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Providing an optimal life for your companion animal

We value the relationship we have with our animals and the joy, love, and companionship they give us, but how often do we stop to consider if we are really meeting all their physical and mental needs?

RSPCA Australia
Wednesday, 8 October 2025

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Companion animals hold a special place in many people’s hearts and homes. In fact, almost 50% of Australian households includes a canine family member, and around 33% include one or more felines.

We value the relationship we have with our animals and the joy, love, and companionship they give us, but how often do we stop to consider if we are really meeting all their physical and mental needs?

As our understanding of good animal welfare evolves, so too must our approach to caring for animals. While providing food and shelter and minimising negative experiences like illness or injury covers some of the basics, animals have a variety of complex needs that must be met, to truly give them the optimal life they deserve.

The Five Domains

One effective framework for understanding an animal’s welfare is the Five Domains model of Animal Welfare. This understanding can then be used to identify opportunities to enhance animals’ lives. Each domain addresses crucial aspects of an animal’s quality of life: nutrition, physical environment, health, behavioural interactions, and mental state. The domains explore the physical and mental state of an animal with the understanding that for every physical experience an animal has, such as hunger, thirst, illness, etc, there may be accompanying emotions and mental experiences that can also impact their welfare.

With this understanding, it is not enough to minimise or resolve negative physical or mental impacts, doing so simply achieves at best a neutral mental state. For an animal to experience a ‘good life’, they must also have the opportunity to have regular positive experiences, such as anticipation, meaningful social connection, satisfaction, and the ability to express behaviours and make choices that are rewarding to them. These are the enriching experiences that make life interesting and enable feelings of pleasure, reward, and social connection with the humans and animals in their environment.

What does optimal look like?

Nutrition: The type and amount of food and water sources provided can have positive or negative impact on an animal’s welfare. Not enough, too much, or the wrong type for their nutritional needs can compromise their physical health and overall wellbeing. To provide optimal nutrition in a way that also promotes positive experiences it’s important to provide a balanced diet suitable for their age, breed and health status and include a variety of foods they enjoy where possible. Feeding can also be used as an opportunity for enrichment in the form of puzzle feeders or hiding treats for them to find. Consistent access to clean, fresh water is also important.

Physical environment: An optimal environment for a companion animal is one where they feel safe, comfortable, and clean. It should provide enough space for them to move around, rest, sleep, and have a quiet place to retreat when they need it. The space should also offer proper shelter from the weather and minimise stressors like loud noises, strong smells, or sudden temperature changes. At the same time, it should include elements that provide the opportunity for positive experiences like a cozy bed with warm and soft bedding in a private and quiet spot.

Health: Optimal health for companion animals isn’t just treating injuries or illnesses as they arise, a large and crucial component is preventative healthcare which includes specifics like keeping up to date with vaccinations, parasite control, routine veterinary care and monitoring their weight, physical functionality, and behavioural health. Caring for an animal’s health with prevention in mind goes a long way in keeping them healthy, comfortable and able to enjoy their lives to the fullest while also minimising the risk of illness or injury occurring.

The importance of behavioural interactions

When it comes to caring for companion animals, the importance of behavioural interactions can often be overlooked. Behavioural interactions are central to an animal's overall happiness. Their capacity to engage positively with humans, other animals, and their environment shapes their experiences and influences their mental state. Properly nurturing these interactions and providing animals with choices and control in how these interactions take place can mean the difference between good welfare and positive wellbeing, and neutral or even poor welfare.

It is important to provide opportunities for them to engage in the species-specific behaviours that are important to them while remembering that every animal is an individual with their own unique preferences and needs, so it's important to be able to adapt interactions to meet these. This includes opportunities to play and explore their environment safely on their terms. Play is not just a form of entertainment; it’s also a critical component of behavioural health where they’re able to engage in natural behaviours. Providing toys that help to stimulate their minds and senses such as interactive toys, puzzle feeders, and even simple fetch games are good ways to help animals experience the many benefits of play.

Many companion animals are social creatures, who enjoy opportunities to socialise with their own kind. Positive socialisation is vital to companion animals’ mental wellbeing and ability to live successfully as companion animals. For dogs, regular opportunities to interact with other compatible dogs can promote positive wellbeing. Just be sure to allow them choice and control over what they do and who they spend their time with and monitor and respond to their comfort levels.

And of course, fostering a strong relationship between a companion animal and their guardian is essential. Spending regular, quality time with your companion animal is a must, as while they may be a part of your world, you make up almost all of theirs. Understanding their body language will go a long way in making this quality time meaningful, learning the activities they like and letting them choose whether they want to interact and for how long (and respecting when they want to end the interaction) is key. Establishing a consistent routine that includes quality time allows your animal to feel safe, express natural behaviours and helps to alleviate frustration, anxiety or undesirable behaviours that can result from uncertainty, behavioural limitation, and insufficient stimulation. Most importantly, a strong relationship between companion animal and guardian ensures a happier and more fulfilling relationship for both.

Mental and physical wellbeing must go hand in hand

Companion animals need much more than just to be fed and kept safe, they are sentient thinking, feeling beings with complex needs and individual preferences. The Five Domains of Animal Welfare remind us that the way animals experience their world - their mental experience - is critical and what determines if they experience good welfare and live a good life. To help our companion animals live a good life, it is vital to make sure they have opportunities for positive experiences in all aspects of their life as well as minimising negative experiences as much as possible. Striving to make sure our animals’ lived experience is predominantly positive should not be a luxury, but a vital component of sharing our lives with them and expressing our love for them. By embracing this more holistic approach to animal care, we not only enhance their quality of life but also deepen the relationship we share with them.

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Providing an optimal life for your companion animal

The Five Domains

What does optimal look like?

The importance of behavioural interactions

Mental and physical wellbeing must go hand in hand

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