Fantastic Pets ...and Their Eco-Facts!

1. PET FOOD

Feeding our pets – particularly CATS AND DOGS – creates over 64 million tons of carbon dioxide every year (ouch!). MEATY PET FOOD is the culprit: 25-30% of the environmental impact of meat eating comes from pet food. And the pet food market shows no signs of slowing down. Globally, it is worth a whopping 94 billion dollars (that’s over £71 billion). So, what’s on the menu?

2. POOP

Dog poop is more than sticky and stinky. It can be full of unpleasant bacteria, such as e-coli, tapeworm, hookworm and all sorts of yuck. Cat poop has some even nastier nasties. It all needs to be carefully disposed of. In 2018, there were 900 million DOGS in the world, with nearly nine million dogs in the UK alone. Our pets are producing record quantities of POOP – approximately one million tons every year in the UK.

3. BAD CATS?

This is curious… Every year, cats kill billions of birds, mammals and reptiles worldwide. In the UK, they kill at least 55 million birds. Strangely, there is no scientific evidence that bird numbers are dropping. In fact, garden bird numbers are increasing. UK bird species under threat (such as skylarks) are suffering due to things like habitat loss. Nothing to do with cats!

PETS ARE FANTASTIC!

• A pet makes you feel valued, needed and loved.
• Caring for a pet gives you a sense of purpose.
• Your dog gives you unconditional love.
• Sociable: walking a dog in the park gets you out and about.
• Mental health: owning a pet is calming and relaxing, and just stroking a cat reduces anxiety.
• Children: living with a pet teaches responsibility and kindness.
• Exercise: dog walking keeps YOU fit and healthy, as well as your dog! Dogs and cats are brought into hospitals and schools to HELP relax patients and children.

BE A GREEN PET OWNER

• 1. Put a bell on your cat’s collar to warn birds.
• 2. Adopt a pet, don’t buy one – plenty need new homes.
• 3. Scoop the poop – but also ask your local council to invest in some poop-powered street lighting! Or a sustainable poop-composting plant.
• 4. DIET – choose chicken or duck based food over beef to reduce the carbon pawprint.
• 5. FOOD PACKAGING – avoid those indestructible plastic pouches! Billions end up in landfill every year. Go for paper-wrapped food and recyclable trays and tins instead.

Enjoyed reading this feature? Find out more about your favourite pets in issue 54, Fantastic Pets!