Pampered Or Spoiled? Make Amends Right Away!
Cuddling, kissing and pampering our furry friends is fun but how will you feel if you are told that this over indulgence is actually bad! Don’t worry folks, our list covers all the ways you can bond with your four-legged child rightly.
In your mind, allowing your dog, cat, or other pet to kiss—OK, lick—you on the mouth may seem like a natural expression of affection. Your furry baby fills your life with love and joy; what's a little slobber? Or maybe you're absolutely repulsed by the thought but have a determined pet who always lunges for your mouth, ready to lick to their heart's content. Either way, should you be concerned for your health if your pet is basically always trying to make out with you? We were curious about where science stood on this behaviour, so we have found out how bad it really is to let your pet kiss you on the mouth.
The internet is brimming with videos of traumatised cats who wince when a rescuer attempts to patch up their wounds; dogs who stop wagging their tails and retreat into a shell the moment they meet their abusive human parent. Pets who can’t seem to walk straight on smooth surfaces happens because they are being crushed under the burden of their own weight.
To understand the oft-ignored world of toxicity we inhabit along with our pets and how we can work on fixing it, and learning their abusive patterns the hard way. We have compiled everything you need so dive right in!
Certain breeds of pets come with their own set of mental health issues.
Pets always need care, regardless of age
Pet parents often end up assuming that animals don’t require any special care after they grow up. Even the hugs, kisses and selfies peter out after the pet’s age. Pets always need our care, and it is very negligent on our part to take their health for granted and assume they can take care of themselves after a certain age.
Always get therapy before adopting pets
Pet owners often end up taking out all the stress from work and family on their pets, often without knowing that they are projecting their own anxieties onto them. A majority of pet parents don’t even realise what is happening and then think the animal is at fault which is untrue. Animals only feed into the emotions of their owners and behave accordingly. If the pet parent is stressed, the animal reacts in a way that might be unpleasant.
However, we are here to clarify that certain breeds of pets come with their own set of mental health issues simply by virtue of how exotic they are since they feel out of place for various environmental and biological reasons. For instance, if a family which has been going through aggressive property battles that affected the dog to the point where he/she tends to urinate everywhere and destroy the furniture because they had stopped feeding on time and taking out for walks.
Have a stable daily routine
Often, pets act up when their owners have a chaotic work-life balance since they end up being ignored and fed out of schedule. We often brush off the valid needs of our pets as attention-seeking behaviour. We must always view them as little children that don’t need excessive pampering but just the bare minimum—consistently. If you can’t be available physically, make alternative arrangements. Locking them up in a cage and stepping out is not a permanent solution. Imagine leaving your one-month-old toddler alone; could you ever bring yourself to do that?
Train and discipline your pets
Also cautions against over-pampering your pets because even a slight reduction in cuddling them will then be met with aggression. It’s the little things—like not feeding them food while you're at the dining table because the stomach of a dog is literally the size of a cricket ball, or not allowing your dog to suffocate you with affection every time so that he doesn’t jump on every second visitor. “It’s all about cultivating good habits so that these indulgences don't end up becoming long-term behavioural issues.
Germ factor
On just an overall level of cleanliness, [kissing your pet's mouth is] not good. Let's start with the uncomfortable but obvious truth: Your pet's mouth is filthy. Cats and dogs use their mouths for a lot of less-than-sterile activities, like mopping up that spill on the kitchen floor, checking out dead birds on the sidewalk, and, of course, licking excess poop. As a result, your pet's mouth is coated in all sorts of unsavoury specimens that it's kind of gross to imagine squirming around in your mouth.
From the May 2024 issue of FHM India.
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