Sentience is the ability to feel–a hot bath, an elbow in the ribs, a stab of jealousy, a hunger pang. It’s helpful to feel as much as we do, since fear and pain steer us away from danger, hunger keeps us fed, and taste makes feeding a pleasure.

Our sentience also lets us understand others who feel. Through our senses we receive each others’ communiqués–written, sung, wagged, snarled, or whinnied–and our shared physical experiences offer us windows of empathy into each others’ lives.

The name of this blog was chosen for its snappy, reptilian ring, and because our sentience is what lets us know and care who’s around us, what they’re up to, and how they’re doing.