Love your pet more in COVID-19 isolation? Caring for a pet brings purpose.

Written by Vernon Lam

Animal adoption rates have soared during COVID-19 lockdown, sparking ideas around the psychological reasons behind it.

In recent news, animal shelters across Australia have seen a spike in fostering applications, likely in response to lifestyle changes from the current COVID-19 pandemic. RSPCA announced that animal adoption rates have more than doubled compared to this time last year. Other shelters such as Cat Haven, a cat welfare charity in Western Australia, have experienced a twenty-fold increase of applications within a week in March, when lockdowns began.

It is a curious statistic, one that many wouldn't stop and consider unless having prior understanding of how love for a pet can be beneficial to one’s emotional and mental well-being.

COVID-19 has brought upon us isolation and seclusion from our communities, and for many, has had dramatic influences on their emotional well-being. It’s no wonder we’re looking to adopt and foster pets!

Loving and caring for a pet brings a sense of purpose in life, and for some, it is extremely important to maintain a healthy mindset. Anxiety and depression often comes from a feeling of hopelessness, the feeling of not being able to get anything right. The isolation only makes this feeling come to surface more often, as we dwell in our homes, ruminating on what we ought to be doing next to fill in our boredom.

But giving a pet love and attention can be your lifeline. It is truly an enriching feeling knowing that you hold the responsibility in nurturing your furry friend to reveal their true colours to you, and they love you for it! This in itself is a sense of purpose.

“Pets, in general, have been scientifically found time and time again to improve our quality of life... there are many science-backed reasons why having a fur baby around would be wildly beneficial in self-isolation.”

Research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that pet owners scored higher on several well-being measures, such as greater self-esteem and more exercise, as well as individual-difference measures, such as greater conscientiousness and less fearful attachment than non-pet owners. It also found correlational evidence that supports that pet owners experimentally demonstrated a higher ability to stave off negativity caused by social rejection.

There’s also evidence suggesting that pet-owners aren’t just adopting because their human social support is poor, as the study found that people extended their regular social competencies they have with people towards their pets as well. Thus, giving a pet your love and affection can be the avenue in which you can continue to express yourself in the ways that you give to your loved ones before isolation measures were put into place.

“Pets become as much a part of the self as many family members, which undoubtedly contributes to their powers in promoting our health and happiness.”

While we've all experienced living in isolation due to the pandemic, those experiencing homelessness live like this on a day-to-day basis, often without any physical or emotional support from those around them. The daily struggle to find their next meal or to find somewhere just a little bit warmer to sleep can be very demoralising, leaving them feeling hopeless. Love for their pet can be a powerful motivator, providing them a sense of purpose to carry-on, and faith that one day, things will be better.

Want to adopt a pet?

If you are considering adopting a cat, a dog or any other furry creature in these times, please also consider your circumstances in providing for them. If you feel that adopting is too big of a commitment, perhaps fostering a pet for a limited time frame would be a better option. RSPCA are continually seeking carers and fosters, more so in the pandemic environment. There are also many smaller organisations out there whose mission is to rescue homeless animals and help re-home them.