This is one of those phrases that some atheists use when they think they're being clever, when in reality it just makes them look silly because the fact that humans are biologically categorized as animals is news only to the most moronic Christians from the rural areas of the Bible Belt.
I use it when it seems necessary to educate people about basic physical anthropology and biology. After all, the "rural areas of the Bible Belt" is where I spent 10 years of my childhood, and I attended a county school with mandatory morning prayers, grace at noon, and I got dirty looks for mentioning the word "evolution" in an
astronomy class (as in stellar evolution).
If you claim to be a rock or plant, be my guest. It won't alter the fact that humans are animals.
why do you feel the need to say this
Because it's true, and because I get super-annoyed when people get on a soapbox and insist that I don't have the moral right to include a cat or dog as part of my family.
(also you need the government's permission but that's just semantics)
I need the building manager's permission, along with paying a nonrefundable fee of $250/cat, but I've got that covered. I'm allowed two cats, and currently have just the one since Chloe died last year. Enough time has passed for mourning and to assess Maddy's mindset, and I've concluded that adopting another cat would be beneficial for both of us.
It remains to find one who's not too old, too young, who doesn't come with behavioral or health problems, who Maddy would get along with (and vice-versa), plus that indefinable "cattitude" that tells me that
this is the perfect new addition to the family.
