It’s fine to be potty about your pets... just ask their ‘mummy’
Just how potty are you about your pets? We all know Britain is a nation of animal lovers, but a new survey for Lily’s Kitchen reveals that owners are increasingly treating their furry friends like relatives. Well, quite a bit better than relatives, to be fair.
Nearly one owner in five gets up early to give breakfast to their cat. Almost a third admit they kiss their pets goodbye before leaving for work. While 40 per cent of dog owners allow their pooch to snuggle in bed with them at night (what could possibly be wrong with that?), a third have let their pets – wait for it – share a bath with them. Now, I swear I have never allowed the poodles to join me in my Jo Malone Lime, Basil and Mandarin ablutions, although I plead guilty to another sin: “Referring to themselves as their pet’s mummy or daddy.”
Our dogs don’t have their “own designated seat at the dining table”, as some do, but the cat definitely expects to be fed before everyone else and, as her humble servants,
naturally, we obey. Have I bought birthday presents for my pets? Yes. How about taking the day off work to look after them when they’re ill? No, but I have cancelled all social engagements for a month after Maisie has her puppy next Tuesday, apart from my book launch when, obviously, I have booked a babysitter. The research suggests that pet owners “are aware that their relationships with their animals is a bit odd”, but nine in 10 “don’t care” what people think of their affectionate bond with their animals. Quite right!
And if any fool ever says, “But it’s only a pet”, I find a quote from the late, great James Herriot comes to mind: “If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.”