Psychological Benefits of Companion Animals: Exploring the Distinction Between Ownership and Online Animal Watching

Abstract Companion animals significantly enhance human mental health, which became especially evident during the COVID -19 pandemic. Although there has been a global surge in online animal-watching in recent years, little research has been conducted to explore its impact. This study, grounded in attachment theory, aimed to investigate the effects of keeping real and online (“cloud”) animals on the mental health of Chinese adults. The results revealed that real and cloud animal keepers experienced more attachment to their animals than non-keepers, and greater attachment was associated with better mental health. However, real animal keepers had significantly better mental health than non-keepers and cloud animal keepers. For real animal keepers, greater social support played a positive role in moderating the relationship between attachment to animals and mental wellbeing. However, this moderating effect was not significant for those engaged in online animal-watching. The findings should encourage research on potential influences of cloud animal keeping.