Pets in Society

By Roger W Dean

Pet Populations - and the Pandemic

At first glance, it was a matter somewhat surprising that the Petfood Manufacturers Association (PFMA) reportedly found it so easy to compile data for pet populations in the UK for 2021, owing to the disruption of daily life caused by measures to control the pandemic. In retrospect, however, the PFMA’s researchers will have had some aspects of hive research made easier by the measures taken to control the pandemic. Given the advice to, where ever possible, work from home, the researcher’s knock at the door will produce a welcome response. Lockdown will have been a trial for many people confined by government fiat to their dwelling places and the researcher’s visit may even have been positively welcomed.

The effects of the pandemic on pet populations in the UK appear to have been dramatic, though there may be side effects which have yet to make themselves apparent. More on that later. The Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association recent release of its annual pet population data for 2021, confirmed that 3.2 million households in the UK have acquired a pet since the start of the pandemic. This has largely been driven by the so-called ‘Gen Z’ – born between 1997 and 2012, and Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, two thirds of new owners are aged 16 and 34 and 56 per cent of new pet owners have children at home. Although 74 per cent of respondents claim their pet has helped their mental health through the pandemic, ‘the study raises pet welfare concerns’.

According to the PFMA, ‘There are now 34 million pets in the UK, including 12 million cats and 12 million dogs, 3.2 million small mammals such as guinea pigs and hamsters, 3 million birds and 1.5 million reptiles. In total, this equates to 17 million households that are responsible for their pet’s welfare. Notably, over a third - 38 per cent - of new owners claim that having a new pet was like having a new baby and almost a fifth of families with children admitted that training ‘was more challenging than expected’. Sadly, 5 per cent have already had to give up a pet and this figure increased to 11 per cent among families.

Nicole Paley, PFMA’s deputy Chief Executive commented that PFMA’s research confirmed the belief that ‘many more people are benefitting from pet ownership’ and that PFMA ‘are reassured by the mental health findings’. However, it was clear that PFMA needed ‘to consider the welfare of these new pets. As the survey highlighted, introducing a pet to a household in Covid times could have repercussions or create some unexpected difficulties.

Paley also noted that PFMA had looked in more detail at the future concerns of new pet owners. Perhaps worryingly, although just 15 per cent had ‘a pet-friendly office environment, only 10 per cent were concerned about returning to work and spending less time with their pet. This figure increased among younger generations, with 15 per cent of 16-34 year olds ‘concerned about spending less time with their pet in the future’. Paley called for the PFMA to ‘work together with the pet care sector to ensure the 3.2 million households with new pets get the support they need’. Paley said that the support required was represented in terms of access to educational material, training and adequate flexible working from home ‘or pets in the office policies’.

RSPCA pet welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines said that as these figures demonstrate, ‘a huge number of people have added a new pet to their family during lockdown’ while other pet owners had made the most of spending more time at home during the pandemic ‘to enjoy the company of their pets. Dr Gaines said that many of our pets ‘were now used to having us around all the time while others have never known any different so we have real concerns that life post-lockdown, both in terms of a new routine and spending time alone, could be really difficult for them to adjust’ which, as Dr Gaines observed, ‘is why it’s so important that owners start to prepare them now’. In the absence of this preparation, pets could be facing their own crisis.’

There is, as might be expected, a great deal in the literature regarding pets in the context of the pandemic. A disturbing article in the Guardian newspaper published on 1 December 2021 reported that ‘The cats and dogs that helped us through the pandemic are increasingly being dumped in the street or handed over to charities – and pet shelters are dealing with the fallout.

Pet Obesity

There is little doubt that ongoing economic development has brought significant advantages to much of the UK’s population, even if it sometimes associated with concerning physical aspects such as an overindulgence in food or alcohol. However, with the increased financial resources being enjoyed by many families, part of those additional resources may likely be spent on acquiring a pet.

As discussed above, with the intervention of the pandemic, the pet population of the UK has undergone an additional and, reportedly, substantial upwards further revision in pet numbers. In this context, veterinarians ‘have seen a worrying rise in obese pets’. The problem is not of recent standing. Another newspaper article highlighted the fact that pet obesity was ‘a growing problem’ in the UK – and the publication went on to highlight the fact that the article was ‘more than seven years old’. The article, quoting comments by the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) expressed concerns over the fact that ‘Increasing numbers of obese cats, dogs and rabbits are developing similar health problems to overweight humans’, adding that ‘lockdown had made things worse’.

The PDSA have engaged in a running commentary on the increasing problem of obesity in the nation’s pets. In a post on the PDSA’s website in 2019, it was reported that vets estimated that nearly half of dogs in

the UK are overweight, pointing out that being obese puts dogs ‘at risk of health problems, and is likely to reduce how long they live’. PDSA stressed that it was ‘important to know what your dog’s ideal shape is and recognise when it changes’, stressing the fact that it was possible to control dogs’ weight with diet and exercise and urging dog owners to ‘Contact your vet if you are struggling to keep your dog at an ideal weight, they will always be happy to help’.

Dog Breeds and Behaviour

An interesting article in a recent edition of the Guardian newspaper cast doubt on the widespread view that the major determinant of dogs’ behavior is their breed.

This is an important element in anyone’s decision to acquire a dog. For example, Labradors are regarded as sociable and thus a good choice for a family with young children. Alternatively, Pit Bull terriers are popularly regarded as aggressive. This reflects development that have occurred since modern dog breeds began to emerge in the Victorian era, when the science of breeding began to be better understood and dogs began to be bred for specific purposes. They were also bred for physical characteristics - size, for example, ranging from the Great Dane to the tiny chihuahua.

From sociable Labradors to supposedly aggressive Pit Bulls, when it comes to canine behaviour there are no end of dog stereotypes. But research suggests such traits may have less to do with breed than previously thought. Recent research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School suggests that research revealed ‘a huge diversity of behaviour within each breed.’ One of the co-authors of the research findings said that anybody acquiring a dog would ‘have a really good chance of getting a dog that doesn’t match what people say that breed is supposed to be. Writing in the journal Science, the US researchers report how they analyzed survey responses relating to the physical traits and behaviour of 18,385 pet dogs, almost half of which were purebred, with genetic data analyzed for 2,155 of them.

Analysis of the survey results for purebred dogs suggested that about 9 per cent of behavioural variation was explained by breed. The researchers said that, for the most part, they had not seen strong differences between breeds but there were some aspects of the dogs’ behaviour that were connected to breed more than others. While no behaviour was exclusive to one breed, howling was more common among beagles, while Pit Bulls and retrievers were more ‘human sociable’, translated as comfortable with strangers.

There were also some differences based on dogs’ ‘ancestral functions’. For example, herding breeds were, among other traits, ‘more biddable’. But it remained that there was a high degree of variability between individual dogs, meaning it is difficult to predict a dog’s behaviour based on its breed.

To explore whether genetics explained the associations, the team analysed the behaviour of mutts that had different levels of ancestry from particular breeds. The results reveal some traits have a stronger genetic component than others. Labrador retriever ancestry was associated with mutts who had few qualms about getting wet, yet such ancestry appeared to have no link to human sociability. The researchers said that they would expect that, if Labrador retrievers were genetically more human social, they should see that young dogs, with more Labrador retriever ancestry to be more human social.

While the research team’s other analyses found that human sociability was ‘highly heritable, they noted the young dog results suggest that the genetic variants involved do not appear to be more common in particular breeds. Instead, differences between breeds for this trait may be down to environmental influences or, even, owners’ perceptions. But not all behaviours were found to be heritable, including how easily a dog is provoked by a ‘frightening trigger’ – a finding that suggests that how aggressive a dog is may have little to do with genetics.

The team says that the study ‘has implications for owners’.

Cats Behaviour

The RSPCA has recently published a useful checklist for those keeping cats which provides a guide to any departure from the cat’s normal behaviour pattern.

Cat keepers are urged to be ‘vigilant’ to any changes in t cat’s behaviour. Changes could be a sign of distress, boredom, illness or injury, stress or fear. Changes in the cat’s behaviour could include high levels of grooming, hiding, sleeping hunched or altered feeding/toileting habits; all indicative of stress or fear. In addition, look for unwanted habits such as aggression, spraying indoors, disappearing or avoiding people; all signs that suggest your cat is in pain or frightened. The RSPCA urges cat keepers, if any of these symptoms become ‘an ongoing problem’ to speak to a vet or another qualified person.

The RSPCA says that cats ‘can scare easily’, so cat keepers are urged to make sure they can reach everything they need -. bed, water, litter or outdoors - without passing things or other animals that may frighten them. The RSPCA also warns that if your cat is scared with no place to escape and hide, ‘it may become aggressive’. Provide constant access to safe hiding places where they can escape if they feel afraid. It was observed that cats sleep for many hours of the day but, when they’re awake they need opportunities to exercise. If they don’t go outside, provide suitable indoor activities to keep them active.

Cats naturally use objects to scratch, mark territory, strengthen muscles and sharpen their claws. To allow this natural behaviour, provide sturdy scratching posts which are tall enough for your cat to use fully stretched. This is particularly important for indoor cats.

The RSPCA proclaims that ‘Kindness is key!’ Never shout at or punish your cat, they are very unlikely to understand and can become more nervous or scared.

Whereas the penultimate paragraph refers in particular to cats that live largely indoors and, as in a highly built-up area, will have little opportunity to spend time out of doors, cats that live in a rural environment need a different regime. A cat’s natural instinct is to hunt its prey but there is a real concern domestic cats are impacting the welfare of local wildlife. To help prevent your cat bringing home unwanted surprises, and to protect local wildlife, the RSPCA recommend that cat keeper restrict outdoor access at dusk and dawn when wildlife is most active, at least an hour before sunset and an hour after sunrise. Access should also be restricted after bad weather such as rain, to allow birds to come out and feed. Finally, the RSPCA recommends attaching a bell to a quick-release safety collar.