What is pet: Definition and 65 Discussions

A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/cute appearances, intelligence, and relatable personalities, but some pets may be taken in on an altruistic basis (such as a stray animal) and accepted by the owner regardless of these characteristics.
Two of the most popular pets are dogs and cats. Other animals commonly kept include rabbits; ferrets; pigs; rodents such as gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas, rats, mice, and guinea pigs; birds such as parrots, passerines, and fowls; reptiles such as turtles, lizards, snakes, and iguanas; aquatic pets such as fish, freshwater snails, and saltwater snails; amphibians such as frogs and salamanders; and arthropod pets such as tarantulas and hermit crabs. Small pets may be grouped together as pocket pets, while the equine and bovine group include the largest companion animals.
Pets provide their owners, or guardians, both physical and emotional benefits. Walking a dog can provide both the human and the dog with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction. Pets can give companionship to people who are living alone or elderly adults who do not have adequate social interaction with other people. There is a medically approved class of therapy animals that are brought to visit confined humans, such as children in hospitals or elders in nursing homes. Pet therapy utilizes trained animals and handlers to achieve specific physical, social, cognitive, or emotional goals with patients.
People most commonly get pets for companionship, to protect a home or property, or because of the perceived beauty or attractiveness of the animals. A 1994 Canadian study found that the most common reasons for not owning a pet were lack of ability to care for the pet when traveling (34.6%), lack of time (28.6%), and lack of suitable housing (28.3%), with dislike of pets being less common (19.6%). Some scholars, ethicists, and animal rights organizations have raised concerns over keeping pets because of the lack of autonomy and the objectification of non-human animals.

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  1. kyphysics

    Does Radiation from X-Rays/CT Stay in Body Forever (Risks)?

    I'm slightly confused by what medical professionals/scientists say when they say to limit exposure to x-rays/CT/PET, etc. scans if possible, due to radiation. I'm also confused as to why we're often told to leave the room when a relative is getting such a scan, given that medical staff that...
  2. jim mcnamara

    Perseverance lander has a pet rock....

    Sort of. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10897341/NASAs-Mars-Perseverance-rover-pet-rock-thats-hitching-ride.html
  3. AJSayad

    Other Taking Care of a Pet while in Grad School

    Hi everyone, This may (or may not) be a silly question to ask but I figured I would throw it up on here and see where it takes me. I'm a senior ME major and I am currently looking into and applying to MAE (ME/Aerospace) PhD programs and I was wondering if it would be possible/realistic to take...
  4. Orodruin

    A Is 'Local Flatness' the Right Term for Describing Spacetime?

    I see many posts by several different people referring to spacetime being "locally flat" with the intended meaning of being locally indistinguishable from Minkowski space, i.e., being able to rewrite the metric on orthonormal form and not being able to measure curvature on some local scale. I do...
  5. BillTre

    Will Pet Cloning become the Test Bed for Vertebrate Germline Transformation

    After reading this NY Times article on the possibility of cloning pets becoming a viable business in China, I was wondering if it might also become an area where germline modification might be more extensively tested and worked out. Why this might happen in China: large size of domestic pet...
  6. riodice

    Question about PET scans (Positron emission tomography)

    I understand that a PET scan will produce Positrons which will come into contact with an electron and produce Gamma rays in the area where there is a high uptake of sugar (assume glucose). In this process of annihilating an electron, some poor atom will lose an electron which I assume would...
  7. Greg Bernhardt

    Lingusitics Pet Peeves of your native language

    There are so many bizarre traits of the English language, but for me the concept of Homographs, Homophones and Homonyms take the cake for me. It must drive English as a second language leaners bonkers! Homographs are words that are spelled alike, but have different meanings and sometimes...
  8. S

    Pet microchip formats & scanners

    Just some remarks for USA pet owners - not a particular question: My casual impression of pet microchip scanners was that they detect pet microchips - meaning I had the simplistic idea that there was some standard for pet microchips and that all scanners would detect all chips. However, in...
  9. S

    Math Pet Peeves: Share Yours Here!

    From another forum I once learned the English expression pet peeve. More and more I realize that in fact I host a whole animal shelter of mathematical (in the broad sense) pet peeves and, maybe worse, sometimes I am causing them to others. In this thread I would like to hear about yours. To...
  10. Mark44

    Lingusitics Language pet peeve -- mano a mano in Spanish

    This is a phrase I hear from time to time from people who obviously don't know what it means. These people mistakenly believe it means "man to man" as in a confrontation between two men. The direct translation is "hand to hand," and describes close-quarters combat using swords or the like. The...
  11. Giada

    I In PET scanners, why is a cyclotron used to make positrons?

    Why could you not use a non-linear accelerator, like the LHC (but obviously nowhere as big)? Would it non be able to produce positrons more quickly because it can obtain larger fractions of the speed of light in a smaller period of time?
  12. Noisy Rhysling

    Any pet odor removers that actually work?

    Too many on the market, too many promises. Is there certain chemicals that I should look for when I'm shopping for pet odor removal products? Move okay. (Chemistry? General?)
  13. Noisy Rhysling

    Your candidate for a space pet

    Please help me flesh this out: You share a "long haul" freighter with six-ten other people. Everybody can have one pet that runs lose (cats, ferrets, etc.) or more that are permanently confined to the person's private living space. (Gold fish would be an example of the latter.) Tribbles are...
  14. Greg Bernhardt

    Biggest science or math pet peeve

    Could be a common wrong definition or an ineffient way to solve a certain equation. I don't know, what in science and math bugs you? Educators should fill this thread! :D
  15. T

    Carcinogenic Pet Food: Study Findings & Impact on Pets

    After reading on the World Health Organization's warning that processed meat is carcinogenic (in humans), even in small daily doses, I went on to investigate if this finding also applies to pets, and found this study: "Twenty-five commercial pet foods were analyzed for mutagenicactivity using...
  16. B

    A PET scanners -- SNR versus NECR....

    In PET, 2D PET scanners have a superior SNR to 3D PET scanners as the influence of scatter and random events is lowered by the septa between detector rings. However, the NECR (noise-equivalent count rate), which is linearly proportional to SNR, is higher in 3D PET scanners. These two facts seem...
  17. klotza

    Insights The Basics of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) - Comments

    klotza submitted a new PF Insights post The Basics of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
  18. B

    PET Imaging Resolution: Lower E(max) for Superior Image Resolution

    Hi, my lecturer said that in PET imaging, the image resolution is superior when the E(max) of the positrons is lower. Why should this be? Thanks
  19. P

    Why isn't my laminator sticking PET thin films together at high temperatures?

    Hi all, I am trying to laminate two ITO-coated PET thin films together with heating (I believe the temperature generated by my laminator is above 80 Celsius degree), but they did not stick together even a little bit. I have checked online for a few articles, laminating PET with heating (above...
  20. B

    PET Imaging - negative distance on a sinogram?

    What is meant by a negative distance on a sinogram in PET imaging? http://frcrphysics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/PET-sinogram.jpg In this image displacement can be +ve or -ve. What would a -ve distance be? Thanks
  21. davenn

    Warden, They are my pet fish

    Thursday Funny :smile: A man get stopped by a game warden with his basket full of fish. Warden: do you have a permit for all these fish? Man: no sir. These are all my pet fish. Warden: your pet fish? How's that? Man: well, every night I take all my pet fish for a walk to the lake, I let...
  22. J

    If my pet hamster buys foreign currency with U.S. currency,

    then buys back the U.S. currency when it has depreciated against the currency he bought, and conducts all these transactions with paper currency, has he safely avoided having to report this gain as income?
  23. F

    Applying Physics to find lost pet

    All: I'm hoping you can assist me with this problem. My cat darted out the door and has been missing for two weeks. I recently had a sighting and would like to narrow down the search perimeter in order to try to locate my cat. So...I thought perhaps physics gurus may be interested in helping...
  24. A

    One type of pet as good as another?

    One type of pet as good as another?? An australian dog owner received quite a shock the other day, when she opened up the dog house to let the Chihuahua out. Instead of a little dog, a 2.5 metres long python was there instead. It was still fastened to the dog chain, though by way of mouth...
  25. P

    Pet during physics grad school?

    Hello, I'm a senior undergraduate physics majors taking a gap year before applying to physics grad school. I wanted to get a pet before continuing off the physics grads school and i was wondering if I realistically have time or money to take care of it. I'm thinking of getting a pet lizard...
  26. L

    What would the products of photolysis degredation of PET plastic be?

    Interested in this because plastic drinking bottles have a taint to them when left out in the sun. I gather its from UV degredation of the PET plastic. I'd like to find a catalyst that would allow the PET byproducts to be non water soluble/sequester or even evaporate.
  27. Greg Bernhardt

    Car Horn Pet Peeve: An Aggressive Rant

    <rant> I rarely rant, but this one really bothers me. I absolutely hate how Americans use the car horn. It's almost always aggressive and unhelpful. I can understand using the car horn when someone callously wrongs someone else or for helpful communication, but far too often it's aggressive...
  28. K

    Gravity, Free energy, and proving my pet idiot wrong.

    I have a pet idiot, you know the type. "Perpetual motion is the future, we don't understand everything!" Well we've been discussing gravity, (and magnets, oh how he goes on about magnets). He doesn't seem to be able to see the difference between force and energy. I've finally gotten him to...
  29. P

    Calculate Moles of Terephthalic Acid from PET Depolymerization

    Homework Statement Hi, I recently did a lab where PET plastic was depolymerized into terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. I was wondering how to figure out the moles of terephthalic acid (in mol) that was reacted. I'm not really sure how to calculate this since terephthalic acid isn't a...
  30. S

    Need Science-Inspired Names for Your New Kitten?

    Stuff like neutrino, Feynman, Doppler, etc. Just got a female Hemingway kitten and trying to think of cute science related names.
  31. wolram

    Need a name for my new pet spider

    He/or she lives in my pan cupboard, he or she is about 2 1/2 inches across with a long fat body, she has been lucky a couple of times when she occupied one of my pans and i nearly drowned her, she hasn't made a web, so as long as she behaves i will let stay put.
  32. Andre

    Celebrate World Animal Day: Pet Your Pet!

    So did your kittie get an extra hug today and the pup an extra bone? After all , it's World Animal Day today. I'm a bit perplexed that this seems the first thread ever in GD mentioning it. Cuddling Pebbles and Gizmo. Hmmm, time for anti flea drops.
  33. T

    Joining PET with PET (nonbranded solvent based please)

    Hi all! I am searching for solvent based liquid glue for adhering 2 transparent PET sheets together. I tried chloroform and dichloromethane, the PET sheets were adhered but resulting of opaque white fog on my transparent PET sheets. Could someone please advice me another nonbranded chemical...
  34. P

    Standardised uptake value in PET

    Hello, I have been given an article on determination of body volume by PET, to read for a job interview. There are a few concepts that i don't quite understand (not coming from a medical background) and was hoping someone may be able to help me with the understanding. (Unfortunatly it would seem...
  35. EnumaElish

    Pet Insurance Questions: Buy, Use or Avoid?

    We have regular health insurance for our cat, who also wears a microchip for identification. Recently I've contacted his microchip co. for some reason, and they attempted to sell me emergency insurance -- they said if the pet is ever lost, it will cover any expenses between the time it's...
  36. U

    ARRRH I'm gonna explode. This is my pet hate

    Does anyone else get really mad when they see stupid videos making stupid claims like this one. Sorry I just had to have a rant about it. :grumpy: See : http://www.flixxy.com/zero-pollution-automobile.htm PS. Make sure you watch that last 30 seconds, it's got the real kicker.
  37. J

    Pet project. Sane or not?

    Hi all. I have a pet project of mine I have been occasionally taking off the back burner for years. The recent hike in Electrical costs has really cheesed me off and has re-flourished my ambition for this project. It is a self contained generator. I know the very idea of it exposes me to...
  38. L

    Dog Breeding: Purity or Functionality?

    I define better pet as in the pet that is generally is better for reducing stress levels. I currently own a cat but I always wondered if I would enjoy owning a cat more(particularly because my cat favors my sister and is a bit jumpy around me) than owning a dog. I was also considering buying...
  39. K

    How Many Animals Does Bert Have?

    Bert has some cows, horses and dogs, a different prime number of each. If the number of cows (c) is multiplied by the total of cows and horses (c+h), the product is 120 more than the number of dogs (d), that is: c*(c+h) = 120 + d. How many cows, horses and dogs does Bert have?
  40. edward

    Why is My Dog Embarrassing Me in Front of Company?

    We had company Sunday evening and my old dog decided to do her half twist butt in the curtains routine. :redface: http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/5793/1000788jpgolddogcv4.jpg [Broken]
  41. Ivan Seeking

    Getting dogged: When your pet cheats on you

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26860866/
  42. N

    Physicists and their pet theories

    In quantum mechanics there has been more different interpretations than religions trying to explain the "creation" it seems. I remember when Afshar Experiment was conducted John G Cramer immediately used the results to advocate his own pet theory while saying Copenhagen and MWI was falsified...
  43. N

    Pet Ownership Laws in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Does anyone here know how to find out if a certain pet is legal or not in your area (or rather, in my area, that begin Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)? I've thought about getting turtles, but I know that many places have restrictions, and was wondering if anyone knows a good resource to find out if...
  44. S

    What's Wrong with My Pet Theory of Cosmology?

    Ok. I've got to know what you guys think of my pet theory. << URL snipped >> There are some things I'll never understand, like quantum gravity, and the like. But I'm an engineer so I can piece some things together. What I want to know is, what is wrong with my pet theory? There's GOT to be...
  45. Ivan Seeking

    Unlock Pet Separation Anxiety with "Puppy Prozac"

    http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3063558&page=1 http://snltranscripts.jt.org/76/76gpuppyuppers.phtml Saturday Night Live Transcripts Season 2: Episode 7 76g: Dick Cavett / Ry Cooder Puppy Uppers/Doggie Downers Joy...Gilda Radner Jill...Laraine Newman
  46. edward

    Tainted Pet Food Went To Hog Farms

    Better hold the bacon on that BLT. http://www.thestar.com/article/205623 On another side of the situation the FDA is wondering if the Chinese companies involved may have added the melamine intentionally. Apparently it makes protein content appear higher. it has also shown up in rice...
  47. Ivan Seeking

    Is Your Pet's Food Safe? A Look at Recent Recalls and Alternatives

    http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/23/pet.food.recall.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories [Broken]
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