Should I Get a Dog or a Cat?
Pandemic Puppy? Cuddle Cat? Think about it, and Get a Rat.
Editor's note: This article deals with 'recreational' pets only, and does not speak to animals of professional purpose such as guide dogs, emotional support animals or those deployed at airport security (list non-exhaustive). Neither does the article intend to shame or slander anyone, it aims to inspire us to broaden our horizon and concept of sustainability beyond just ourselves.
The pandemic has left its acute mark on all of us, while giving rise to challenges that will take years to truly unfold and even more years to combat.
Aside from its obvious impact on physical health, extended lockdowns and separation from family and tribe have taken their toll on our mental health: loneliness is serious. The pandemic puppy won't be a new concept to most of you. Providing comfort to us in time of need, stimulating us to exercise and leave the house, and rewarding us with dopamine as the care of a small living thing tends to do.
And yet...
The summer of 2021 has shown us the consequences of an altered climate. Searing fires around the Mediterranean, deadly floods in central Europe, record temperatures in Seattle, parts of Scandinavia and Siberia. In a media landscape that all too often leverages examples from the global south to illustrate the severity of climate change, recent events must have shown even those seemingly removed from it all: we are all affected, we are all in this together. And we are all accountable.
Climate change, sustainability, global weather patterns, plastic pollution, deforestation, these are all big words. So big in fact, that it can be hard to imagine how the actions of just one small person could possibly change anything at all. Well, let's look into our own backyard for a second shall we, and unpack how big of an impact a seemingly innocent choice like getting a puppy (pandemic or no pandemic) or a cat can have.
This 2021 cartoon by Vox called "Are our pets gobbling up the planet?", which heavily leans on a brilliant piece of research from UCLA's Professor Gregory Okin, illustrates the complex impact our dogs and cats have on the planet beautifully (and certainly more stylishly than my lacking gift for art ever could). I highly recommend giving it a browse, but here are some key facts:
There are an estimated 163 million cats and dogs in the United States alone.
Their meat-based consumption contributes to 64 million tons of greenhouse gases emitted each year, equivalent to 13.6 million cars (averaged fuel economy).
These animals have a share of 25-30% of the environmental impact of meat consumption in the United States.
Waste disposal, packaging, mining for kitty litter clay, meat production in and off itself, it all adds up and the list goes on.
So, if you are answering the question "Should I get a dog or a cat?" with yes (or have already answered it with yes): fantastic, I truly hope that you swill spend phenomenal and wonderful years together. But let's see what we can do to mitigate their environmental impact somewhat, shall we?
Make sure you buy your pet from a shelter, rather than a 'designer' breed. There is a tragic and staggering number of animals in need of a home out there, and we really don't need to breed more do we?
With dogs, consult with your vet and see if and how you can shift them to a (mostly) plant-based diet.
With dogs, get smart (with your local authorities) about the best way to deal with dog poo. Are bio-degradable bags an option, is there a public dog park with proper waste management near you?
With cats, a vegetarian/vegan diet is not an option. But look for feed that uses by-product from the meat-industry as opposed to 'premium cuts', and invest time to research kitty litter from low impact sources.
Or, as the first line of this article suggests, pick a low-impact pet to begin with. Deep breaths: rodents such as rats have a lower food-intake, can live on vegan/vegetarian diets and require less processed foods. And as an animal-loving friend of mine once told me: they are overflowing with personality.
Let's go get it,
Tom Zamzow
PS: One could argue that there are proverbial 'bigger fish to fry' than pet ownership. Yet not all of us have the reach, time and power to e.g. tackle overfishing. But what we do in our own homes, that is something we can and must all start thinking about.