A pet is a companion animal.
Pet is a term that comes from the French mascotte and is used to name a pet . These animals, therefore, accompany human beings in their daily lives, so they are not used for work nor are they sacrificed to become food .
For example: “When I was a kid, I had three dogs as pets,” “My favorite pet is the cat,” “My parents promised that if I pass the exam, they will give me a pet,” “Do you want us to go visit the store?” of pets?” .
The reproduction of pets , therefore, is promoted with the aim of animals coexisting with people, whether for social, recreational or educational reasons. The sale of pets constitutes a business, although the pets themselves, once sold, are not intended for lucrative activity.
Benefits of living with a pet
There are many advantages that anyone who makes the decision to have a pet at home can enjoy. Specifically, these are the most significant in this regard:
• Get the owner to end his loneliness problem. Individuals who live alone often resort to acquiring a dog or a cat, for example, to be able to have company and not feel so “abandoned.” In addition, in this way, they increase their happiness as well as their feeling of security.
• Any pet that comes into a home improves the self-esteem of certain family members, such as the elderly. Because? Because taking care of it will allow them to feel much more useful and necessary.
• It should not be overlooked either that it is also recommended that people with socialization problems or disorders such as autism have pets, since animals help them improve their ability to relate to others as well as their ability to express feelings. and sensations.
• It must also be emphasized that, on other occasions, people opt for having a dog at home because it is the way to improve the owner's health. As? Forcing yourself to take your pet for a walk every day, so the person will find it necessary to go for a walk and not sit on the couch.
Cats are among the most popular pets.
Dogs, cats and other species
Animals began to be domesticated as pets in prehistory . Dogs and cats are the most popular pets in the world due to their characteristics and historical tradition. Other animals, such as rabbits , turtles or ferrets , are also usually considered pets, although animal protection associations consider that these species should live in their habitat .
Although these are the most common pets, we must not forget that there are also those who choose to have Vietnamese pigs or snakes as such.
Expert word
Adrián Conde is a Catalan veterinarian who is part of the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society ( RFVS ). He completed a medium-level training cycle in Livestock Farming , a higher-level training cycle in Management and Organization of Agricultural Businesses , and at the University of Lleida he studied a double degree in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science and Production .
An expert in nutrition, dietetics and veterinary training, we asked you three questions related to pet care:
– What are the main precautions that should be taken when incorporating a pet into a home with small children?
The first primary care is health, in this case we must have vaccines and deworming completely up to date because we remember that having this in order is not only important for the animal itself, but for us humans since there are some zoonotic diseases (i.e. that is, they can be transmitted to humans).
Cleaning at home does not mean that you have to do anything special, but rather regular home cleaning that eliminates excess hair and dirt that our animals bring. It is true that it has been proven that children who are raised with animals have a stronger immune system and are less susceptible to suffering from, for example, asthma and allergies, because they are exposed to microorganisms in a controlled manner from early stages.
From a behavioral point of view, it seems very important to me to talk about the fact that animals need to have spaces where they are not disturbed, especially when they are resting. Children must be taught to respect this and also the time to eat. Taking into account not disturbing the animal in these specific spaces, possible attacks on children by pets are greatly reduced. Children and animals always, always, with supervision.
Adrian Conde
– What should a dog's ideal diet be like?
The system has created “food” for dogs, which is what we know as pellets, feed, concentrate or balanced, depending on each country it is called differently. This is something very convenient and, given the impossibility of offering other power models, it will always be the most advisable.
Now, if we have to choose and we can afford it, of course it is much healthier for your health to feed correctly balanced fresh food that includes meat and a little fish, sources of calcium, organ meats that provide vitamins, a small amount of vegetables and simulate a little what they would eat naturally, but ensuring correct handling and management of those foods.
Adrian Conde
– Can you live with a cat in a small space? What issues should be considered to give you well-being?
Yes you can, but we have to take into account greatly enriching the environment at home. The cat needs different structures where it can climb and be at heights, it needs different areas and materials to be able to scratch and sharpen its nails. It is very important that they have “caves” as a refuge so that they can isolate themselves and feel safe without anyone bothering them when an event does not please them, scares them or makes them uncomfortable. We must also encourage correct play with us, and this means not playing with our hands, but with rods and specific toys that will make him move and stimulate himself while satisfying a little of his need for home.
To satisfy their needs, it is important to hide food in different parts of the house so that they have to smell it and look for it and forget about the saucer feeders and in this way stimulate their mind a little, which is the most important thing.
You should not force interactions with them, there are cats that like physical contact, others that do not, others that only a little and in a certain area. Understanding our cat makes us have a good relationship and we should not force this interaction, just as if a person does not like hugs or kisses we should not force them to give them because that generates a negative experience..
Likewise, we must positively reinforce those behaviors that interest us in our cat. People immediately scold the animal so that it does not climb on a place, but climbing on places is something innate in cats. So first you have to offer him places where he can go up and reward him when he goes up there.
Adrian Conde
The mascot as a representative of an entity or event
A mascot, on the other hand, is an animal, person or animated object that acts as a talisman or represents a sports team, a company, a brand or an event .
It is common for the pet to be a doll of an animal with human behaviors (capable of dancing, for example).