By Alissa MacMillan
Q: I’ve read before that the carbon footprint of pets is quite high. Are there better and worse ways to care for pets for the sake of the environment?
A: Indeed, the environmental impact of cats and dogs is an area that’s gotten some notice recently, in particular because meat production and consumption is one of the highest carbon emitters, and cats and dogs eat a lot of meat. There are also those plastic bags used to scoop poop, which go straight into landfill.
But animals can be central to our lives, companions and sources of love and joy, and handy for getting rid of extra food scraps. According to Dr. Claire Corridan, a veterinary surgeon and animal behavioural specialist, in Ireland and the UK our relationship to pets has changed over the last few decades.
“Pets have become more part of the family rather than being utilitarian or fulfilling a purpose for a farm or a business,” she explains. With this shift, pets fit in with families in a different way, and “it completely changes the dynamic, from the ethical and welfare perspective.”
Animals can strengthen our connection to the natural environment.
“If you look after animals, you look after people, you look after the world,” Corridan says. But our relationship toward animals is also filled with contradictions. Corridan points to rabbits as a prime example: “we have wild rabbits, rabbits in cages in labs, farmed rabbits that are going to be eaten, and we have pet rabbits. At the end of the day, they are all rabbits and have the same needs and welfare requirements.” There will be different legislation around animals in their different roles, the wild valued the least and the pet rabbits getting vaccinated to be kept alive.
“It’s a paradox,” Corridan adds, “what life individual animals are born into will dictate what kind of life they will have and how humans will treat them.”
Similarly, squirrels are often seen as pests if they’re gray but revered if they are red; badgers, beautiful creatures, helping the environment, and protected by legislation, are seen as aggressive or carriers of TB even though they are terrified of people; and, foxes, beloved as they roam the streets of Dublin, citizens donating money toward saving them, are also caught and killed for sport.
“There are all sorts of conflicting messages,” Corridan says. Often what people are afraid of is “perfectly normal behavior, it’s just that people have a negative reaction.”
“It’s all about perception. We need to have more empathy for animals. We need to think about the world through the perspective of those animals.” They try to stay with a group, they’re frightened of loud noises, they respond to changes in the environment, just like we do.
“Basically, an animal is reacting to the environment and lifestyle that’s being enforced on them by the family and owners,” Corridan says.
In terms of animal welfare and ethics, “even just recognising this,” Corridan notes, “we are influencing policy that will bring in global change.”
10 TO 20 YEAR COMMITMENT
Practically, many ask Corridan whether we should keep cats indoors or let them roam free. One of Corridan’s colleagues thinks cats need to be kept indoors because of the damage they do to wildlife, but “as an animal welfare and behaviour vet, I want cats to be out, they can run and hide and burrow,” Corridan says. As for killing birds, “if they are fit and healthy, they will fly away.”
Indoors, cats need an area that replicates the outdoors where they can get lots of stimulation. Cats will also get stressed if they live with too many other cats, Corridan says. Being indoors 100% of the time can lead to obesity and urinary tract problems, so keep an eye on that. If they are outside, Corridan says that cats do well in higher-traffic areas, where the traffic is constant, as they’ll avoid the road altogether, rather than along roads where there is intermittent traffic.
“Depending on where you live, you need to make a decision on whether or not it’s fair to have a particular type of animal,” she says.
As for meat consumption, “I hear more people trying to get vegetarian or grain-free diets for their animals. There is a trend in that direction.” Corridan doesn’t advise it for cats, but dogs can manage a more mixed diet. She also notes that a lot of people feed their animals raw food diets, but she has some skepticism because of how meat is manufactured and processed in Ireland, so suggests food be cooked to avoid risk of pathogens.
Not overfeeding your pets helps, as does moving away from only beef-based food. As with people, don’t buy plastic toys that will go to waste and, if you use them, go bio-degradable with poo bags.
You might also have heard, “shelters are brimming over,” says Corridan. “You have to remember, pets are a ten-to-twenty-year commitment,” and having them in our lives is no small matter. “Pets are a privilege,” she adds. We should care for them with the same thoughtfulness with which we care for each other, and for the earth.
