My Favourite Pet

I still fondly remember my first pet, a stray tom cat we named Sam who my family adopted when I was a toddler. He was a wonderfully loving and friendly cat, and ever since then cats have been my favourite animal; there’s so many traits of theirs I love―their fuzziness; their adorable faces, especially their eyes and nose; their purr; how they greet people by arching their backs, raising their tails, standing on tiptoes, and rubbing against a person’s body; and how silly and mischievous they can be when they’re in a playful mood. Years later, I remember my older brother and I, sharing the same room at the time, lying in our beds devising how to convince Mum to let us get another cat. Dad was indifferent, but Mum was a firm, “no.” So we whispered

They require meals to be provided at predictable, set times; grooming to keep their fur neat and untangled; baths to keep their fur and skin healthy and parasite free; attention to let them know they are loved and to prevent them becoming depressed; play time as an outlet for their energy and to give some purpose to their life; visits to the vet to ensure they remain healthy and hale; supervision to ensure they don’t get into dangerous predicaments; and more depending on the type of pet and it’s personality. With all this trust an animal places in it’s owner to care for it properly comes a hefty amount of responsibility, but having this responsibility isn’t a bad thing. Responsibility promotes a variety of good traits, for example it generates greater confidence, problem solving, and decision making in individuals, as well as creating better relationships and making you a better role model (“Being responsible”, n.d.). On the other side of the coin, shying away from responsibility can result in boredom, bad habits, and despondency (Burrows, n.d.). By spending more time around our furry friends as we look after their needs, we develop a stronger bond with them; not only that, but we also feel a sense of achievement and purpose performing these simple yet essential tasks, which can boost our mood and mental well-being, indirectly tying in with the first point. Pets also have a beneficial impact on our social lives—a survey carried out by a team of Australian researchers found that pet owners had a 60% higher chance of meeting new people contrasted to non-owners (Skerrett, 2015). By meeting new people, we expand our circle of social support, which in turn helps us avoid and/or cope with negative emotions more easily. Individuals with strong social connections are twice as likely to live longer than isolated