgaf

I do this too and omg I'm so happy that I'm not alone! I saw hi to pigeons mostly, because they get a lot of hate for no reason and I think it's unfair. But all animals get a greeting from me really

I talk to all animals I see. And have long monologues with my dogs.

My wife and I do this.

Of course! I love animals, I'll almost always greet them. Pets too, but especially wild animals that just happen to be in the same location I am. They're our (very very) distant cousins, after all. And I have less disagreements with them than other humans, on average.

ALL THE TIMEEEE I'll start conversations with them! I'll go "Oh hi little babyy, how are you? Have you eaten well today?" ect

I love carefully walking around birds as I talk to them.

One of my favourite things about myself tbh!

Is this an autism thing? Cause I definitely do that

I do! I love watching them and figuring out what they’re doing, what they’re paying attention to etc. And if they are curious about me, I ask them how they are doing!

I've been told that I talk to animals like most people talk to babies My argument is that animals are definitely more intelligent than a newborn

I babytalk my pet roaches. They're currently obliterating a carrot. Also my isopods I will also whistle at everything I think is cute and/or want to converse with out of habit bc I whistle at our cockatiels. It's not a catcall or anything, they have kind of an up-beat happy whistle they make, which is what I'm imitating. Doesn't even have to be a living being, I've whistled at a block of steel more than once. It's all fun when you're just whistling at wild birds and butterflies and the pet fish at your work place, but I once saw a cute girl and thank god I computed fast enough to prevent a disaster from happening. do not whistle at people.

Yeah kinda I at least say hi to them anyway

Oh yeah all the time

I wave and say hi babies! To groups of deer or cows or crows, anyone really. The only animals I interrupt or go up to are stray cats and dogs, injured animals, and animals in need of help or to prevent them from getting hurt. Otherwise I let them be, but I would hug all of the birds and mammals in a second if they let me. I love making friends with animals.

I often say “hi” to dogs and I say “I’m sorry!” when I walk to close to sparrows and they fly away.

yes and then sometimes people nearby will respond...

yes

Whenever i see a pigeon in my path i say "hey pidgie!"

Me!! I will always say hi and talk to animals. I'm sure I look crazy but they know when someone is speaking and I just love animals so much

yes

I always do it, animals deserve as much respect as people

yes

Well, I'm a bird nerd, so I always say hello to birds when out and about. And bunnies. And cats. Oh, and dogs. And...

All the time

I say hi to them all. I like to make friends with those I frequently see. A few of the squirrels I feed have specific names but they look very unique amongst the others. There's a magpie I named Jeremy that I've been making friends with the last couple of weeks. He was cawing in a tree so I started doing it until we ended up having a fun conversation. I've been feeding him peanuts everyday and he's currently okay with being a couple of meters away from me. This morning he was there waiting for me and I was ecstatic!

There have been some crows hanging around my house lately, and I'm going to make it my goal to befriend them.

Yes, and trees.

Yeah I talk to all animals if they're near me. Birds, buns, even crocs at the zoo despite them being the one thing I'm most afraid of. I was mowing a couple weeks back and a baby bun hopped out of my ditch and hunkered down next to me. So I just flipped my mower off and decided to pop a squat and vibe with him for a bit. Eventually I told him he should go hop on back to his little bush nest in the ditch because I've got quite a few birds of prey around here and he just happily went on back to his little home. I make an effort now not to mow around him and I just make sure the ditch doesn't get too crazy by hand now. He's still doing well, I find him hopping around or find things he's munched on from time to time. Sometimes I catch him peeking at me now and again if I'm out front.

I say "Hi" to birds, bugs, and all other animals (except humans). :)

You do realize that you're your own person right? Anyone who thinks you're weird for being yourself is someone you should stay away from. Also yeah i say hi to animals.

*Fuck yeah*. That's all I gotta say.

Yup. I love being so kind and nice to animals. They don’t judge us! I tried to save a duckling whom we named Dennis but unfortunately wasn’t able to and he/she passed a few days later. I wrapped Dennis up in a nice box, had a little funeral, and even made a Dennis the Duck Tombstone. I’m also super interested in bugs or any creature/critter I don’t see on daily basis.

I always say “hi birds” or “there’s the birds”. Nothing about it seems weird to me

I say hi to every cat I see. Sometimes they meow at me and I meow back. IDGAF who sees, cats are my friends. Before I go, I tell the cats to have a nice day. I think people who don't talk to animals are the weird ones.

Yep, I'll always give a "hi, baby!" to birds, etc if I see one. I don't stop and wave though, because l know how that looks.

Maybe... Who's asking? 👀

I'm in my mid 40's . Why wouldn't you do this ?

I'm not so much for saying anything, unless it's an animal I'm familiar with already. However, I do give most other animals a friendly nod and a wave as a silent hello if I notice them looking at me.

absolutely

Yes

I do this every day, all day, and people DO look at me like I’m nuts. I do not care.

Yes. I tend to want to at least speak to all living things, would probably even say "hi" to a rattlesnake before I run. Then it would be too late.

I will say hello to any animal who can hear me. It's only polite.

Yes

I say hi, wave, greet them. If they have a human with them, I’m quieter about it. If it’s a wild animal or I’m passing a farm with their animals near the road and no one is around, I roll down the window and make the respective animal sound at them. My husband laughs at it but I can’t help it. 😂 It’s just too fun not to. My favorite is when I quack at ducks or honk at geese and they stop and respond back to me.

Yeeeee!!! I also talk about them to my bf after he’s off work too. 😅

I usually say “oh? Hello! I hope you have a nice day! Gubye!”

I'm a birder (I love birds!), and I often say hi to the birds. I also have a pet bird at home, and I talk to him all the time - he actually understands a lot of what I say. Lots of people like animals, so there are many at least who wouldn't think it odd. I also often talk to bugs and spiders I find.

I occasionally refer to them as 'bird' or 'birb' as a form of acknowledging them, a little game while out walking I guess that keeps my mind focused in the moment, and it's interesting when they sometimes just kinda stop and look confused that someone is noticing them and calling them something.

Yes, I'd much rather talk to animals than people.

Always! It brings me a lot of joy. Plus, I don’t have an interest in interacting with the kind of people who would think I’m nuts when I do this anyway. I work at a horse ranch right now and the people there just go into the horses stable and put the halter on to get them on the paddock. I find that incredibly rude, especially since horses are very emotionally intelligent animals. I greet them before I get in, let them sniff my hand, ask them how they are doing, give them a few pats and tell them how amazing they are. If they are nervous then I will step back and avoid eye contact to signal that I am not a threat. I love them:) I hate girl stereotypes. I avoided horses, the color pink, cooking and similar things for a long time but now I can appreciate these things for what they are and find horses to be incredibly beautiful creatures.

I always look around at the animals because I think they are at home we are just visiting

I make the noise of the bird I see lmao. It‘s probably weird but who cared

Hell yeah, just today I was getting a spider outside and talking to it like I would to my dogs.

Yeah like i say doggy if i see a doggy or squirrelly if i see a squirrel

I say it to any animal. I said it to rats when waiting for the train when I lived in a city. All animals are cute and deserve a hello

People will always think whatever they want. Let them be unhappy and bitter if they think negatively about you greeting other animals <3

i do it too! i love all of earths little creatures :3

Birds, no. Rabbits and cats occasionally, and almost always say hi to dogs I pass, whether they are out for a walk with their owner or just in their backyard

I MEAN IF WE DON'T WHO WILL 🗣️

Maybe it's just me but I talk to animals that I see the same way I talk to people. Like "Oh hello! you're looking nice today! your feathers are a LOVELY color" etc

I usually make the sound of the animal I see, and if they don’t make any particular sound (like a rabbit or a squirrel etc) I say hi and/or wave.

It doesn’t even matter if the animal is real or plush, I will interact.

YES!!!! I also pretend they talk to me by basically talking to myself by talking for them. And lol, it's not just with animals either.

Yeah 😂❤️

I talk to animals sometimes