Having a pet is like having the greatest friend in the world. They will do anything for you, rarely annoy you, and are always there when you need them. In many ways having a pet is better than having a boyfriend or girlfriend. A pet still fills that gap of loneliness that we all feel but never asks for anything in return (except to be let outside to go to the toilet, but that is allowed). A new study shows just how close pet owners are with their pets.
A survey of 2,000 pet owners found that over 66% of them will sleep in the same bed as their pets. There was a variety of reasons that people gave for choosing to sleep in the same bed as their pet that ranged from the feeling of security (30%), the warmth they provide (37%) and how it helps to fight loneliness (25%). We think the last one is likely a little bigger but a lot of people don’t want to admit it.
The fact is that everyone gets lonely from time to time and a pet is a great companion to help fight that. They will listen to your problems, give you something to do, and will look at you like you hold the answers to all of life’s great questions. Based on the study it is now clear that most people will share their beds with their pets as well. This is natural considering how close most people feel to their pets. In fact, the study showed that most people felt it was easier to share a bed with a pet than it was with a partner.
The majority of these pets were cats and dogs (it would be tough to share your bed with a parrot or hedgehog). Cats are great to share a pet with as they look at you as the maternal figure and protector. Despite cats being notorious predators out in the wild, once in the home, they resort to being a kid again. Dogs are a little different. They basically act like a 12-year-old kid all the time. They want to protect you and will do what they can to provide that protection but at the end of the day they want to be cared for and love to snuggle up with their minder.
Pets choose to sleep with owners because it allows them to grow the bond they have with their owners and allows them to watch over the owners more. Sharing a bed with your pet is not something to do on the odd occasion, as if your pet gets used to it they will really miss it when you take it away and will feel separation anxiety. Once you let them in, make sure it is for good.
