When treating a pet like a child can be harmful

Experts question if people have gone too far in humanising their pets, citing health risks

Pets are more popular than ever. Roughly two-thirds of American homes have at least one pet, up from 56 per cent in 1988, according to the American Pet Products Association. And Americans spent US$136.8 billion (S$185.4 billion) on their pets in 2022, up from US$123.6 billion in 2021.

An estimated 91 million households in Europe own at least one pet, an increase of 20 million over the past decade. The pet population in India hit 31 million in 2021, up from 10 million in 2011.

And our pets are becoming ever more like us or at least, that seems to be our goal. We pamper them with customised nutrition plans and knapsack carriers, dog hydrotherapy and stays in boutique cat hotels.

At All The Best, a high-end pet store chain in Seattle, the most popular items are feline and canine enrichment toys. They are designed to stimulate and bring happiness to animals that increasingly "are lying around alone and bored", said Ms Annie McCall, its marketing director.

Now some animal welfare ethicists and veterinary scientists are wondering if, in our efforts to humanise our pets, we have gone too far. The more we treat pets like people, they argue, the more constrained and dependent on us our pets' lives become, and the more health and behavioural issues our pets develop.

"We now view pets not only as family members but also as equivalent to children," said Professor James Serpell, an emeritus professor of ethics and animal welfare at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

"The problem is, dogs and cats are not children, and owners have become increasingly protective and restrictive. So animals are not able to express their own doggy and catty natures as freely as they might."