It makes “perfect sense” that many people prefer their pets to their partners, an animal behaviour expert has said. 

A recent poll commissioned by OnePet found that 36% of Gen Zers get more joy from seeing their pet happy than they do with their partner.

By contrast, 21% of Gen Zers prefer their partner.

Speaking to Henry McKean for Moncreiff, Rachel Quigley said she was not surprised by the survey’s results.

“It makes perfect sense that most people would prefer their cat or their dog to their partner,” she said.

“[Pets are] very good at picking up on human emotions.

“They will pick up the cues from us from our body language and they can then temper their emotions and their responses to us based on that - which is a really wonderful gift that they give us.

“So, if we’re feeling a bit low, often our pet will be able to perceive that and interact with us in a way that will be soothing for us.”

Maine-coon cat eating from bowl. 05/10/2023. Image: Alamy.com

One man who puts pets at the centre of his life is Ray Sheewin who has two cats of his own and fosters a further three.

The sound of kittens bouncing around the house is often the first thing he hears in the morning and finds looking after them all “very relaxing”.

Ray previously had a dog as well and was not surprised to learn that so many people prefer their animals to their partners.

“Catherine would be like that, my partner,” he said.

“She looks after the animals very, very well - they come first.”

'They're always happy'

Eoin Cashin is another cat lover and recently bought a new kitten, Cal, to give his four-year-old cat someone to play with.

The pair are house cats and Eoin said Cal in particular is “very clingy” and likes to follow him around.

Like Ray, he is also unsurprised to hear that many people prefer pets to humans.

“They’re always happy when you come home,” he said.

“They don’t give me chores, they don’t give me stuff to do or shopping lists.

“Cats are happy and when I sit down, they jump up and snuggle with me.

“So, it’s good fun.”

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Main image: A dog and owner. Picture by: Alamy.com