Our pets hold a treasured place in our lives, as they become our confidantes, our closest friends, and often our emotional anchors. In many ways, we treat them as members of our family, akin to a newborn welcomed into our homes. It is common to hear pet owners lovingly dub their pets as “fur-kids” or regard themselves as proud “pawrents”.

But sometimes we can harm them by treating them as humans. Anthropomorphism is the practice of attributing human emotional and behavioural traits to non-human beings and objects. And certain anthropomorphic actions, influenced by passing trends, might inadvertently impact an animal’s well-being, both physically and emotionally.