Do You Talk To Your Pet?

Research carried out by the insurance company More Than has revealed that over five million pet owners confide in their pets when something is on their mind. The figures reveal that 87% of cat and dog owners talk to their pets when no-one else is around, often at length.

Most people know that owners talk to their pets in a cute manner and most would admit to it too, but it doesn’t stop there. 85% of those surveyed professed to having deep and meaningful conversations with their pets, on topics such as relationships, work, relatives and financial matters. A third of those surveyed admit that they have secrets that have only been told to their pets.

Talking to and generally interacting with pets is well known to be a stress reliever, with figures showing merely owning a pet or coming into contact with other peoples pets can decrease stress. Relationship psychologist Corinne Sweet said “It’s a well-known psychological fact that talking to our pets can relieve stress, anxiety, loneliness and a wide range of other uncomfortable feelings. Pets don’t judge, talk back or complain. Instead they listen well, have open minds and faces and enable their owners to freely unburden themselves.”

People treat their pets differently, from a cat casually walking in and out of a house as it pleases, to an animal being waited on hand and foot. It seems, however, that nearly all pet owners see their pets as friends who they can turn to rather than an animal that they take care of, which is perfectly understandable because each pets personality is as varied as a humans.