Ever wonder what makes some folks “animal people”? You know the ones I’m talking about – those who, after a long week, would rather stay home on Friday night spending quality time with their dog than go out dancing with friends; individuals who use their vacation days to volunteer at their local animal shelter or rescue organization; or people who think the smell of a warm cat on a cold winter night is one of the very best comforts in life.
It will probably come as no surprise that I fall firmly into the animal people camp. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without the company of animals, nor do I ever want to. Thing is, I can’t remember ever not feeling this way – which recently led me to wonder: Are true “animal people” born, or are they made?
Nature vs. Nurture

From the time I was around 2 years old, I was never without a stuffed animal in my arms. My first and all-time favorite was Kitty, a white cat covered in soft fur that never left my side. Although I was the recipient of a few baby dolls for Christmas over the years, I had absolutely no interest in them, and they languished in the toybox at the foot of my bed while I created entire ecosystems with an extensive collection of toy animals. (I do remember having a brief transient interest in Baby Tender Love, but only because if you gave her a bottle of water, she actually peed. Beyond that, meh.)
As I got older, I relented a little and started playing with Barbie, but only because she had a very cool horse and could also be a veterinarian. I imagined her miraculously fixing all manner of ailments on my collection of Breyer horses and stuffed animals before mounting her own horse and riding off (rather stiffly, since her legs didn’t bend all that well) into the sunset.
My younger sister, on the other hand, only had eyes for baby dolls, which she lovingly dressed, fed, and put to bed every night. Interestingly, when we grew up, she went on to have 3 kids, while all my kids had four legs, fur, and paws.
An Inexplicable Attraction
I truly believe that certain people are born with an innate affinity towards non-human living creatures. They are inexplicably drawn to animals, with an ability to connect, understand, and communicate with them better than they can with most people.

Thankfully, my parents were also animal lovers, and while I was growing up we always had numerous pets in our household. Our first dog, Bea (short for “Beware of Dog”) was a sweet, long-suffering Pekingese with the patience of a saint (especially since I apparently made it my life’s mission to progress through the crawling stage as quickly as possible and proceed directly to the part where you run around the house for hours like a lunatic). And somehow, every stray cat in the neighborhood always seemed to end up at our house.
As a kid, I was constantly rescuing anything that needed help – baby birds, injured turtles, orphan bunnies, you name it. I was fascinated by everything in the animal kingdom, bringing home tadpoles, snails, earthworms, toads, and tiny garter snakes. I even had an ant farm, but soon came to the conclusion that their habitat was way too small and they didn’t seem happy. My mother and I set them free in the backyard.
When I was a little older, I used to sneak into the neighbor’s barn down the road and hide there for hours, lost in my own world, surrounded by the smell of horses mixed with sweet hay and alfalfa, talking to those horses and working through my problems. At that time it was the one place where I felt completely at peace.

Now as an adult, I still have an almost pathological need to be outside in nature and/or in the presence of animals. If I’m not, I start feeling a vague agitation that will eventually progress to what I can only assume is a mild depressive state – fortunately, one that is quickly reversed by going outside or spending quality time with furbabies (my own or anyone else’s).
Can Animal People Be Made?
So here’s the short answer: it’s just my opinion, but I really don’t think so. Although I’ve met many wonderful people who learned to appreciate animals over the years, I truly believe that you’re either born with the animal lover gene or you’re not.
Certainly there are those who marry animal-loving spouses and eventually develop deep affection for the pets who are part of their families, but that doesn’t make them true animal people. Likewise, some individuals may adore one specific type of pet, but deep down they don’t feel that strong, overarching love for all animal life in general (especially for the ones that aren’t so cute).
Sadly, there are even some veterinarians and animal care workers who are not exempt from this. I’ve encountered one or two veterinarians over the years who acknowledged that they entered the field primarily for reasons other than an obsessive love of animals – whether it was for the intellectual challenge, or because they came from a family of veterinary professionals and it was expected that they inherit the family practice and continue to carry the torch. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of veterinarians I’ve known are compassionate, card-carrying animal lovers who live and breathe what they do, and have honored their calling by easing animal suffering every day of their lives. They work extremely long and stressful hours for comparatively low pay, but continue to show up because they know they’re making a difference not just for the pets they treat, but for all animals. (I could elaborate on this forever, but perhaps that’s a topic for another day.)
The Times They Are A-Changin’

Fortunately for us animal people, over the last 20 years it seems like the rest of the world is finally catching on. The way we view our pets as family members, the progress being made in awareness of food animal welfare issues, and the advances in veterinary medicine that enable us to (hopefully) give animals the best life possible – these all serve to underscore the critically important relationship we have with all animals with whom we share this world.
So in the meantime, if you’re looking for me, I’ll be relaxing tonight on the couch, covered in cat hair, with a warm, purring kitty by my side and watching Discovery or Animal Planet or old reruns of Lassie. And definitely not out dancing till 2am. 🙂
I love this article. It’s so me. I’ve always been an animal person and was also rescuing injured beings. I was always bringing stray dogs and kitties home too. I remember bringing a dog home once and I was totally smitten with it. I begged my mother to let me keep it. She said to put it in the backyard, and if it was still there in the morning, I could keep it. Well, our backyard had no fence, so of course it was gone by morning. It either just walked away, or my mother shooed it away. I’m making up for lost time now, in my adulthood, with pets and animals in my life too numerous to share. Thanks! Take care.
Thanks, Jeanne! It’s funny how that tendency shows up so early in some people…I’m fortunate my parents didn’t lose their patience with all of the creatures I “rescued” and brought home over the years! 🙂
I was the same way growing up. I don’t ever remember a time when I wasn’t obsessed with animals. My husband had a different upbringing. He did have a family dog but his parents are definitely not animal people. He loves our dogs and would do anything for them, though! He also enjoys going with me to various animal type places and is completely different than his parents about it.
I can so relate to that! Before we got married, my husband insisted that he and his entire family were not “cat people” and that he didn’t like cats (they only had dogs). That changed right after we got married when I introduced him to an older cat who needed a home. She came out of the carrier, jumped into his lap, rubbed her face against his, and lay down and went to sleep. She became our first cat Emily. Years later, we now have 3 cats and my husband ADORES them. 🙂
I’m with you, there does seem to be a genetic component to being a true animal lover. I go crazy if I don’t have an animal to live with! Just like you, I wasn’t into the “human” toys as a child. I wanted My Little Pony and I had a ton of them. I grew up with all sorts of animals too. When I first got married and I decided to adopt my cats, people thought I was crazy. They told me “you can’t afford to have animals” and I told them “I can’t afford not to have them.” They help tremendously with my mental health (and I suspect my physical health too).
Oh gosh, what you said about “I can’t afford not to have them”? I couldn’t agree more!! I believe with all my heart that my pets have always been a necessity, not a luxury. They are crucial for my mental and physical health too!
I am just grateful to be a dog person. Sorry to say I don;t trust people who do not like animals.
I’m totally with you on that! 🙂
I think it can be both I am 110% sure I was born an animal person but I believe people can also be made into them. Ever since I came into my stepsons life (he was 1,.5 years old) I have always brought him with me to visit the animal shelter and teach him the way to treat an animal and volunteer and I hope that what I have taught him, he can share with his friends who do not think of animals the same way as I do.
That’s so awesome that you’re teaching your stepson how to love and appreciate animals, and that he’ll be able to pass that on to other people in his life! I truly believe that kids learn by example more than any other environmental influence, so it would certainly make sense that they could learn how to be animal people too. Thanks for the insight!
Thank you 🙂 I know I was born an animal lover but I know some need to be taught or showed the ropes
I guess I’m kind of torn because on one hand, I believe I am a born animal lover. My siblings, too. We grew up with big hearts toward animals of all kinds, and remain that way today. My husband, however, didn’t grow up with pets and in fact when we got married, he knew that my cat and I were a package deal and if he wanted me, he had to take the cat too. Today he’s as big an animal lover as I am, so in a way I think he was made! 🙂
I love that! It’s so great hearing stories about people being won over by animals. I’d love to do more research on this topic someday! It’s an interesting question.. do people who weren’t raised around animals and come to love them learn how to do that? Or did they always have the “gene”, but just didn’t know it?
I could almost write a thesis on this. My parents—NOT animal people. Myself, my daughter, my husband—ANIMAL PEOPLE!
I had zero interest in dolls as a child. I was outside, climbing trees, bird and butterfly watching, cloud-watching and daydreaming. Our neighbors had a large outdoor goldfish pond. I could get a good view by climbing up in our crab-apple tree and looking over the fence. I was fascinated by the brilliant color and movement of the large fish. This led to an interest in tropical fish keeping. I voraciously read everything I could get from the city library about varieties of fish and all kinds of animals, mostly domestic. I made lists of the animals I would like to have and planned a dream ranch all before I was nine years old. I also read animal stories by the dozens. Lad: a dog, The Black Stallion series, etc. I spent hours doing pencil drawings of dog and horse breeds. My love for animals has continued unabated and is one of my great pleasures in life. In the company of animals I feel connected, loved and happy. Part of this is the fascination of inter-species communication, delighting in the beauty, movement, personality and behavior of the animal. Part is how very honored I feel to be trusted by another living creature.
To see a happy dog with his person, to hear the nicker of a mare in her stall or listen to the chatter of wild lovebirds, to be sought out by one of my cats and feel her snuggle into my arms, warm, purring and content. These are moments of pure joy for me.
Yes, I believe animal people are born. However, humans, I believe, are evolving as a species. I am glad to see a growing compassion for all life. Those non-animal people, if they hang around us animal people, are privileged to have their hearts open wider and their world become larger.
Andrea, I think you and I were cut from the same cloth! I can so relate to everything you describe here…and I love what you said about how the world is changing and compassion for life is growing. It gives me hope that one day, if we’re lucky, things like animal abuse and neglect, abandonment, cruelty in food animal production, and stray dogs and cats having to live their entire lives on the streets might one day be a thing of the past. Now THAT would be a wonderful world.
Thank you, Camille. I look for signs of the changes you are talking about. Whereas I would like to have all those troubling issues fixed in a snap, I know that learning, understanding, awakening and progress moves more slowly.
But it is happening. In the age that “Black Beauty” was written, many people regarded horses as expendable machines that, unfortunately, had to be fed. Today, I am finding news articles that are inspiring and indicate change.
Here are a few examples. The teenage boy who rescued a baby hummingbird that fell from its nest and spent weeks feeding him around the clock, then teaching him how to return to the natural world. The legislation that has just been signed by the president to ensure that military dogs are to be treated as U.S. veterans, returned to their homeland, honored and given care. Prior to that, I have read, many military dogs were simply left behind in the countries in which they served. Also, the Governor of Tennessee signed a law in May of this year making it a felony to intentionally kill a police dog or a search and rescue dog.
These are great stories and very inspiring…here’s to many more just like these! 🙂
I think you’re right in the idea that there’s just something in people who become animal people. My own mother never had animals growing up, and her own mother didn’t like animals at all — but my mother tells me she always had an instinctive love for cats and dogs, which was fostered by older neighbors and her friends’ families. Thus, I was born into a household where we had a dog, a cat, and several chickens. My mother and I would rescue birds that flew into our plate glass windows and keep them safe until they recovered from their shock, then release them back outdoors.
As for me, I told my mother that I wanted a cat of my own for my 13th birthday, so she took me to the shelter and we ended up getting not one but two cats (oh, and a dog, because my little brother fell in love with a dog there). From that moment on, I had a deeply special place in my heart for cats. As a teenager, I rehabilitated a terrified cat with skills that came from instinct alone; and served as a kitten midwife (this was before the days when spay/neuter was A Thing). After I graduated from college, I always had cats in my life and made it my mission to learn as much as I could about them; eventually I started my own cat advice blog, which I’ve been writing for 13-plus years now.
I think the love for animals comes from an instinct toward compassion and empathy and a willingness to LISTEN to those who can’t speak in human ways. I believe my own compassion also came from a place of not feeling safe as a child and wanting to create safe space for small and vulnerable creatures.
Hi JaneA! I had to smile when I read the part about going to the shelter for one cat and coming home with not just two cats, but a dog too. That was so me! (Although with my family, it wasn’t going to the shelter, it was taking in homeless neighborhood dogs and cats that somehow always managed to make their way to our house. My Dad wasn’t always on board with all the multiple rescuing, but thank goodness, he always managed to come around.) I agree that empathy and compassion plays a huge part in our ability to relate to animals. I remember always feeling deep empathy for every living creature, from the not-so-cute or popular ones, right down to the insects (to this day, anything that inadvertently comes into the house gets trapped in a glass jar and taken outside for a second chance – I just can’t bring myself to kill anything).
Your love and compassion definitely shines through in your blog… I’ve been reading Paws and Effect for almost 2 years now, and I love it. I know you would probably echo the sentiment that there is no other feeling in this world like being able to open your heart and your home to a creature who needs you. It’s what keeps us going, and I can’t imagine life any other way! 🙂
I think they are made. I was not raised with pets and used to be afraid of dogs and cats until I was in my 20’s. My friend introduced me to a friendly cat, and my sister got a puppy, so I was socialized with pets and grew to love them. Now I have three cats!
I just love hearing stories like that! Animals sure know how to win us over. 🙂