Benefits of having pets when alone

Why do pets help combat unwanted loneliness?

Living with a pet brings great benefits to people. One of the most important is to be with us and offer us their affection in a selfless way. Therefore, the love of our pet makes us feel loved, not judged, and relieves the feeling of loneliness.

Taking care of our animal, especially if we live alone, offers us the opportunity to feel useful, to have a being to care for and give all our love.

Taking care of our pet, returning home with joy because we know they are waiting for us, making their favourite food, taking them to the vets when they are poorly, buying them toys or treats or even planning a holiday together makes us forget the feeling of loneliness and feel supported and happy.

Emotional benefits of living with dogs and cats

An animal can bring out emotions in us that we may have hidden or that we do not know how to express to other people. Tenderness, sweetness, patience, understanding… are just some emotions that we activate with our animals and that we can transfer to other situations in our daily lives.

In addition, feeling loved makes us feel content, makes us feel safe and puts us in a position to open ourselves up to others and to life. Also petting animals causes our body to produce oxytocin, the “love hormone”, attachment and calm. And let’s not forget that animals are also very funny and their actions offer us great moments of laughter and joy.

Pets and mental health

It has been proven that one of the great benefits of petting a dog or cat or even sleeping next to them is relaxation and mental calm. But the mental health benefits that animals can offer go much further. In fact, animal-assisted therapy is increasingly used and valued to motivate people with mental health problems or functional diversity.

Therapy dogs often go into classrooms to support children who have suffered from bullying, go court to support children who must participate in a trial, or simply, as motivation for children to go to school with more confidence and security.

Dogs, cats and other options: what to choose?

When choosing an animal to keep us company, the most important thing is to take into account what we are going to be able to offer so that the animal also has the life they deserve.

• The best option for an active person, who practices outdoor activities and who has time available is a dog.
• A less active person, with a less social life, but wanting to take care of an animal, can choose a cat, since, although it also requires care and a lot of environmental enrichment and games, it does not need to socialise, go out to the street or take long walks several times a day, like dogs.

• For older people, with low levels of activity, perhaps the best option is a small animal such as a guinea pig or a rabbit, which requires responsibility for their care, but does not demand as much activity as larger animals.

What to take into account before bringing a pet into your life

Before adopting an animal, we need to consider the life we can offer them, such as how much time and money we can allocate to them so that they have all their needs covered: quality food, visits to the vet, possible diseases, games and materials necessary for their development…

And we must remember that a dog can live for about fifteen years and a cat, even, longer. Will you be able to be responsible for giving them everything they need despite the possible changes that may occur in your life? If the answer is yes, you can go and find your pet.

When choosing an animal to keep us company, the most important thing is to take into account what are we going to be able to offer them so that the animal also has the life they deserve