Our pets are more pampered then our partners, according to a recent survey The study, designed to explore the bond between pets and their owners, found that more than 80 per cent of pet-owners admit to giving more fuss and attention to their animals then to their partners or children.

For me the statistic above is the most worrying. Surely the purpose of having a pet is to add to a healthy home life, not replace it. Don’t get me wrong, once the decision to get a pet has been taken, we are duty bound to take proper care of them. However, this should never be at the cost of our families. If you can’t combine paying proper attention to your family and caring for an animal, then to be frank, you are not ready for a pet.

Of more than 250 respondents, 10 per cent had even made provisions for their pets in their will. Making sure that a pet is properly cared for after your death is a responsible thing to do, this can be done by talking to a relative and leaving money for them to care for your pet.

The results of the study also showed that cats are the perfect pets with almost half of all those who took part owning one or two of the feline friends. Dogs proved the second most popular with 36 per cent and rabbits came in third at 16 per cent.

Paw Pals owner Victoria Reinthal, said: "We are delighted that pet owners seem to take great care of their beloved pets and are particularly encouraged that so many people have made sure their pets' needs are catered for after their death."

"Eighteen per cent of people spend £80 a month on making sure their pets are pampered, including visits to the grooming parlour and buying special pet friendly treats and toys. I appreciate that it is an individual’s prerogative to spend their money however they see fit. My own view is that buying your pet the odd treat or grooming product is fine, but spending £80($160) on pampering an animal is obscene. Some low income families could use this money to feed themselves on this amount of money.

She goes on to say "What this suggests is that looking after our pets is top priority in many households."

Well I’m pleased to see that so many pets are being well cared, but if this survey is to be taken at face value, then too many of pet owners have got their priorities wrong. In the long run a dysfunctional family is not a good environment to have a pet.

Terry King runs Parcel Pets, a leading UK pet supplies web site and has had pets all his life. He lives with his wife Louise, dog Sam, Cat Sabrina and 5 fish!