ENVIRONMENT | PERSPECTIVE
Our Pets Have a Significant Ecological Paw Print
How serious is the problem and what can we do about it?
We’re always told to be greener — not to use plastics, recycle, buy local and seasonal products. But what about our pets? We dedicate a lot of time, money and attention to our four-legged friends. We buy them good quality food, take them to the groomers, get them toys and accessories. All of this contributes to an increase in waste products and harmful gases. It’s also important to remember that cats and dogs are natural predators. As such, their impact on local wildlife shouldn’t be underestimated.
Diet
We care more about our pets’ diets than ever before. Sadly, that also means we feed them way too much and give them foods that would otherwise be suitable for human consumption (Fleeman and Owens 2007, Swanson et al. 2013). Our cats and dogs used to eat mainly table scraps but these days commercial pet food is the norm.
Due to large numbers of pets and their nutrient-rich diets, it’s reasonable to assume that the environmental impact of our companion animals is far greater than we imagine.
Similarly to human foods, modern pet food formulations are based on consumer demand (high nutritional values…
