We feel love towards our partner, our children and closest relatives, our friends. We love life and nature.
In addition to these feelings, there is another type of love that is traditionally little talked about, although for those who experience it it can be as powerful as the one felt towards a person: the affection that owners feel towards their ‘dog’ and ‘cat’ pets.
These animals in turn unconditionally love human beings with whom they live in a close and permanent relationshipspending many hours together every day, and sharing various daily experiences and moods.
A pet is a loved one who is very present in our lives. It is a ‘furry’ relative that is with us day after day, giving us warmth when it is cold and comfort when we are sad, according to Laura Vidal, specialist in animal grief management (www.huellaemocional.es).
He points out that “with few beings we can have a greater closeness than with the animals that live with us, whom we see every day, for many hours and for many years”.
“The animals become part of our most closed family nucleus. They are one of those circle members who stay indoors when you close the door at night. They are our closest family,” highlights this expert.
“Today we are already talking about interspecies or multispecies families, families in which animals are considered a full member of the family environment. There are even families formed simply by a human and an animal,” Vidal explains to EFE.
A very powerful affective bond.
“From the point of view of the affective bond, the relationships that people establish with their pets are perfectly comparable to those they have with other people,” says Jaume Fatjó, director of the Affinity Animals and Health Foundation Chair at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), in Catalonia, Spain.
Notes that “most people consider their animals members of their family and place them at the core of their social relations”.
“Logically, the most important differences will be found in shared activities and in the type of interaction that the person has with the animal. In other words, the bond is comparable to that established with a human, but with a different mise-en-scène”, points out Fatjó.
“Companion animals are a very important source of social support for people, especially in times of difficulty. And social support is one of the main predictors or factors that help predict good health, both physical and mental”, according to this veterinary doctor, professor of psychiatry and expert in animal behavior.
He points out that a companion animal “is someone with whom we share playful activities, that comforts us when we do not feel well, that when receiving our care makes us feel useful and that even acts as a confidant to whom we say things that we do not dare to say to no one else”.
Show love to our pet.
Asked by EFE about how to show our love to our companion dog, Fatjó points out that “first of all, it is important to put ourselves in the place of the animal to understand what makes it really happy.”
“Many times we make decisions based on our preferences or way of seeing reality, which is very different from the perspective that our pet has,” he says.
“For the dog the best gift will always be our company and those activities that you can do with us. A play session or a walk around his favorite place are two of the best gifts we can give him,” he maintains.
As for what we can buy, Fatjó suggests buying one of the so-called interactive toys for dogs. “There are many on the market and they are a great way to stimulate them physically, but especially mentally,” he explains.
To show love to our companion cat, Fatjó indicates that “as with the dog, it is important to put ourselves in the cat’s shoes to understand their real needs”. “Again, a play session will be one of the best gifts we can give our cat,” he says.
As for what can be bought for a cat, Fatjó considers that “an interactive toy designed for these animals is a very dark option”.
“Another possibility may be an interaction tower that the cat can climb. Many of these structures include scratching posts and spaces where the cat can take shelter, for example, when he wants some privacy, ”he proposes to EFE.
Source-listindiario.com