Owning a pet is both a delight and a considerable responsibility quite akin to being a parent. It is this responsibility that has, according to a recent study, made dog and cat owners more likely to recycle.
Pets and sustainable lifestyles
The study was conducted on 2000 dog and cat owners across the US by OnePoll for ökocat. The study aimed to establish the relationship between owning a pet and living a Greener life.
According to the study, 69% of cat(66%) and dog(74%) owners believed they live a more than averagely sustainable lifestyle. However, while most dog owners said they live a Greener lifestyle, only 44% said they regularly recycle compared to 51% of cat owners who affirmed the same question. Respondents who own both cats and dogs have a hard time sorting their trash, with only 37% saying that they recycle regularly.
According to the study, 94% of pet owners are also making an effort to live more sustainably than they did last year. A surprising 20% admit that they have changed their sustainability habits drastically in the past year, while 42% say that the changes involve buying more environmentally friendly products.
Natural waste disposal
A third of the respondents also say they are putting hair or fur shedding from their pets to better use, like leaving it outside so that birds can use it to build nests or mixing it with the animals’ droppings to make a composite. 46% of cat owners also said they have opted for biodegradable litter bags and similar natural waste disposal methods. Dr.Ruth MacPete, DVM, explains that many people don’t realize that clay and crystal litter don’t decompose. She adds that that’s why it’s important to find options made from a biodegradable material like wood fiber.
According to the poll, participants who own more than one species of pets are more mindful of the environment, with only 33% saying that they have never thought about the impact their pets have on the environment. In contrast, only 51% of cat owners and 44% of dog owners said they consider their pets’ impact on the environment.
