The bond between humans and companion animals affects welfare in both directions — pet ownership can support human mental health, but owner mental health crises can profoundly affect animal welfare through neglect or relinquishment.
The welfare of companion animals is inextricably linked to the mental health and life circumstances of their owners. When owners face mental health crises, hospitalisation, housing insecurity, or domestic violence, their animals are frequently the unseen collateral — surrendered to shelters, neglected through inability to provide care, or placed in situations of chronic welfare compromise. Animal hoarding — where owners accumulate animals beyond their capacity to provide adequate care — is a mental health condition with severe animal welfare consequences: animals in hoarding situations typically suffer from malnutrition, untreated medical conditions, and extreme crowding. Conversely, human-animal bonds provide genuine psychological protection for vulnerable populations. A welfare-informed approach to companion animals therefore requires addressing the human context — providing animal-inclusive support for domestic violence survivors, mental health crisis responders, and elderly owners facing capacity decline.