“Felix is My Brother”: US Children's Perspectives on Companion Animals in Multispecies Families

An increasing number of children in the United States are growing up in multispecies families, a contemporary family structure where humans and companion animals form close bonds and share daily life, further fulfilling children’s attachment needs, providing social support, and contributing to psychosocial wellbeing. A burgeoning body of work highlights the important role of companion animals in shaping developmental outcomes across diverse domains. Few studies examine how young children in multispecies families perceive and construct their relationships in the context of growing cultural sentimentalization of pets. Using interview and drawing methods, we explored children’s perspectives on their relationships with their companion animals. We recruited 24 parent–child dyads in the US (children aged 3–7 years). We interviewed parents, asked children to draw and describe their favorite memories with their pets, and interviewed children about their relationships with companion animals. Our analyses revealed three themes: children constructed companion animals as family members, integrated them into daily activities, and attributed subjectivity to them. Our findings highlight how children navigate complex relationships with animals, providing implications for child development, empathy, and the human–animal bond within multispecies families.