Difference between pets and domestic animals

Ever since the dawn of civilization as we know it, human beings have been living with domestic animals and pets. However, the purposes are quite different when it comes to these two sets of animals.

There is no explicit difference as such between pets and domestic animals because of the simple reason that the latter term also includes the former.

The only difference between wild animals and their domestic counterparts is that wild animal does not obey human beings and live in the wilderness.

What are domestic animals?

Here we would try to highlight the difference between domestic animals and pets.

Domesticated animals are those that have been captured and tamed in a way to live with humans. There is an economic purpose over here. From domestic animals, people get products such as meat, wool, dairy products, and leather.

In addition, they are used to cultivate the land for agricultural reasons. On the other hand, pets are kept in a household only to get company from them.

Domestic animals are ones that had been living in the wild once but were captured for many years. These animals get trained to adapt to the various living conditions. Hence, they find a place in different households and farms. But, as we have said already, they are captured primarily for economic reasons.

These days, livestock is a lucrative form of investment. With domesticated animals such as pigs, chickens, goats, cows, and sheep, you get dairy products and meat from them. In addition, sheep can provide wool such as Merino wool.

If you have geese or ducks, you get their feathers, which work great when used as insulating materials. In the earlier days, humans reared animals, such as camels, horses, and donkeys for transportation purposes. On the other hand, cows and bulls are for agricultural purposes.

Humans are capable of taming domestic animals and breeding them to create specific breeds with different specific characteristics. The key is genetic modification. They also use artificial methods of agricultural production to increase the production of life forms such as eggs.

As we have said already, domestic animals are kept mainly for economic purposes. However, they are used for recreational purposes as well. These animals rely on humans mainly for their feeding needs.

They are predominantly reliant on human beings for satisfying their hunger. However, they may also go out in the wild to feed.

What are pets? 

 Cats and dogs are the most popular options as far as pets are concerned. Usually, they were captured back in time so that human beings could have a companion. As a result, they are emotionally attached to their owners and the other people in the household.

Some of our pets, for instance, dogs, have ancestral links with wild animals such as wolves. Apart from the dogs and cats, you have the following animals as pets as well:

• Rats
• Hamsters
• Snakes
• Lizards
• Fowls
• Birds
• Frogs

As we have said already, companionship is the main reason why people have pets. Therefore, it is rare for these relations to have any economic angle to them.

Over the years, humans have come up with breeding techniques to develop various species of pets. For example, there are many different breeds of dogs, such as German shepherds and pit bulls. These human-bred species would never survive in the wild as the way their genes are modified.

It is the reason why they depend on human beings for their feeding necessities. If a wild animal is obedient to human beings, it can become a pet. However, most wild animals are scared of humans as they consider the latter as dangerous predators.

Difference between pets and domestic animals 

Pets are animals we have for purposes of companionship, but the aim of having domestic animals is economic benefit. The most prominent examples of pets are dogs and cats. The examples of domestic animals are as below:

• Cows
• Chickens
• Donkeys
• Sheep
• Horses
• Goats

Most of the time, pets stay in the household with their owners. It is because they save the humans from strangers. On the other hand, it is rare for domesticated animals to live in the same house.

It is in selected cases, such as chickens, that domestic animals stay in the same household. Pets can often be aggressive towards people in a house, especially those they do not know. Hence, people within the house need to establish a strong relationship with their pets. It is rare for domestic animals to be aggressive unless provoked.

In some cases, where mothers seem to protect their babies, these animals can turn aggressive and thus hurt or kill humans.

Conclusion 

Pets are usually captured from the wild to serve as companions for their owners – there is no question of any economic benefit here. Domestic animals, on the other hand, are captured primarily to get financial advantages. Cats and dogs are the most prominent examples of pets.

Apart from that, exotic animals such as snakes are kept as pets too. When you think of domestic animals, the names that come first to one’s mind are cows, sheep, goats, and chickens. Both domestic animals and pets depend on humans for their life.

You can breed pets in such a way that they have unique characteristics. The same thing goes with domestic animals as well. An example of such breeding is a mule produced by breeding a donkey with a horse. Domestic animals do not stay within the household, but the same does not apply to a pet.

If the pets have a strong relationship with their owners, they can pose a danger to strangers. However, if the domestic animals get provoked, they can attack as well. Both these sets of animals have to be treated by specialized veterinary doctors.