Few myths have caused as much damage to interspecies coexistence as that between dogs and cats. For decades they have been described as natural enemies, irreconcilable by instinct, while ethology shows the opposite, namely that they are animals with different, but not opposed, social strategies. Dogs, due to their evolutionary history with humans, are cooperative, gregarious, and extremely sensitive to bonding, while cats, more autonomous and territorial with other felines, do not perceive a dog as a direct competitor for resources. What determines whether they get along well or poorly is not the species, but the environment, experiences, and how humans present and manage them.
This fundamental compatibility is now supported by large-scale scientific data. He Dog Aging Projecta collaboration between the universities of Arizona and Washington State, analyzed data from 21,410 dogs undertaken in the United States to study how social and environmental conditions influence their health. The conclusions are very clear: dogs who live with other animals, whether dogs, cats or other species, enjoy better overall health and show fewer signs of premature aging than those who live alone.
The power of business
This discovery is important because it confirms an intuition that many caregivers had already observed, namely that dogs are happier and more stable when they have company, even if that company is not their own species. In multi-pet households, researchers found a significant correlation between the presence of another companion and better physical and emotional condition.
It must be emphasized that this advantage did not depend on the species of the other animal, but that it was enough for the dog to have someone with whom interact regularly. Social contact, non-verbal communication, shared games or simply the presence of another living being seem to act as a buffer against stress and inactivity.
More important than money
According to the authors, the effect of social interaction turned out to be five times more powerful than that of economic factors of the house. In other words, emotional stability and social contacts have a much greater impact on canine health than income level or available material resources.
In contrast, environments facing economic hardship or family instability were associated with poorer physical mobility and more illness. The age of the caregiver also played a role, and dogs owned by younger people had healthier physical condition, likely due to a higher shared activity level.
Effects of isolation
Behind these figures lies an understanding of how domestic dogs live and feel. As social animals, they need interaction routines and an emotionally stimulating environment. At the other extreme, prolonged solitude, particularly in homes where they spend many hours without company, generates boredom, frustration and chronic stressconditions that deteriorate their health in the same way as in humans.
On the other hand, living with another animal provides them with constant sensory stimuli and a feeling of belonging which promotes their psychological balance. The benefits are not limited to the emotional level, movement, play and mutual supervision also help to maintain better physical shape.
Multi-species houses, a model of well-being
The benefits also extend to cats and other cohabiting animals. The study suggests that, in well-managed multi-species households, coexistence can reduce stress for everyone involved. It is not a question of humanizing the relationship, but of recognizing that loneliness is not natural for dogs and that offering them company is a concrete form of well-being.
Beyond its practical value, this work of Dog Aging Project has the ambition to understand healthy aging in social species and to find parallels between humans and dogs. Since we both share an environment, illnesses, and emotional reactions, understanding how bonding and support network influence canine longevity can also offer valuable clues about our own health.
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