I do not believe free will exists, but I find that people really have a mental resistance to even engaging in the topic. Would it be easier for them to consider in the context of other animals?

If you are a free will believer, do you believe your cat has free will? Your dog? Your hamster? Your goldfish? Your fern? Once you tell us where you draw the line, then we can dig a little deeper and see what you think makes free will exist over here in humans, but not over there in your house pet. What biological difference is there? Is there a free will gene?

I was thinking about this today when my elderly cat put her claw in my leg as she stretched this morning. My reaction was not to yell at her and call her a bad cat. It was to gently and lovingly remove the claw from my leg. Because I know that she is not capable of making a meaningful choice - her body was stretching, my leg was there, she probably could not even see it. It's just her biology making her act the way she does. No reason for anger, resentment, etc at her.

And then I thought about the concepts of "all dogs go to heaven" and "putting down a rabid dog." No one (neurotypical) likes the idea of killing a rabid dog - we just accept that is something we have to do as a safety precaution. This is very close to my views on criminal justice without free will.