Most Americans who live with pets — 88 percent, according to the most recent statistics — consider their companion animals to be part of the family. That indicates a special bond, one that goes deeper than most. When it comes to family, your love is unconditional, and you're not in it for personal gain. Once you adopt that special cat, dog, rabbit, or other furry friend, or amass a collection of less cuddly pets like fish or ant colonies, you commit to caring for them as well as you possibly can.
What health benefits does pet ownership offer?
Ask anyone who already lives with one or more pet how their health benefits from having that animal in their lives, and you're bound to get answers that would already have been obvious to almost everyone who's had a pet before. Having a pet, especially one you can connect with on a deeper level (like a cat, dog, or parrot), pet owners will say, makes them:
- Happier
- Less lonely
- Smile and laugh more
- Feel like they're the most important person in the world to their pet, which can be very motivating during hard times
- Less stressed
There's no question that all these things matter a great deal in themselves, but although scientific research has confirmed that all these mental health boosters can indeed be counted among the health benefits of living with a pet, and specifically that owning a pet lowers your levels of the stress hormone cortisol while boosting your oxytocin ("feel-good hormone) levels, there's more.
Living with certain pets will encourage you to become more physically active as you do your best to meet the animal's physical and other needs. Dog owners will know all about this, of course, but going out for walks with your pet isn't the only way in which living with a companion animal can get you active. People who play active games with their cat, run around cleaning up after their horses, pet goats, or pet pigs, will reap the benefits, too. If you have a ferret, you may go hunting together, and if you have a bird, you may teach it tricks. Cleaning out animal enclosures can offer a full-body workout, as well.
For all these reasons, research has discovered that living with a pet has tangible physical health benefits alongside the more obvious mental health rewards associated with owning a pet:
- Healthier blood pressure levels.
- Lowered levels of so-called "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Higher physical fitness levels
But living with pets also comes with risks — what do you need to know?
Although the health risks associated with pet ownership will depend on the animal in question, they can include:
- Allergies. Some people get pets before realizing that they are allergic, while others living with pet dander allergies "acquire" a pet that was already part of someone else's family — because, for instance, they moved in with their partner, who had a dog already. Any new children born into a family with pets may also turn out to be allergic. Many people continue living with pets despite allergies. In this case, meticulous hygiene, keeping the pet out of the bedroom, and allergy medications may be a winning combination.
- Infections. Parasitic and other infections can spread more easily when you have certain pets. Having a dog or a cat who goes outside increases the risk of tick bites in pet owners too, for instance. In cats, toxoplasmosis is a special concern. Exposure to the bacteria that cause it can be very dangerous during pregnancy, especially. In the case of animals that hide food around the house or pets that require highly humid environments (such as some snakes), pests like cockroaches and dust mites also become more likely. Both can cause significant respiratory distress.
- Pet-inflicted injuries. People are at risk of being injured by animals if they acquire animals at pets that were not meant to be pets at all, or if they care for their animal improperly. Young children who pull on dogs' tails, for instance, face the risk of serious injury. Responsible pet ownership involves teaching everyone who has contact with your pet regularly how to interact with the animal safely, or otherwise keeping the animal out of their reach.
To increase the general hygiene in your home when you have a pet, vacuum and dust more often than you otherwise would, and consider buying a true HEPA air purifier to reduce the number of indoor allergens and other pollutants in your home. Wash your hands after feeding your pet or cleaning up after them, and don't forget to bathe any pet who needs it regularly.