In Spain there are more than 13 million registered pets, with cats and dogs being the favorites
says the writer Eva Polanski that the most valuable things in life have been learned from cats. Author of several bestsellers felines, published in different countries and languages, the last one, a complete sales success in Italy, where he resides, has just been translated into our language under the seal of La Esfera de los Libros. The cat that told me I love you is an autofiction set in the months of the pandemic, whose protagonist crosses the tangled and tender stories of different lives that, like hers, have been suspended. And he does it far from his home in Tuscany and his loved ones, but with the company of a new feline friend.
Without resorting to fiction, in real life, the weeks of confinement confirmed what many already knew. Specifically, those who live with the more than 13 million pets that today there are registered in Spain, being cats and dogs the favorites. According to the conclusions of a study coordinated by Elena Ratschen, from the University of York, the company of animals seemed to mitigate some of the psychological effects of Covid-19.
Between April and June 2020, nearly 6,000 people in the UK were surveyed for this report. Specifically, of the 5,926 participants who answered the questionnaire on aspects related to mental health, well-being, loneliness and human-animal interactions, 5,323 (89.8%) had at least one pet. From this study, “the role of companion animals as possible social buffers for psychological distress and loneliness, regardless of the species” can be deduced, among other conclusions.
Another survey, carried out by the Affinity Foundation in Spain with some 2,000 participants, reveals that 73% of those interviewed consider that the fact of Living with your dog or cat helped you better cope with the effects of isolation. While 71% say that being with their pet helped them feel less lonely, 68% say that being able to pet it helped them in those moments when physical contact was so limited. In addition, almost 60% of those interviewed confessed that the responsibility of caring for their animal encouraged them to carry on with their day to day.
Hormones such as serotonin, essential in regulating moods, have a lot to do with this. In this same line, different publications attribute to those who own pets lower cortisol levels, better blood pressure and also lower chances of suffering from depression. As Polanski says, four-legged friends too. “Just pay attention to them and listen, inside yourself, what they say.”
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