What pets mean to us: Reminders from COVID-19 shutdowns
Five years ago this week, in March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, and suddenly, nearly everything around the world shut down, and nearly everyone around the world began to shelter in place. For many, it was a very frightening, anxious time, and those of us lucky enough to be pet owners turned to our furry/scaly/feathered companions (even more than we already did) for their oblivious comfort and devotion.
And, as shutdowns continued, many people around the world decided to add to their home menageries or get a pet for the first time. While data eventually showed that happened mostly in more affluent households and markets, and not everyone was able to keep new pets when they returned to work or suffered through the economic impacts of the pandemic — for example, needing new housing in places that didn’t accept pets, or not being able to afford to care for their pets — many people discovered or re-discovered the unbridled joy of spending time with a companion animal.
Pet ownership has since leveled off in many markets, including the U.S. Which may be a good reason to remember just how much pets mattered during that fraught time and keep that front of mind as much as possible.
Data: Pets are indeed family
Even before the pandemic, many pet owners considered their pets full-fledged family members, especially in developed markets, and that continues through today. As David Sprinkle, director of pet market research for Packaged Facts, wrote recently, “Pet owners’ defining psychographic is the “pets as family” mindset.” He shared data from 2024 surveys showing 72% of U.S. dog owners and 70% of cat owners consider their pets part of their families.
Along those lines, 59% and 58%, respectively, agreed that they are happier because they have pets, and 47% and 45%, respectively, said their pets are central to their home lives. (I have to wonder if that last set of data would’ve been higher during the pandemic if the question were asked then.)
What’s more, those types of sentiments seem to grow over time, Sprinkle said, according to data showing higher percentages among baby boomers who have owned pets longer than some in younger generations. (Or perhaps that reflects differences in lifestyles as people age.)
This is not just a U.S. phenomenon, of course: Euromonitor International data from 2023 showed 77% of owners in North America overall perceive their pets as beloved members of the family, followed closely by 75% in Latin America, 70% in Europe and 68% in Asia Pacific. The percentage in the latter region has been growing, analysts said, as markets within it further develop in terms of pet food and pet care. Even in the Middle East and Africa, definitely a developing area, 59% of owners consider their pets beloved family members.
It’s somewhat surprising that the Asia Pacific percentage is so close to that for Europe, though the latter likely includes countries in Eastern Europe that are also considered at the developing stage.
Remembering Deacon’s purring comfort
A growing body of research proves that pet ownership is good for people’s physical and, particularly, mental health, led by organizations like the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI). If you hover over the “Research” tab at the top of HABRI’s website, you can see the many specific areas of research on human health and well-being funded and published.
Of course, many of us pet lovers don’t need research to prove the benefits of pet ownership; we can just call on our own experiences. In March 2020, I was already working from home, but then all of a sudden, so was my husband; and shortly after, our daughter arrived from her Peace Corps assignment in South America after the organization extracted and sent home more than 7,000 volunteers from around the world in a matter of weeks.
Our cat, Deacon, seemed very happy about the sudden tripling of companionship in his home; and he was a constant source of purring solace for us all, especially our daughter, who experienced anxiety from the abrupt change in her location and status, having to leave behind the community she had engaged with and not being sure what would happen for her next.
Deacon has since “crossed the rainbow bridge,” but as with all the pets we’ve been lucky to include in our family over the years, I’ll always be grateful he was there to see us through such a difficult time.
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