I have always been an “animal person,” even when I was very young. As a toddler, I could not have cared less about dolls, and had only a passing interest in blocks.
But I was absolutely devoted to my collection of stuffed animals, even going so far as to throw regular birthday parties for members of the inanimate menagerie. I never got the pet rabbit I dreamed of, but my family had dogs, fish, mice and a hermit crab named Hero. When adults asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was: a veterinarian.
Of course, dreams evolve, and mine were no exception. As a teenager, I decided I wanted to be a neuroscientist. Then, in college, I found my way into science journalism. Over the course of my 20-year career, I have covered all kinds of topics, including autism, aging and food science. I joined The New York Times in 2021 to help cover Covid-19, but I have since found myself returning, again and again, to stories about animals.
Today, I have what is, in my highly biased personal opinion, the best beat at The Times, writing about animal health and science. I’m drawn to these types of stories because they have a way of making the world feel both bigger and smaller.
Some stories highlight how different the lives and experiences of other species can be from our own — to a bird, for instance, the sky isn’t blue. Others showcase the sometimes surprising similarities. I have written about how ants and orcas respond to death, for example, and how many species have communication systems that are far more complex than humans have long given them credit for.
Over the last few years, my reporting has taken me to some remarkable places. I visited a retirement home for former research chimpanzees who were learning how to respond to extreme weather in Keithville, La.; a U.S. Navy base in San Diego that trains dolphins and sea lions to perform military tasks; and a wildlife preserve in the Australian outback that is trying to save some of the most endangered animals on Earth.
But I wanted to expand The Times’s coverage of creatures that are much closer to home: our pets. I have three, two young cats and a 9-year-old dog. Their day-in, day-out familiarity doesn’t make them any less fascinating than the Shark Bay bandicoot, one of the elusive marsupials I met in Australia.
Indeed, I often find the behavior of my pets to be puzzling. Why does one of our family cats enjoy playing fetch, and why does he prefer to do it with one particular toy mouse when we have several seemingly identical ones? Is my dog panting because he’s hot, or because he’s anxious? Most of all, what would each of these animals — distinct individuals with very different personalities — consider to be a “good” life, and how can I provide that?
I know I’m not alone in pondering these questions. There are more American households with pets than with children — and pet owners overwhelmingly consider their creature companions to be full-fledged members of the family.
So, in March, I started Pet Theory, a monthly column that will explore pet health and science, as well as our relationships with our animal companions. The first installment, “Why Are Cats Such a Medical Black Box?,” was highly personal, chronicling my journey for answers about my cat’s mystery illness. I probed why veterinarians seem to know so much less about cats than they do about dogs.
The response was more than I could’ve hoped for. More than 800 readers left thoughts in the article’s comments section, and dozens more emailed me directly. I heard from cat owners whose experiences were strikingly similar to my own — and who said that the article made them feel both more informed and less alone. But I also heard from people with pet birds and rats, frustrated by the lack of knowledge about their pet species.
Pet owners of all stripes shared ideas for follow-up stories. Many wanted more coverage of pet food and nutrition, which I plan to cover in a future column.
The response validated my initial instinct: People are hungry for good, smart coverage of pets. That’s what I’m hoping to provide in Pet Theory. The columns will cover a wide array of topics, and they won’t always be as personal or serious as the one about my cat’s illness. But what I can promise is that they will take pets, and our relationships with them, seriously.
Emily Anthes is a science reporter, writing primarily about animal health and science. She also covered the coronavirus pandemic.
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