Pet
on a swing
A pet, or companion animal, is an
Two of the most popular pets are
Pets provide their owners, or guardians,
People most commonly get pets for companionship, to protect a home or property, or because of the perceived beauty or attractiveness of the animals.
Pet popularity
In China, spending on domestic animals has grown from an estimated $3.12 billion in 2010 to $25 billion in 2018. The Chinese people own 51 million dogs and 41 million cats, with pet owners often preferring to source pet food internationally.[4] There are a total of 755 million pets, increased from 389 million in 2013.[5]
According to a survey promoted by Italian family associations in 2009, it is estimated that there are approximately 45 million pets in Italy. This includes 7 million dogs, 7.5 million cats, 16 million fish, 12 million birds, and 10 million snakes.[6]
A 2007 survey by the University of Bristol found that 26% of UK households owned cats and 31% owned dogs, estimating total domestic populations of approximately 10.3 million cats and 10.5 million dogs in 2006.[7] The survey also found that 47.2% of households with a cat had at least one person educated to degree level, compared with 38.4% of homes with dogs.[8]
Sixty-eight percent of U.S. households, or about 85 million families, own a pet, according to the 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA). This is up from 56 percent of U.S. households in 1988, the first year the survey was conducted.
Most popular pets in the U.S (millions)[14][15] Pet Global population U.S. population U.S. inhabited households U.S. average per inhabited household Cat 202 93.6 38.2 2.45 Dog 171 77.5 45.6 1.70 Fish N/A 171.7 13.3 12.86 Small mammals N/A 15.9 5.3 3.00 Birds N/A 15.0 6.0 2.50 Reptiles & amphibians N/A 13.6 4.7 2.89 Equine N/A 13.3 3.9 3.41
Effects on pets' health
Keeping animals as pets may be detrimental to their health if certain requirements are not met. An important issue is inappropriate feeding, which may produce clinical effects. The consumption of
Housepets, particularly dogs and cats in industrialized societies, are highly susceptible to obesity. Overweight pets have been shown to be at a higher risk of developing diabetes, liver problems, joint pain, kidney failure, and cancer. Lack of exercise and high-caloric diets are considered to be the primary contributors to pet obesity.[20][21][22]
Effects of pets on their caregivers' health
Health benefits
It is widely believed among the public, and among many scientists, that pets probably bring mental and physical health benefits to their owners;
Observed correlations
Pets might have the ability to stimulate their caregivers, in particular the elderly, giving people someone to take care of, someone to exercise with, and someone to help them heal from a physically or psychologically troubled past.
Pets in long-term care institutions
People residing in a long-term care facility, such as a hospice or nursing home, may experience health benefits from pets. Pets help them to cope with the emotional issues related to their illness. They also offer physical contact with another living creature, something that is often missing in an elder's life.[10][41] Pets for nursing homes are chosen based on the size of the pet, the amount of care that the breed needs, and the population and size of the care institution.[28] Appropriate pets go through a screening process and, if it is a dog, additional training programs to become a therapy dog.[42] There are three types of therapy dogs: facility therapy dogs, animal-assisted therapy dogs, and therapeutic visitation dogs. The most common therapy dogs are therapeutic visitation dogs. These dogs are household pets whose handlers take time to visit hospitals, nursing homes, detention facilities, and rehabilitation facilities.[27] Different pets require varying amounts of attention and care; for example, cats may have lower maintenance requirements than dogs.[43]
Connection with community
In addition to providing health benefits for their owners, pets also impact the social lives of their owners and their connection to their community. There is some evidence that pets can facilitate social interaction.
Health risks
Health risks that are associated with pets include:
- Aggravation of allergies and asthma caused by dander and fur or feathers
- Falling injuries. Tripping over pets, especially dogs causes more than 86,000 falls serious enough to prompt a trip to the emergency room each year in the United States.[46] Among elderly and disabled people, these falls have resulted in life-threatening injuries and broken bones.
- Injury, mauling, and sometimes death caused by pet bites and attacks
- Disease or parasites due to animal hygiene problems, lack of appropriate treatment, and undisciplined behavior (feces and urine)
- Stress caused by the behavior of animals
- Anxiety over who will care for the animal should the owner no longer be able to do so
Legislation
Treaties
| | Signed and ratified | | Acceded or succeeded |
| | Only signed | | Not signed (CoE member states) |
| | Not signed (non-CoE member states) |
The European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals is a 1987 treaty of the Council of Europe – but accession to the treaty is open to all states in the world – to promote the welfare of pet animals and ensure minimum standards for their treatment and protection. It went into effect on 1 May 1992, and as of June 2020, it has been ratified by 24 states.[47]
National and local laws
Ownership or guardianship
Pets have commonly been considered
Limitations on species
States, cities, and towns in
In
Killing and eating pets
In January 2011, the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain stated that people are not allowed to kill random cats walking in their garden, but "[n]owhere in the law does it say that you can't eat your cat, dog, rabbit, fish or whatever. You just have to kill them in an animal-friendly way."[59] Since 1 July 2014, it is illegal in the Netherlands for owners to kill their own cats and dogs kept as pets. Parakeets, guinea pigs, hamsters and other animals may still be killed by their owners, but nonetheless when owners mistreat their companion animals (for example, in the process of killing them), the owners can still be prosecuted under Dutch law.[60]
Environmental impact
 | This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. (May 2021) ) |
Pets have a considerable environmental impact, especially in countries where they are common or held in high densities. For instance, the 163 million dogs and cats kept in the United States consume about 20% of the amount of dietary energy that humans do and an estimated 33% of the animal-derived energy.
Types
While many people have kept many different species of animals in captivity over the course of human history, only a relative few have been kept long enough to be considered domesticated. Other types of animal, notably monkeys, have never been domesticated but are still sold and kept as pets. There are also inanimate objects that have been kept as pets, either as a form of a game or humorously (e.g. the Pet Rock or Chia Pet). Some wild animals are kept as pets, such as tigers, even though this is illegal. There is a market for illegal pets.
Domesticated
Large
.Fish kept as pets include: goldfish, koi, Siamese fighting fish (Betta), barb, guppy, molly, Japanese rice fish (Medaka), and oscar.
Wild animals
Wild animals are kept as pets. The term wild in this context specifically applies to any species of animal which has not undergone a fundamental change in behavior to facilitate a close co-existence with humans. Some species may have been bred in captivity for a considerable length of time, but are still not recognized as
Generally, wild animals are recognized as not suitable to keep as pets, and this practice is completely banned in many places. In other areas, certain species are allowed to be kept, and it is usually required for the owner to obtain a permit. It is considered
History
Prehistory
Archaeology suggests that human ownership of dogs as pets may date back to at least 12,000 years ago.[63]
Ancient history
Victorian era: the rise of modern pet keeping
Throughout the 17th and 18th-century pet keeping in the modern sense gradually became accepted throughout
Economy
As the popularity of pet-keeping in the modern sense rose during the Victorian era, animals became a fixture within urban culture as commodities and decorative objects.[68] Pet keeping generated a commercial opportunity for entrepreneurs. By the mid-19th century, nearly twenty thousand street vendors in London dealt with live animals.[69] The popularity of animals also developed a demand for animal goods such as accessories and guides for pet keeping. Pet care developed into a big business by the end of the nineteenth century.[70]
Profiteers also sought out pet stealing as a means for economic gain. Utilizing the affection that owners had for their pets, professional dog stealers would capture animals and hold them for ransom.[71] The development of dog stealing reflects the increased value of pets. Pets gradually became defined as the property of their owners. Laws were created that punished offenders for their burglary.[72]
Social
Pets and animals also had social and cultural implications throughout the nineteenth century. The categorization of dogs by their breeds reflected the hierarchical, social order of the Victorian era. The
Entertainment
The popularity of dog and pet keeping generated
Pet ownership by non-humans
Pet ownership by animals in the wild, as an analogue to the human phenomenon, has not been observed and is likely non-existent in nature.
A 2010 study states that human relationships with animals have an exclusive human cognitive component and that pet-keeping is a fundamental and ancient attribute of the human species.
It is debated whether this redirection of human nurturing behaviour towards non-human animals, in the form of pet-keeping, was
Animals in
Pets in art
Katharine of Aragon with a monkey
The Girl with the Marmot by Jean-Honoré Fragonard
- Young Lady with parrot by Édouard Manet 1866
Antoinette Metayer (1732–88) and her pet dog
The Lady with an Ermine
Sir Henry Raeburn- Boy and Rabbit
Eos, A Favorite Greyhound of Prince Albert
A Neapolitan Woman
Signal, a Grey Arab, with a Groom in the Desert
Eduardo Leon Garrido. An Elegant Lady with her Dog
The Fireplace depicting a Pug, James Tissot
Rosa Bonheur - Portrait of
William F. Cody
Hunt
The Pasha's Favourite Tiger, oil painting by Rudolph Ernst
See also
- Alternative pets:
- Digital pet
- Robotic pet
- Animal captivity
- Animal hoarding
- Anthrozoology
- Classroom pet
- Pet adoption
- Pet loss
- Zoonosis
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Further reading
- David Grimm (2015). Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs. PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1610395502.
External links
- Companion Animal Demographics in the United States: A Historical Perspective from The State of the Animals II: 2003
- at Wikiquote
Quotations related to Pet
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