A OnePoll survey which was published in the summer of 2021 found that almost 70% of Americans take better care of their companion animals than they do of themselves, which I find slightly odd I’ve got to say. I’m not sure that it is actually accurate because these polls are carried out by questionnaires and the answers provided are going to be subjective and therefore not very scientific but there it is.
And 72% of the respondents said that their companion animal reduced stress, depression and anxiety. That I can believe as it is very well known and extensively reported in scientific reports that companion animals reduce anxiety in people. They do this in the obvious way by providing companionship which is emotional support. And when your cat is on your lap purring, that is a good example of a calming presence. The domestic cat’s purr is well known to calm people and it calms the cat as well.
And, further, 62% of respondents said that their companion animal helps them to exercise. This must be a reference to taking dogs for walks and playing with cats inside the home. I have to say that not many people play with their cat regularly and therefore this response will mainly apply to dogs.
And rather surprisingly 44% said that their companion animal helps them to be more cautious with the food that they eat. I don’t get that at all.
Further, 61% of respondents said that they would be willing to pass up on an evening out or a vacation if their companion animal wasn’t by their side. This I do understand. Having a companion animal ‘anchors’ the caregiver as it is much trickier to go on holiday because it means employing someone to cat sit or placing your cat in a boarding cattery, both of which are somewhat problematic, the latter being more problematic than the former. I would expect that a lot of independent, single people living with cats have not gone on a holiday for a long time for this reason.
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And also, another unsurprising result is that 65% of respondents admitted that they were closer to their pet than they were to other human family members. Increasingly the companion animal is becoming an important family member even more important than people because to many people cats and dogs are better than people! They’re more predictable, more reliable and more supportive. They don’t ask questions. They don’t judge you. They do lots of things which are great and not much which is not so great.
Forty-eight percent said that they allow their pet to sleep with them in bed which I like to hear because it is unfair to keep a cat out of the bedroom at night in my honest opinion. And allowing dogs on the bed at night can provide a sense of security to the owner. Just get a big enough bed to allow some movement!
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Seventy-six percent said that dogs are man’s best friend. You wonder where that result comes from. Does it come from dog owners or pet owners generally? If it comes from dog owners it means that 24% of the respondents rate human companions over the dog companion which I suppose is acceptable.
