Pet Ownership

A study of college students from New Providence, The Bahamas, identifies a link between domestic violence (at both household and personal levels) and pet care in Afro-Caribbean communities. Where pets were intentionally harmed and "not well cared for," researchers also found evidence of other violence or deviant behavior.

This analysis of existing research on the physiological stress response of humans in interacting with their own dogs and/or unfamiliar therapy dogs under similar conditions found that the stress response of owners interacting with their own dogs may extend to others interacting with unknown therapy dogs.

This study in Japan was conducted to analyze the difference between maltreated and non-maltreated children when it comes to their experiences with animals.

A survey sponsored by "9 Lives" brand cat food (Del Monte Foods) found that 94% of U.S. cat owners believe they feed their felines the most nutritious meals possible. However, 48% have fed their cat(s) table scraps on average seven times per month and only 30% know that cow's milk is unhealthy for cats, most of whom are lactose intolerant.

A poll of 2,542 households in the UK found that 47% of those with cats had at least one person with a university degree, compared with 38% of households with dogs. This is possibly due to the longer hours associated with jobs that have higher qualifications, which can make caring for a dog more difficult.

Researchers examined the relationship between companion animal ownership and psychological health among the general population and found that neither pet ownership nor one's attachment level with pets predicts the loneliness levels of individuals living alone.

This report covers three surveys of Slovakian school children to determine the effects of keeping pets on the attitudes of children on three unpopular animals. Research findings suggest that having a pet at home positively affects the attitudes of children toward both popular and unpopular animals.

This study surveyed veterinarians and veterinary students regarding their attitudes toward companion animal nutrition and commercial pet foods, finding that the health problems most frequently influenced by nutrition include obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, developmental bone disease (dogs), and lower urinary tract disease (cats).

This examination of the likelihood of young adults to turn to pet dogs as attachment figures compared with human attachment figures showed variance dependent upon the human relationship (i.e. mother or sister versus father or brother) and degree of involvement in the care of their dogs.

The results of Comcast's annual animal shelter survey found that the current economic recession has both impacted adoption rates and tightened the standards of shelters for potential adopters.