pet: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 29, 2026

News •

'Traumatised' cat owners calling on more protection for 'beloved' pets • Oct. 26, 2026, 2:13 AM ET (BBC)

Facts

Also Known As	companion animal

Photos and Videos

Two young boys smiling and sitting close to a large yellow dog outdoors, with greenery in the background.

boy holding a pet cat

red-masked parakeet

A small brown and white hamster is gently held in a woman's cupped hands, with the woman wearing a blue shirt in the background.

A seized rattlesnake kept at a shelter in Scottsdale, Ariz., where exotic pet importation is a chronic problem.

Young boy feeding a carrot to a pet rabbit.

A split image of a lion and an orange cat are shown against a vintage map.

Why do cats purr?

Watch pet owners taking first aid class for their animals with the help of a training dog

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Topics

cats as pets 16 Questions About Pets Answered 11 Popular—Or Just Plain Odd—Presidential Pets How One Shrimp Used Its Survival Skills to Become Both Best-Selling Pet and Astronaut Do Mongooses Make Good Pets?Cannabidiol (CBD) for pets fetch veterinary medicine Denmark zoo requests donations of pets to feed to animals Anthrozoology Livestock Animal social behavior reptile fish Animal behaviour Bird insect mammal crustacean Zoology

Hedgehogs. Insectivores. Erinaceus europaeus. Spines. Quills. Close-up of a hedgehog rolled up.

Unconventional Pets Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is seen in Switzerland on December 2024

Animal Factoids

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz