Why do people like pets?

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A topic from Pets & Other Animals: Miscellaneous

#90232Sat 02/02/08 18:30

If there was a "psychology" forum, this question would belong there. I want to discuss and try to understand the attraction of pets.

I love my cats but I'm at a loss to explain why. At times they can be a real nuisance, particularly when I'm trying to eat. However, they never cease to be adorable. I note that they seem quite attached to me too. They both follow me around the house, sleep on my bed (which is where they are now) and generally do things that show loyalty and affection. But the fact remains that cats do very little other than eat, sleep, shit and piss. Yet they're so sweet. Why?

In essence, dogs seem similar to cats, though they're rather more gregarious and to me, sycophantic. And dogs seem to have the same effects on their owners.

Perhaps harder to understand is the attraction of birds, fish and exotic pets like iguanas, spiders and frogs. Yet all pets seem to give humans a calming sense of pleasure. Cats, dogs, horses and pigs show definite interactive behaviour with their owners. I've heard people say similar about rodents but a snake seems barely capable of self-awareness, let alone awareness of other creatures except as food. So why do people like to keep snakes and other reptiles? Fish and birds are often pretty and mynahs and parrots are definitely intelligent by some measures. But what is their attraction?

Do fish owners love their fish in the same way I love my cats? Is the attraction of pets an innate trait of being human? Are we hard-wired to want and cherish them? Why do pets like being kept? Sometimes I'm cynical and think my cats appreciate me only for the provision of food but at other times I think they really like me for who I am.

To me interspecies relationships are fascinating and a mystery. Has anyone any ideas on this?

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