I care about animals, says Laura Marcus. I hate zoos, I won’t eat veal and I’m against the badger
cull. I love creatures great and small. But what I find very hard to explain to people, harder than not
wanting to have children, is that I don’t like pets. In fact, I just can’t understand why anyone would
want to “own” one. Every time I read about the Queen’s love of her corgis, for example, I feel a
“vague sense of confusion”. What’s it all about? Pet lovers say their pets are part of the family,
but they aren’t, you know. You didn’t give birth to them, they can’t talk back, they can’t feel for
you. Sure, your dog gives you a slobbery greeting when you get back from work but that’s
because he’s been starved of any company and he’s hungry. “If you imagine for one second that
your cat really gives a damn about your feeling then you’re sorely misguided.” She doesn’t love
you; she’s trapped by you. “Owning” a pet is about control: you could control a human in the
same way (Sit!). As I say, I love animals, but a real animal lover surely wouldn’t treat an animal
as a personal possession.
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