A wild animal can choose if it wants to kill something or not. Sometimes they choose not.
You literally have no idea why an animal does what it does.
No I don't, it has freewill to choose meaning it isn't predictable. Your dog could bite you. If it likes you, it may choose not to.
I would like to point out that often we say to stay away from wild animals because they are often unpredictable, as opposed to the usual predictable behavior of house pets or people.
That is nonsense. We have domesticated animals because they fit the rules for domestication. If an animal doesn't meet the criteria it won't domesticate well.
1) Fast growth rate. Animals that grow and mature quickly are easier to breed selectively, and are more profitable for farmers.
2) Hardy/flexible. Humans aren't always reliable caretakers, so domestic animals are usually capable of surviving in a wide range of conditions, eating garbage and going without food or water for some time.
3) Social. Farmers typically raise animals in groups, so domestic animals need to be comfortable with that to breed well in captivity.
4) Group mind. Animals that follow the herd are easy to control, as every politician knows.
5) Low fear. Nervous species are easily stressed in captivity, making them susceptible to disease, slow to grow and hard to breed.
6) Low aggression. Fighting lowers productivity, and might endanger the farmer.
7) Learning. Animals that remember routines and respond to training are easy to manage.
Pets have other ones ... able to feel human moods, lick themselves clean, can be house trained etc
I think consciousness is relative and can vary among individuals. I think generally we have a higher level of consciousness than animals but on an individual level not so sure sometimes...
I think you are either conscious or you aren't. I saw Conan the Barbarian knock a horse unconscious. Ergo their usual state must be consciousness. You are conflating the number of emotions a creature can feel vs whether it is sentient or not. An ant might not feel envy. A dog might. But a dog might not feel melancholy. But a human might. ... list of emotions rather than 'states of consciousness'. Conscious is binary. Animals ... conscious. Plant ... not conscious. Conan's horse ... unconscious.