Do Pets Love Their Owners? Evidence Says They Do
Animals like Cats Dogs Birds & Horses Depend on Us & Love Us for It
Mar 9, 2009
According to the American Pet Products Association, consumers are expected to spend an estimated $45.4 billion on their pets in 2009. Most of that money will go toward pet food, pet medications and veterinary care. Some pet owners will spend even more cash on pet insurance, pet grooming and pet toys. If money is any indication, there’s no doubt we love our pets. But, do our pets return that love?
“They certainly do,” says veterinarian Dr. Nicholas Dodman, who is also a professor, section head and program director of the Animal Behavior Department of Clinical Sciences at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts.
Clinical Evidence
Dr. Dodman says there is clinical evidence that dogs, cats, horses and even birds can and do love their owners. We provide our animal friends with necessities like food, water and shelter, but we also pet them, play with them and cuddle with them.
Studies have shown that the presence or touch of a particular person reduces the heart rate of our furry and feathered friends. It’s a sign of bonding.
“There’s no doubt that animals love us and there’s no doubt that we love them,” says Dr. Dodman, who has written a number of books on animal behavior, including “The Dog Who Loved Too Much” and “The Cat Who Cried for Help”.
Signs of Love
Pets have different ways of showing their affection for their owners.
Dogs often show their love by:
- licking you
- protecting you
- wanting to be with you
- being excited when you come home
- cuddling
Cats may display affection by:
- purring
- following you
- rubbing against you
- licking you
- cuddling
- bringing you presents (dead mice, for example)
- lying on their backs to show their vulnerable bellies (it’s considered a sign of trust)
Dr. Dodman has had experiences with birds and their displays of affection. His family had an Amazon parrot. “It would snuggle down into our chests and just cuddle right down and go completely flat and you could stroke it just like it was a cat and its little eyes would flutter shut,” says Dr. Dodman.
Horses show their fondness for a person by nuzzling and neighing softly.
Love: One Extreme to the Other
At one end of the spectrum, some animals are dominant, independent and aloof. “Just because you have a pet, doesn’t mean it necessarily loves you. For example, iguanas are solitary…They don’t need anybody,” says Dr. Dodman.
At the other end of the spectrum, some animals are highly sensitive and anxious. They can’t bear to be separated from their owners. Dr. Dodman says their love can be almost pathological or obsessive.
Dogs have been known to destroy property, injure themselves, defecate and urinate in inappropriate places.
Cats, especially those that have been weaned early, show their displeasure by vocalizing and urinating on things like their owner’s clothing.
“They don’t manifest their separation anxiety quite as loudly or demonstrably as dogs, but they will have anxiety-related elimination problems,” says Dr. Dodman.
He says horses and birds can also have separation anxiety. Dr. Dodman’s own Sun Conure parrot stopped eating when the family went on a camping trip.
Loving Help
It’s not unusual for a loving pet to show signs of anxiety and depression in your absence. Your return should be enough to brighten your pet’s spirits.
However, if the animal hurts himself or others, destroys things or defecates or urinates in inappropriate places, a visit to your veterinarian is a good idea.
Pet meds are sometimes prescribed to combat separation anxiety. Behavioral training might also be beneficial.
What’s important to remember is to show your love for the pet who so obviously loves you.
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