More than a third of British women prefer the company of their pet to other human beings, according to a new survey.
British women love their animal companions, a new study from Tesco Personal Finance has revealed.
According to the research more than three-quarters of women - 76 percent - speak to their pet in the same way as they do to other humans. In addition, more than a third - 34 percent - would rather be with their pet than with other people.
"Owning a pet can be a very rewarding experience - many people consider their cat or dog to be part of the family and even, as our research shows, their best friend," said Rachel Cutler, head of Tesco Pet Insurance.
However, she also warned that owning a pet can be "a costly experience". The firm has sought to address this by offering an online discount for new customers until May 27th.
Tesco is not the first firm to warn about the importance of having pet insurance in light of the recession. A number of reports have suggested that many people plan to cut back on their pet cover in order to save money as fears over redundancies grow.
Last month, More Than warned that more than two-thirds of British pets are currently uninsured. However, despite the Tesco study revealing Britons' love for their pets, More Than found that two out of three owners would not forego luxuries in order to pay unexpected vet bills.
