Pets are a child’s best friend, not their siblings

Children get more satisfaction from relationships with their pets than with their brothers or sisters, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. Children also appear to get on even better with their animal companions than with siblings. The fact that pets cannot understand or talk back may even be a benefit as it means they are completely non-judgmental - Matt Cassells The research adds to increasing evidence that household pets may have a major influence on child development, and could have a positive impact on children's social skills and emotional well-being. Pets are almost as common as siblings in western households, although there are relatively few studies on the importance of child-pet relationships. ''Anyone who has loved a childhood pet knows that we turn to them for companionship and disclosure, just like relationships between people,' says Matt Cassells, a Gates Cambridge Scholar at the Department of Psychiatry, who led the study. 'We wanted to know how strong these relationships are with pets relative to other close family ties. Ultimately this may enable us to understand how animals contribute to healthy child development' This study, published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, was conducted in collaboration with the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, part of Mars Petcare and co-funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of a larger study, led by Prof Claire Hughes at the University of Cambridge Centre for Family Research.