Cats are an essential part of our lives, and they make for great pets. But, as with all creatures, they are prone to illness, and one of the most common afflictions that affect cats is ringworm. The ...

Understanding the Context

The Sun News: NC shelter pauses cat adoptions amid ringworm outbreak. How to protect your pet. A ringworm virus outbreak is threatening the lives of Gaston County Police Animal Care and Enforcement’s cat population, the shelter said Thursday. To avoid further spread, the shelter has partially ...

Key Insights

NC shelter pauses cat adoptions amid ringworm outbreak. How to protect your pet. The sense of ' petting ' meaning "to stroke" is first found 1818. Slang sense of "kiss and caress" is from 1920 (implied in petting, in F. Scott Fitzgerald).

Final Thoughts

The common-sense trajectory seems to be the use of the word in relation to domestic animals, then children, then adults affectionately, then romantically. See 'petting parties' here. etymology - How did the words "petting" and "necking" come to mean ... What you are describing is "petting." Although, petting is usually done to animals. It may be insulting in some cultures to do it to people. Some asian cultures might find it disrespectful as this article explains.

According to Merriam-Webster, definition 1 (b) of the verb "pet" is "to stroke in a gentle or loving manner." The word "pet" has a few different definitions (my own paraphrase): n: An animal kept for companionship. v: To affectionately caress. My question is, which of these usages originated first? Do we refer to companion animals as "pets" because we pet them?