Love Your Pet Day: 10 Ways They Wish You Would

Love Your Pet Day is not just once a year, it’s every day. Nevertheless, who can resist a little bit of added festivity with the official Love Your Pet Day this 20 Feb!

To celebrate, we’ve done our homework on the top 10 ways your pet wishes you loved them. We couldn’t find a pet translator device (that wasn’t a scam), but we’ve done the next best thing. We’ve completed several surveys with pet parents, taken expert advice from vets, and talked to animal specialists!

We compiled all our findings in one place – right here. Find out how to love your pet with these 10 top results…

1. Sleep with them in your bed

It’s a rare fur kid that doesn’t love to snuggle their pet parent in the dark of night… Our animal insiders tell us this is one of the key ways your pet wishes you showed you loved them. If you’re not already, that is.

Pet fur up your nose and midnight paws to the head aside, there are many positives to this for us humans. Pets have the magical and medical ability to spike our happy hormones and reduce our heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol. They’re like miracle drugs.

Many of us only have time to spend with our pets on weekends and evenings. So why not capitalise on the remaining time when we’re asleep to be close to our pets. Our survey shows a whopping 73% of pet parents already benefit from this. Clearly, they know what princess Jasmine knows – keep your tiger close.

Find out why you should be sleeping with your dog (or cat) in your bed.

2. Spay and neuter your pets

You may not know it, but spaying and neutering pets can significantly improve their quality of life. 

Desexing your cat before their first heat can reduce their chance of mammary/breast cancer by seven-fold. Mammary cancer affects both male and female cats and dogs but it’s most prevalent in females, and it’s often malignant. Desexing your dog has similar benefits. The risk of testicular cancer for male cats and dogs is entirely removed if they’re neutered, for instance.

However, this needs to be a decision made with your vet’s guidance. Have the procedure done too early and it can actually be a risk factor for cancer, whereas too late might be too late. Your vet will help guide on timing, based on your pet’s type, breed, health and gender.

Will they roam for another pet to love?

Back on the flipside, there are other risks with not desexing – like accidents that happen to pets who are out roaming looking for a ‘friend’. Pets get very vocal (aka loud) when they’re on heat. Then they’ll spray random parts of your house (not the litterbox) to send pheromone signals to would-be-mates.

In New Zealand, many unwanted animals are euthanised every week because shelters are overpopulated. Some of these shelters recently spoke out about the toll of the rise in abandoned and lost stray dogs and cats. Then in summer there’s a further increase in unwanted pets. And sadly, many of them are the offspring of indiscriminate breeding.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t let your meow or woof have kittens or puppies. But if you are going to, make sure it’s a well-informed decision rather than an educated (or not) guess.

3. Love your pet with routine pet care

Routine pet care is like a beauty regime – it’s a handful of actions that follow a routine and improve quality of life. You may think, “cat’s in the bag, I’ve definitely got these basics covered.” But in the day-to-day of a busy professional/parent/chef, these can sometimes fly out the window.

So, a quick recap won’t do us any harm:

• Flea and tick prevention: fleas and ticks bite humans too, so it’s beneficial to you and your fur kid to use a flea treatment in NZ. Chat to your vet about product and maintenance plan decisions
• Dental care: dirty breath can indicate gum disease and/or tooth rot. Regular cat and dog teeth cleaning (aka brushing) and a healthy diet are important in prevention. Plus it’s cheaper than fixing the problem afterwards
• Pet vaccinations: baby pets need basic protection from viruses and other illnesses. Once they’re older, they need booster vaccinations
• Worming: this rids your pet of icky-crawly intestinal parasites and should be done approximately every three months
• Grooming: lots of cats/dogs need regular nails trimming and fur brushing. Dogs need to be bathed often but don’t give your cat a bath unless they’re a breed that needs it or they’re filthy dirty

When it comes to pets, a ‘beauty regime’ is really another way of staying healthy and happy 😊.

If you’re a new pet parent, you may want more than this recap. You’ll zoom to success with our five routine pet care focuses for your new puppy or kitten.

4. Pamper your cat to show pet love

Cats live to be pampered. They may seem independent, but at heart they’re really aching to also be called our best friends. Not only is pampering a way to bond with your feline, it also keeps them happy (aka healthy).

Our top 10 ways to pamper your cat – dog people don’t go, the next one’s for you – include sharing your space, grooming regularly, cooking up some homemade cat treats, giving them a high safe perch area, kitty playdates, cat massages and more.

You may also want to look into popular pet care products for pampered kitties and ethical gifts for your pets.

5. Train your puppy to show you love them

Puppies love training time. It means dedicated one-on-one time with their human.

Basic puppy training tips involve sit, stay and come at the top of the list. These commands are also used as the foundations for more complex instructions. In other words, they’re like the A, B, Cs of puppy training. Once puppy learns them it’s a hop and a skip to writing prose, aka doing more advanced commands.

Toilet training your puppy is another basic your puppy needs for everyday life. Once pooch identifies his spot, he’ll do his duties in the same place every day. Help him find the right spot early on. Give him a guiding paw toward the garden or similar place of poop for a happy (read: hygienic) household.

Once you’ve got the basics down you can move onto learning easy dog training tricks, like give me five (or paw). Also check out our tips on how to find a puppy school in New Zealand. There are probably schools for cats in your region, too. Try it. We dare you.

6. Avoid toxic things

Most sweet tooth-ers with a furry family member know chocolate isn’t good for dogs or cats. No Easter eggs for them this year or any, please – despite the begging.

But did you know that some low-calorie, wholesome foods like onions can be toxic for pets too? You’ve just managed to get your human child to eat avocado, garlic, and corn? Be sure to keep these same foods off your fur kid’s menu.

So many dietary requirements under one roof! But not to worry. We’ve made a list of things that can poison your pet from foods to plants, so you don’t have to.

Also, be mindful that certain times of the year – like Christmas – introduce a new set of inedible foods (and decorations) to the mix. Be sure to find out which Christmas dangers for pets you need to be aware of well in advance.

7. Be mindful of your pet’s and vet’s mental health

Something pet parents are becoming more mindful of is anxiety in pets. Lots of pets experience separation anxiety as lockdowns ease (bit of a revolving door, isn’t it) and mum and dad go back to the office.

In fact, our latest research has found this comes in at number five on the pet hazards parents worry about most (i.e. aside from the physical health worries):

• 59% – getting run over by cars
• 57% – escaping and getting lost or hurt
• 49% – being stolen
• 46% – getting into a fight with another animal
• 33% – emotional issues from me being at work/elsewhere

Anxiety in pets and vets is real

Separation anxiety in pets affects both dogs and cats. Unchecked, it can lead to pet behavioural problems like spraying, eating your sofa or running away. Each of which could lead to a serious accident and visits to the vet.

Monitoring and managing the risks here mean your appointments can just be for routine check-ups rather than fixing problems. And did you know this is also good for your vet? Because pet health affects vet mental health.

Vets face severe burnout and face higher suicide rates than people in other professions. They’re under enormous stress. They work long hours, perform serious operations, and often have to euthanise pets. Vets also face the sadness of having to turn away pet parents who can’t afford treatments because they don’t have pet insurance.  

Giving your pet a healthy lifestyle also helps your vet. They can support your pet’s wellbeing through routine check-ups rather than fixing something once it becomes a problem.

8. Take pets on holidays

More than half of our pet parenting research respondents include their fur babies on holiday adventures. 62% make some or all holidays a ‘full’ family affair, with more than one in three of these people (38%) having paid extra for pet-friendly accommodation in the past.

Many of the best outdoorsy holiday destinations are pet friendly. Think of places like bushland camping spots, coastal guest houses and family farms. So why not love your pet by taking them travelling..?

Bringing your pet with you will give you that uber sense of home away from home. You’ll bond and get to see the world through their eyes. You’ll need these tips for travelling with pets and be sure to book ahead to make sure your accommodation is as fur baby friendly as you need it to be.

If you’ve decided on a road trip, check out our simple ways to pet proof your car like a pro as well as some top spots for a luxury pet vacation or pampering,

9. Get a pet friend for your fur kid

Two is better than one – and this is often true of pets and people (and chocolate and coffee). Our cats and dogs love us unconditionally, but let’s face it, we’re not furry and we only have two legs.

According to our recent Love Your Pet Day research, 18% of pet parents have shown their pet love by getting them a pet friend. If your pet has a pet pal, they’re far less likely to get separation anxiety when you’re at work. And they probably won’t have pent up zoomies to unleash on you when you arrive home.

Perhaps you can adopt or foster a dog or cat? A slight majority of respondents in one of our pet parenting surveys said they’ve already adopted a shelter cat or a dog at some point in their life (51%), which is wonderful. Even more heartening is that 82% said they’re open to adoption in the future.

Read about kitten and cat first time introduction for new feline friends and also find out about introducing a new dog to resident dogs.

Alternatively, why not send your pup to a daycare centre for some bonding time with other pets! Read how to choose the doggy daycare your doggy deserves. Your cat, on the other hand, probably will want to stay in its familiar surroundings. That’s why cat daycare isn’t really a thing!

10. Get pet insurance to show your pet love

Pet insurance is a way of caring about your pet now and into the future. Pets have double the amount of feet we do and they’re double as fast, so are they double as likely to get hurt? Possibly.

With pet insurance, you can really focus on your pet’s love without worrying about what might happen. Because if something does occur, you’ll be able to get them the medical attention they deserve. Pet insurance can cover medication, non-routine vet visits, third party liability, tests, treatment for accident and injury, dental care and lots more.