Can Pets Save Lives? How Our Furry Friends Might Help Prevent Suicide

What if the wag of a tail or a comforting purr could do more than make your day, it could help save your life? That’s the compelling idea behind a recent scoping review published in Healthcare, exploring whether pets might influence suicide risk. With suicide remaining a global health crisis, claiming over 700,000 lives annually, the search for effective prevention strategies has never been more urgent. While many interventions focus on therapy, medication, or crisis hotlines, this scoping review asks a surprisingly overlooked question: Can pets play a role in suicide prevention?

Why Look at Pets?

Pets are everywhere; nearly half of U.S. households have at least one. Studies have long shown they may improve mental and physical health, reduce loneliness, and offer social support. So, could these benefits extend to reducing suicidality?

That’s what this scoping review set out to understand.

What the Research Found

The research team reviewed 30 studies dating from 1985 to 2024, covering different animal species (mainly dogs and cats), demographics (including veterans, older adults, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with mental health diagnoses), and geographies (primarily U.S., U.K., and Australia).

The findings were grouped into three categories:

1. Pets as Protective Factors

In 9 studies, pets were found to help protect against suicide in several meaningful ways:

• Emotional Bonding: People described their pets as family and a source of unconditional love. For some, this attachment was the only strong relationship in their lives.
• Sense of Purpose: Taking care of an animal gave individuals a reason to live. Knowing their pet depended on them helped them hold on during dark times.
• Distraction and Mindfulness: Playing, walking, or simply being around a pet distracted from suicidal thoughts and may have encouraged engagement with healthy coping strategies.
• Interruption of Attempts: In one powerful case, a dog’s behavior directly stopped a person from acting on suicidal thoughts.

2. Pets as Risk Factors

Surprisingly, pets weren't always helpful. In some cases, they added stress or even worsened risk:

• Grief from Pet Loss: The death of a pet triggered suicidal thoughts or actions in some people.
• Caregiver Stress: Pets with behavioral or medical issues could add emotional burden, especially for individuals already struggling.
• Limited Housing Options: Some people felt trapped by housing policies that didn’t allow pets, even expressing suicidal intent if forced to give up their animal.
• Toxoplasma gondii: This parasite found in cat feces was mentioned in a few studies for its potential link to increased suicide risk, but this connection remains speculative.

3. Inconclusive or No Impact

Ten studies didn’t clearly show whether pets helped or hurt, including unusual cases of “suicide–peticide” situations where people ended their lives and their pets' lives together. These cases revealed complex emotional bonds but didn’t provide definitive conclusions.

Practical Implications: What Should Clinicians Know?

The study's authors, multiple of whom are mental health professionals, offered several thoughtful recommendations:

1. Talk About Pets During Mental Health Assessments
   Ask patients how their pets affect their well-being. The authors suggest including questions related to pets as a formal and standardized piece of an assessment. A pet might be a protective factor or a hidden source of stress.

2. Include Pets in Suicide Safety Plans
   Just like you'd encourage someone to call a friend or use coping skills, you can suggest spending time with a pet as a suicide prevention strategy.

3. Advocate for Pet-Friendly Resources
   Policies that separate people from their pets (e.g., no-pet housing or treatment centers) may increase risk. Making accommodations could save lives.

Man’s Best Friend in Mental Health?

This review doesn’t claim that pets alone can prevent suicide. This review also highlights ways that pets can be risk factors. But it does make a compelling case: for many people, pets are not just companions, they’re lifelines.

Whether it’s the responsibility of care, the joy of companionship, or the sense of connection, animals may play a powerful role in mental health. And as this research shows, they deserve a seat at the table in conversations about suicide prevention.