Even with all the political correctness flying around the pet community, trying to modify the perception of the public about having a pet, it doesn’t really take a shift in language to see that families that have pets often already consider them part of the family.
The survey reveals that single people of both genders, but especially single women (66%), were likely to say that their pet is a full member of the family. Only 46 percent of married women shared the same viewpoint. In comparison, 52 percent of single men said so, compared to 43 percent of married men.
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Finally, they say a "rose is a rose" by any name, but almost half (49 percent) of respondents have given at least one of their current pets a human-like name, including 51 percent of dog owners and 50 percent of cat owners.
This one came to my attention after reading about the half-of-all people giving their pets names which people would consider befitting “humans.” Although, this metric compared to the rest is hardly the best—even if it does seem like it suggests familial ties. A great deal of people get given names that are extra-cultural or the names of objects themselves. (Growing up, I had a friend named Velvet Button.) Even with the whole “rose is a rose” effect, the way that a great deal of families make a niche for pets as a member creates a lasting effect.
Sleep in my bed? Sure, the cat’s always been welcome to do that. My flatmates, though, unlike having another hairless ape happen to be allergic to my furry family member and thus have to keep him out of their room… He hasn’t warmed up to sleeping in bed with me yet (feral rescue from earlier this year) but he does like my XPS laptop bag as a bed.
Link, via Petside.com