Are pets good for children’s mental health? New study finds the type of animal could matter

A study of almost 1,900 Spanish families suggests some pets may offer mental health benefits, but the strength of the bond matters too.

Little boy eye to eye with his pet cat on the couch.

Getty/Kseniya Ovchinnikova

Published: September 1, 2026 at 12:23 PM

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Children and pets can form incredibly close bonds, but could having an animal at home actually benefit a child’s mental health? New research suggests the answer may be more complicated than a simple yes or no.

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Researchers analysed data from almost 1,900 households in Spain, following children from pregnancy until they were around 6 or 7 years old. More than half of the families, 52.3%, had or had previously had at least one pet.

The study found that the type of animal, as well as how consistently a child lived alongside it, could make a difference.

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What did the study find about children and pets?

The research used data from the INMA Project, a long-term study looking at children’s health and development in Spain.

Among the families included, 19.1% had lived with dogs, 8.7% with cats, 14.8% with birds and 28.6% with other animals, including hamsters, rabbits, turtles and fish.

When researchers initially looked at the relationship between pets and children's mental health, children who had never lived with a pet had the most positive scores.

However, after taking factors including social class, sex, age and study location into account, there was no clear difference between children who had never lived with animals and those who had lived with them either continuously or intermittently.

Could the type of pet make a difference?

One of the more striking findings related to cats. Having a cat at the age of 4 or 5 was associated with more mental health problems in the children studied.

The researchers stress that this does not prove that cats cause mental health problems, because other factors not measured by the study could have influenced the results.

They also suggest there could be several possible explanations, including the way cats tend to interact with people and the reasons some families choose to have them. There's also a slight chance this is connected to toxoplasmosis, an infection that is more common in cats than in other animals and has been linked to behavioural problems and serious mental disorders including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The study found a different pattern among children who lived consistently with animals such as hamsters, rabbits, turtles or fish. Having these animals throughout early childhood appeared to have a protective effect for both boys and girls.

Why might pets help children emotionally?

Pets can become an important part of a child's emotional world. The bond between a child and an animal can provide comfort and opportunities to develop social and emotional skills.

Living with an animal may help children:

The researchers suggest that animals such as fish, turtles and hamsters may offer particularly stable and straightforward opportunities for children to learn responsibility, empathy and self-control.

A consistent bond could be important

The study also found that children who regularly lived with animals such as hamsters, rabbits, fish or turtles had better results than those who only had them intermittently.

This suggests that a continuous relationship with an animal could be more beneficial than sporadic exposure, although the researchers say more work is needed to understand exactly why.

The findings around dogs and birds were less clear. The researchers say this could partly be because the study focused on exposure to pets during very early childhood, when emotional bonds may not yet be fully developed.

So, should you get a pet for your child?

Not necessarily. The research does not show that getting a pet will prevent mental health problems, and it does not establish that any particular animal is better for children's wellbeing.

Instead, the findings suggest that the nature of the relationship between a child and an animal may be important, alongside their age and wider family environment.

The researchers also point out that further studies are needed, particularly looking at older children and how relationships with pets develop over time.

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For parents considering a pet, the findings are a useful reminder that an animal should be welcomed into the family because it is right for the whole household, rather than viewed as a treatment for a child's mental health.

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