pets and small animals

Vocabulary flashcards related to animal ownership and regulations in New Zealand.

Companion Animal

Any animal that shares a living environment and relationship with humans.

Anthropomorphism

The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to an animal.

Microchipping (Cats in Palmerston North)

Mandatory for cats, and the microchip must be registered with the New Zealand Companion Animal Register.

Desexing (Cats in Palmerston North)

Mandatory for cats older than six months.

Dog Registration

Dogs must be registered with the local council and microchipped.

Animal Ethics Committee

A committee that approves and monitors projects using animals in research, testing, or teaching.

Animal Welfare Act 1999

The Act under which animal use in research, testing, and teaching is strictly controlled.

Exotic Diseases (Import Restrictions)

New Zealand has strict pet import regulations to protect the local flora and fauna from exotic diseases.

Hybrids (Import Restrictions)

Offspring of dogs or cats crossed with another species (e.g., Bengal cat, coydog, wolfdog, dingo hybrids) are restricted.

Working Dog

Dogs that have specific jobs such as assistance, guiding the blind, border security and police canines.

Ferrets (NZ)

Originally brought to NZ to get rid of rabbits, sale, distribution, and breeding are now banned (since 2002).

Pet Ownership (NZ)

Approximately 63% (2/3) of NZ households own some kind of pet (2024).

Dog Ownership (NZ)

Approximately 31% of NZ households own at least one dog (2024).

Cat Ownership (NZ)

Approximately 40% of NZ households own at least one cat (2024).

Horse/Pony Ownership (NZ)

Approximately 3.4% of households own horses or ponies (2024).

Rabbit Ownership (NZ)

Approximately 1.1% of households own rabbits (2024).

Microchipping (Cats)

72% of companion cats in New Zealand are microchipped (2024).

De-sexed (Cats)

96% of companion cats in New Zealand are de-sexed (2024).

Mixed Breed (Cats)

87% of cats are mixed/non-pure breed (2024).

Companion (Cats)

68% of cats are acquired for companionship/love/affection (2024).

Microchipped (Dogs)

89% of companion dogs in New Zealand are microchipped (2024).

Registered (Dogs)

91% of companion dogs in New Zealand are registered with the local council (2024).

De-sexed (Dogs)

85% of companion dogs in New Zealand are de-sexed (2024).

Mixed Breed (Dogs)

55% of companion dogs in New Zealand are mixed/non-pure breed (2024).

Companion (Dogs)

77% of companion dogs in New Zealand are acquired for companionship/love/affection (2024).

Microchipped (Horses)

26% of horses microchipped (2024).

Companion (Horses)

52% of horses acquired for companionship/love/affection (2024).

Companion (Rabbits)

35% of rabbits acquired for companionship/love/affection (2024).

Microchipped (Rabbits)

19% of rabbits microchipped (2024).

De-sexed (Rabbits)

48% of rabbits are de-sexed (2024).

NZ Companion Animals Expenditure

Total expenditure on products and services for companion animals estimated at $1.8 billion.

NZ Companion Animals Food Cost

Most associated with food, estimated at $787.3 million.

Veterinary Costs (NZ)

Estimated $358 million on vet costs.

Cats (Policies NZ)

Local councils have different policies or by-laws around cat ownership.

Limit on Cats (Palmerston North)

Palmerston North limits to 3 cats per household.

Limit on Cats (Whanganui)

Whanganui has no limit on cat ownership.

Benefits of Pet Ownership

Physical and mental health benefits, reduced stress, lower blood pressure.

Negatives of Pet Ownership

Large commitment, can be expensive, messy, potential harm/disease.

Barriers to Pet Ownership

Unsuitable home/lifestyle, landlord restrictions, cost, commitment, allergies.

Live Birds (Import Restrictions)

Currently no imports of live birds are allowed into New Zealand.