The relationship between people and their dogs or cats has similarities to the bond that arises between parents and young children, according to scientists
Are cats and dogs our new children? We proudly display your photos on mobile phones. They have clothes, they pile toys and we take care of their food with care. Some even receive nicknames such as “doggies”, “my child” or “my baby . In this article, experts and bloggers tell of their experience as “mothers and fathers of furry animals”. In addition, it is addressed that scientists warn that the bond of people with dogs and cats is increasingly similar to that between parents and their offspring .
Dogs and cats, are they our new children?
Dogs and cats pile toys, clothes and enjoy similar care, although with differences, to that provided to human offspring
Like many parents who are proud of their children, dog and cat owners also fill dozens of photos of their furry animals on their mobile phone. Many of these cats and dogs have clothes , lots of toys and live more with people than with other congeners. They also enjoy a meticulous and very careful diet, and are even called by nicknames like “my child” or “my baby”. The question is: do we treat them like our new children?
Although the bond that arises I think is different, and with different ways of communicating and interacting, it is an essential relationship in both cases.
Dogs and cats, strong bonds with people
The attachment relationship between people and their pets is very similar to that between young children and their parents.
The people have an innate need to establish close relationships with others. But this natural connection isn’t limited to humans – many animals feel these strong bonds, too. And for domestic cats and dogs this situation is even more complex , since they not only forge deep relationships with their peers, but also with their owners.
Dogs and cats adapt so well to coexistence between humans that it is not surprising that many people pour out strong feelings of attachment towards their furry companions. This relationship between humans and their pets turns out to be quite similar in many respects to that between young children and their parents.
The love towards cats and dogs is enormous, and vice versa
One of the characteristics that mark the relationship between people and their pets is what scientists call the safe base effect, a feeling also present among parents and young children. What does it consist of? Human offspring use their parents as a safe buffer, protecting them when they must interact with their environment.
And what about cats and dogs? Researchers have found that this safety effect is repeated in a very similar way. The study thus confirms what many people who live with these animals already feel: the existence of a very paternal love for their furry life companions.
Dogs are decaffeinated wolves, but people do not always understand that, like wolves, our dogs need to satisfy their instincts in nature; and that many behavioural problems of today’s dogs are due to the fact that we do not know how to understand what those instincts are .
The economic situation, moreover, makes more and more couples delay (or renounce) paternity; a hole that on many occasions the endearing four-legged furry ones cover.
