What if the people who prefer animals to humans are right?
80 million. This is the number of pets in France in 2021, according to a Kantar study taken up by Facco (Federation of animal food producers). Among them, about 15 million cats and 7 million dogs. Without a doubt: the French love animals.
Furthermore, in 2016, according to a survey by OpinionWay, 51% preferred to spend time with their dog or cat rather than with their friends. Yet the 30 Million Friends Foundation reports that 100,000 hairballs are left behind each year. “Humans who mistreat animals drive me crazy. Look at everything we put them through when they love us without limits.points out Gabrielle, 28 years old.
Like many others, he is one of those people who say they prefer animals to humans. “They are sincere and transparent, they have no bad intentionshe claims. When you look at humans, you’re destroying the planet, you’re inherently bad, although obviously some people are great.
The animal cannot let us down
Elizabeth, 59, shares her opinion: “The human being acts with the brain, while the animal acts with the heart. He is pure. He doesn’t think about money, for example, he’s not a pervert. To me the human species is stupid, lying, ungrateful, jealous, selfish, petty, violent and pretentious. Animals are humble and ask only for love”. To help her favorite companions, she contributes every month to various foundations such as 30 million friends, the SPA or the Brigitte Bardot Foundation.
We owe it to them, given all the well-being they bring us: it has been shown in particular that living with a dog would increase life expectancy, reducing the risk of mortality from all causes by 24% and by 31% when it comes to cardiovascular causes.
“I’ve experienced so many human betrayals that I feel much safer with my dog.”
For Pierre, 38, it’s his unconditional love for animals that makes these relationships so precious. “Whether I’m sad, angry, or in good shape, the animal loves me the same. Whether I’m rich or poor, he loves me the same. Whether I’m in an apartment or house, landlord or tenant, he loves me equally. Whether I’m black or white, he loves me equallydevelop. Relationships with humans are marked by doubt and uncertainty, while disappointment, sadness and misunderstandings are completely excluded from a relationship with an animal.
Humans who disappoint others, this is the reason most cited by clients of Jean-Yves Gauchet, veterinarian in Toulouse and author of My cat and I treat each other!. This is the case of Maé, 23 years old: “I have known so many betrayals from humans that I feel much more reassured with my dog. When I look at it, I know our love will never waver. After a bad day, I go to his bin and we cuddle for twenty minutes until, sometimes, we fall asleep together.
A reassuring, even saving presence
For Jean-Yves Gauchet it is no coincidence that the cat is the animal most present in French homes: “He’s neat, less constrictive than a dog, and very cuddly. This last point is important, because we all have a tactile deficit, especially if we live alone. However, the cat loves to be stroked, its hair is waiting for it: in its skin, at the base of the hair, there are small receptors that perceive the softness. When he purrs, it’s the icing on the cake.”
Purring is a sound that cats emit to communicate with each other, but which also has beneficial effects on humans, continues the vet, father of the “purr therapy”: “When a cat purrs near us, we produce pheromones, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins that calm us down. It’s like a stress reliever!
“I don’t understand innuendo, I can’t always fit into conversations. So for me communicating with animals is easier.”
That’s why the company of a small feline (or any other pet) can be recommended for people who are anxious, uncomfortable in society, or even if they have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). .
At 20, Zou, in training as a veterinary assistant, lives with chickens, rabbits, a hamster, a cat and horses, and is diagnosed with Asperger’s autism. “I don’t understand innuendo, I can’t always fit into conversationsexplains. So for me communicating with animals is easier. Where humans sometimes say things that don’t match their intentions, the language of animals is more authentic and restful.
In June 2020, the Journal of Autism and Development Disorders published a study confirming that animal-assisted therapy (TAA, also called “zootherapy”) with dogs “may be used to reduce perceived stress and symptoms of agoraphobia and to improve social awareness and communication in adults with ASD”.
Pet therapy is becoming more and more popular
The idea is to use animals (especially dogs and horses) as mediators between caregivers and patients, so as to act not on the purely medical side, but on the management of emotions, stress, communication…
Animal therapy is therefore useful for people with ASD, but not only, says François Beiger, founder of the French Institute of Animal Therapy, who also recommends it in case of Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, learning or language difficulties, depression… “For example, having an older person pet a dog will calm them down and allow them to start a conversation, perhaps talking about the ones they had in childhood”illustrates.
More and more animal therapy is invited to nursing homes or psychiatric hospitals. The turnover of the French Institute of Animal Therapy increased by around 30-40% and last year the structure trained 542 professionals. Proof that discipline is now taken seriously in France and that animals are certainly of great help to us.
Commentaires
Enregistrer un commentaire