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Today’s Pet Product Advertisements have crossed the Rubicon
our preference for animals over humans has gone bestial
I have written before about humanity’s preference for the company of animals over their own species. A message board I belong to had a lengthy exchange over why some people loved the pandemic. The reason? They didn’t have to socialize with other people. I’m certain that the company of pets was central to the mental health of many during lockdown. Particularly, those who sought comfort in their furry friends as opposed to the liquor or cannabis dispensary.
As mental health has assumed a more prevalent place in our understanding of humanity, the evidence of the importance of pets as surrogate mental health workers is everywhere. We now have support animals recognized as essential to the mental health of the fragile. I say this as someone with otherwise emotionally balanced friends who feed their pets anti-depressants and project human anxiety disorders onto Fido. This phenomenon has made its way into the world of the one percent.
Late fashion icon, Karl Lagerfeld, allocated a portion of his estate to his beloved cat, Choupette, to the tune of 1.3 million Euros. That can buy a lot of cat toys. The marking of the passing of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, cannot exclude mention of the loss…
