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posted by martyb on Sunday October 01 2017, @11:59AM   Printer-friendly
from the Bow-Wow-Meow-Squeak! dept.

The recent popularity of "designer" dogs, cats, micro-pigs and other pets may seem to suggest that pet keeping is no more than a fad. Indeed, it is often assumed that pets are a Western affectation, a weird relic of the working animals kept by communities of the past.

About half of the households in Britain alone include some kind of pet; roughly 10m of those are dogs while cats make up another 10m. Pets cost time and money, and nowadays bring little in the way of material benefits. But during the 2008 financial crisis, spending on pets remained almost unaffected, which suggests that for most owners pets are not a luxury but an integral and deeply loved part of the family.

Some people are into pets, however, while others simply aren't interested. Why is this the case? It is highly probable that our desire for the company of animals actually goes back tens of thousands of years and has played an important part in our evolution. If so, then genetics might help explain why a love of animals is something some people just don't get.

[...] The pet-keeping habit often runs in families: this was once ascribed to children coming to imitate their parents' lifestyles when they leave home, but recent research has suggested that it also has a genetic basis. Some people, whatever their upbringing, seem predisposed to seek out the company of animals, others less so.

Is the desire to keep pets really hard-wired in our DNA?


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by KiloByte on Sunday October 01 2017, @01:01PM (2 children)

    by KiloByte (375) on Sunday October 01 2017, @01:01PM (#575544)

    My current location doesn't have undeveloped property for a cat to roam, so I don't have any pets now.

    If you live in a separate house that has at least a garden, it's a fine environment for a cat (as there'll be many other gardens in the neighbourhood — fences are mere decoration, and keep lesser critters confined). On the other hand, keeping a cat in an apartment building is animal cruelty.

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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 01 2017, @06:24PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 01 2017, @06:24PM (#575636)

    Letting them roam free is a cruelty. Indoor cats live significantly longer than outdoor cats do and they don't torture anywhere near as many animals as the outdoor ones do.

    If you're concerned about them getting exercise, you can always leash train them and take them on walks. But, cats don't need that much exercise and my cat from when I was a kid lived a long and mostly healthy life up until the last couple years before dying at age 17.

    • (Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Tuesday October 03 2017, @11:09PM

      by Joe Desertrat (2454) on Tuesday October 03 2017, @11:09PM (#576841)

      They have affixed cameras to domestic cats in order to find out what it is they do when they are outside. What they do is kill. Insects, lizards, snakes, birds, whatever is small enough to pounce on they kill. Not for hunger either, almost nothing they kill is eaten. When pet cats bring you a bird or mouse, they are not bringing it as a present, it is a toy they soon tire off when they get hungry and can eat some nice tasting cat food rather than a scaly, feathery, hairy or whatever carcass. It is arguable that domestic cats are one of the biggest environmental burdens on city and suburban wildlife. As long as your indoor cats get enough attention and amusement they are quite well off, and the local wildlife is much better off as a result.