More than 3,400 Kiwis shared insights on their pets' happiness and wellbeing as part of a Companion Animals NZ (CANZ) Survey.

The survey, carried out in July this year, revealed how Kiwi pet owners perceive their pets’ lives and emotions, as well as some of the challenges and concerns they face. Respondents were part of the community of animal guardians (pet owners) with their animal’s microchips registered on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register.

98% of respondents completed the survey about either their cat or dog, with a small number of other species such as horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, birds and reptiles.

Professor Nat Waran, Director of A Good Life Centre at CANZ, says this robust survey provides good information about how Kiwi pet owners perceive their animal’s quality of life.

“At Companion Animals NZ (CANZ), we're committed to understanding what a ‘Good Life’ means for pets and how we can provide the information and support to ensure the wellbeing of animals across the country,” says Professor Waran. “Key to this is understanding how people currently feel about their pet’s lives. Our charity uses an evidence-based approach, using robust research to inform the development of our education and community-based programmes.”

Key facts and insights from the survey

Emotions:

• Whilst 99% of people believed that their animal can experience emotions and 97% of people felt their pets were very happy or quite happy, only 58% of people thought their animal could feel anger.
• Interestingly, 74% of people felt their animals could be sad – but there was less confidence in recognising this emotional state as compared with happiness.
• When asked about what made their cats and dogs happy, most people thought ‘their company’ was of key importance to their animal’s happiness.
• When asked about how they knew their pet was feeling happy, 92% of people believe purring to be a sign of happiness in their cat, and 90% of people believe a wagging tail to be a sign of happiness for their dog.

Pet owner challenges and concerns:

• 26% of people stated cost of living was making it hard for them to meet their animal’s needs.
• Topping the list of the owner’s perceived challenges for cats and dogs was work / life commitments, with 41% of people saying this meant they have to leave their animal alone.
• Another barrier to providing for pet needs that was high on the list for both cat and dog owners was not having enough information about animal emotions.
• When animal owners were asked about their worries about their pet, the top three areas were; their pet being healthy, having adequate mental stimulation and not having enough interaction with their owner.

“It is incredibly valuable to us to understand the viewpoints of such a large number of animal guardians. This will help shape what we do, or provide to help improve companion animal welfare,” continues Professor Waran.

“We understand that caring for a pet comes with significant financial responsibility, and with the rising cost of living, we know many pet owners are feeling the strain as they strive to provide the best for their beloved companions. We are keen to provide information to pet owners concerning ways to make ends meet, whilst still giving their much-loved companions a good life.”

Professor Waran says a big focus for CANZ is also helping people better understand their animal’s emotions.

“This survey found that despite there being a lot more science-based information available about pet behaviour, the time honoured ‘signs’ of animal ‘happiness’ are still very much prominent – with cats purring and dogs wagging tails generally interpreted as sure signs of happiness in a pet. While at certain times and certain situations this can be true, we also now know a lot more about emotional expression in animals and how these two indicators may also be signs of negative welfare such as stress or fear. For animal and human wellbeing, it is important that owners make use of a more nuanced approach when assessing the emotion their pet is experiencing.”

CANZ are committed to supporting owners to enhance their understanding of the emotional life of their pets through sharing credible information. An example of this is the series of free webinars run recently with our CANZ Accredited animal behaviourists and trainers – on a number of topics from pet aggression to recognising when animals are in pain. The recordings of these videos collectively received more than 2,500 views.

CANZ is grateful to all of the animal guardians who responded to the call for information about their pets, and the results of this survey will shape upcoming educational programmes and resources designed to address the challenges and concerns raised by pet owners.

See the results PDF summary here.

(also available via our website here: https://www.companionanimals.nz/2024-a-good-life-survey)

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