Covid-19 is stopping people smoking which benefits cats and dogs

Cigarette smokers are more vulnerable to Covid-19 than non-smokers. The fear of getting Covid-19 and becoming seriously ill is driving a significant percentage of smokers to stop the habit in the UK. The reduction in the number of smokers is considered to be phenomenal by the director of policy at Action on Smoking and Health, Hazel Cheeseman. More than 643k gave up in the 12 months to August compared to 307k in 2019.

Nearly one in four people trying to stop smoking achieved their objective. An app, the Zoe Covid symptom tracker, reveals from data collected from more than 2.4 million UK participants that cigarette smokers were twice as likely to end up in hospital with Covid-19 compared to non-smokers.

Cigarette smoke is dangerous to pets. Photo: Pixabay.

In addition to the fear of Covid-19 it is believed that the change in lifestyle due to lockdowns may have kickstarted a desire to stop smoking. The normal cues and triggers to smoke may have been removed from the lifestyle of smokers in which case they smoke less or stop entirely. 

Perhaps it is fair to say that quite a lot of people have re-evaluated their lifestyles anyway during the lockdown. This has given people the opportunity to slow and think. It is believed, too, that more people believe that there should be a greater commitment to the environment from the government. People started to enjoy cleaner air and a quieter environment. It is a shame that humans were unable to carry those benefits forward into the future.

Nonetheless, I think we can celebrate an improvement in the welfare of thousands of companion cats and dogs in the UK because they will be breathing cleaner air thanks to the belated desire of their owners to stop that ghastly habit. Cigarette smoke contains around 7,000 noxious substances, many of which poisonous to people and their pets.