Who Do You Love More, Your Pet or Your Human?
If you have a dog or cat, I’m betting that you frequently look them in the eyes and tell them you love them.
Iams, the pet food company, found that 91 percent of customers answering a survey admitted whispering those three little words to their furry friends.
When going through difficult times in my last relationship, I remember talking to my partner through the cat. I would say thing like, “Mr. Peeper says we never eat together anymore.” He would reply, “Tell Mr. Peeper that you are never home to eat with him.”
I am a woman with three advanced degrees in communications and psychology, yet I still struggle at times using direct communications with those I most love. Fortunately, I am not speaking through my cat in my current relationship, so I am improving. Yet I probably do tell Mooch I love him more often than I tell my partner even though I am very affectionate.
Pets can help fill in the companionship that might be missing in our lives. Yet if we have a chance to strengthen our human relationships with deep conversations and frequent shows of affection, shouldn’t we commit more of our time to this?
Don’t get so busy or let conflicts in your relationships fester to the point that you aren’t connecting on a regular basis.
After reading the Iams survey results, I am committing to look my partner in the eyes and tell him I love him more often. How about you?
I love dogs more than just about anything else, however I don’t have one due to my erratic work schedule.
I do happen to verbally communicate my loving feelings to my husband quite frequently, and wish he would do the same! Maybe it’s a man-thing, maybe it’s just a him-thing, but I guess he’s more comfortable to communicate his love through actions, not words. Nevertheless it’s a bit frustrating as I’d like to hear those words!
its very frustrating when your partner comes home and gives the pet more attention then he does to you. what do i do? i dont want to seem selfish or mean. what hurts more that i want the pet to become an outdoor pet but my partner wont have a bar of it, this tells me he is choosing his pet over me. I cant get a word in.
Sounds like something is missing in your communications and intimacy. When we spend more time on our pets than on our mates, we often are afraid to talk about something. Have you tried counseling? You might need someone to create a safe space for your partner to talk about what he doesn’t feel he can say to your face.