One in ten women claim they love their PET more than their partner, a study has revealed. Nearly a third said their levels of love for their pet were exactly the same as those they harboured for their husband or boyfriend.
Researchers, who polled 2000 women with pets who were in a cohabiting relationship, revealed the extraordinary depths of womens’ feelings towards their beloved animals.
Over half said that they loved their pet more after they had had a row with their other half, and 39% said their feelings increase for their furry friends when they get no affection from their man.
One in ten of those who confessed to caring more for their animal did have the good grace to feel guilty – although a more hardened 41% said they didn’t feel bad.
It’s not surprising then that a whopping 81% of women said they consider their pets as part of the family, the poll by animal welfare charity the Brooke revealed.
In fact 14% of women even said they were considering getting a tattoo of their pet’s name.
A spokeswoman for the Brooke animal charity said:
”It’s heart-warming to learn how loved the nation’s pets are.
”Even the most perfect relationships have off- days so you can understand how women might love their pets just that little bit more after a disagreement with their partner.
”Perhaps a frustration for women is also that they expect less of their pets but are still rewarded with endless affection and loyalty.
”Pets can’t answer back with sarcastic comments or moan about the state of the house so it’s easy to have a blissful relationship with a pet, which can’t always been said of human relationships.”
And 38% of women said there would be a bitter custody battle over the pet if they were to ever split up with their partner, as in 54% of cases the animal is jointly owned.
18% of couples said they often row over the animals in the house.
But 40% said their pet never annoys them, and more than half said it would be a ‘deal-breaker’ if a partner did not get on with their pet.
The study found a third of females let their pet sleep on their bed and 16% let them sleep IN the bed.
Four in ten confess to regularly rewarding their pet with treats and 17% will lavish them with presents on Christmas Day.
A spokeswoman for the Brooke added:
”As Brits, we are a nation of animal-lovers and these results show that the bond we share with our pets is very strong indeed.
”We know from our work in some of the poorest communities in the world that this bond transcends culture, age and economic background.”
