Kate Cavanagh BVSc MRCVS

Perhaps due to an increase in time spent at home, or the desire for company, it is claimed (by Direct Line) that 5.7 million new pets were bought between the beginning of lockdown in March and the start of September.&nbs…

Although there’s no cure for autism, research suggests that pets can be beneficial to wellbeing and may help adults and children with autism cope better. …

Winter can be hard for elderly people, and elderly pets suffer more too.  Cats are considered elderly from 11 years of age, dogs at 7, but this depends on breed. Just as in humans, age brings changes: reduced smell,…

The recent months have been a strain for most. One of the positives, personally, has been reinforcing the special bond I have with my own cat. 90% of pet owners see their pet as part of the family and I am not alone as i…

Stress can be highly infectious within a species, and it’s also thought pets may mirror our mental state. Humans and dogs, for example, have been living together for 15,000 years, sharing a unique relationship and bond.

This idea has a ‘whiff’ of the far-fetched about it, but it’s deadly serious. Dogs are already used to detect cancer cells, explosives, drugs, and people. From the UK to Australia, researchers are devising studies and tr…