For me, the purpose of having pets is:

*Unconditional Love

*To bring joy into my life

*Having friends around when everyone else is busy

*Having something to love and care for and get love in return.

*etc., etc.

They just bring so much joy in our lives. The purpose? Well everything has a purpose, and I believe the main purpose of having pets is having someone to love and care for. Its human nature to love *something*, and us folks have chosen to love our pets. Of course we love many human beings too...........our families, etc., but pets have such a special place in our hearts and bring us such joy that we would never be willing to give up.