Source (original paper)
Hawkins RD, Ellis A, Robinson C. (2025). Exploring the connection between pet attachment and owner mental health: The roles of owner-pet compatibility, perceived pet welfare, and behavioral issues. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314893
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. You may share, reuse, and distribute it if you give appropriate credit.

1. Why did they do this research?

You may have heard that "having a pet makes you feel better." But research results are mixed—some say it helps, others find no difference or even more burden. The researchers thought the reason might be not just "having a pet or not" but what kind of relationship we have with the pet. So they looked at attachment style (how close we want to be or whether we keep some distance), how well we feel we match the pet (compatibility), and whether the pet seems content and whether there are behavior problems. They wanted to test the idea that the "quality" of the relationship might matter more than the fact of having a pet.

2. How was the study done?

Six hundred pet owners aged 18–26 in the UK took a survey (dog-only and cat-only owners included). The survey asked about attachment style, how well they felt they matched the pet in activity and daily life, their view of the pet's quality of life and behavior problems, and their own anxiety and mood. The team used these scores to see how attachment, compatibility, and perceived pet welfare were related to mental health.

3. What did they find?

Dog owners tended to show more secure attachment to their pet than cat owners. Insecure attachment was linked to lower perceived pet quality of life, more reported behavior problems, and lower compatibility. For dogs, the more the owner felt the pet was anxious or sad, or had behavior problems, the more the owner's mental health scores were worse; this link was less clear for cats. Compatibility with the dog, especially in affection and touch, seemed to soften the link between anxious attachment and worse mental health—so the quality of the relationship may matter more than simply having a pet.

4. Why might these links exist?

Time playing, petting, and walking can build a sense of "we fit well," and that can affect our mood. If the pet often seems tense or has many behavior problems, the owner's worry and stress can rise. This was a one-time survey, so we cannot separate cause and effect; it is safer to think of these as "possibly connected."

5. What this study does not say

It does not say that having a pet is always good or always bad. Participants were 18–26 and in the UK, so we must be cautious about other ages and cultures. Owners reported their own feelings, so the same pet could be perceived differently by different owners.

6. What we can take away

It can help to look not only at the pet but at our relationship and how we spend time together. Asking ourselves "Does my pet seem content?" or "Do we have enough time that fits us both?" can be a start. A relationship that works for both is built gradually, together.

In a nutshell

How we relate to the pet, how well we feel we match, and whether the pet seems content can be linked to the owner's mental health. How we attach and how we fit together may matter more than simply having a pet.

Source (CC BY 4.0)
Hawkins RD, Ellis A, Robinson C. (2025). Exploring the connection between pet attachment and owner mental health. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314893
© 2025 The Authors. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).