@tripu some pets develop a sense of security in such environments, some others could care less. To classify all pets as having the same emotional and psychological balance is a strange thing to do. As noted above, I think it's cruel to entrap humans into social structures in which different classes of humans have an authority determined by a region collectively controlled by previous subsets of humans.
My heuristic is: only animals that would live “naturally” in an apartment, or those that have been modified for centuries by humans specifically to live in their homes, would live well in an apartment. In the former category: flies, spiders, cockroaches, mice, rats, ants… In the latter: some breeds of cats, perhaps some breeds of tiny dogs, perhaps some rodents other than mice and rats.
Most dogs? Probably not — especially large ones. No birds, no reptiles, no amphibians…
Not sure what the shortcomings of the structure of our human society have to do with this, tbh.
@tripu human beings are animals too, and we adapt ourselves albeit more of our environment than ourselves, to certain cultural situations, much as many other animals can do as well and be content via acclamation. Yeah yeah yeah we shouldn't have a crocodile as a pet, but if it's done by correctly replicating it's environment in an extremely large apartment the crocodile should be happy enough or at least content.
I do not think you are wrong. Urban environments are too cramped for anything but cats, and most people do not have the time to devote to pets outside of jobs, shopping, restaurants, gyms, dating, etc.
@tripu mostly a feeling thing science types might not get, or people u0se as counter balance to computers and robots which stimulate all but a few things a (and lack of positive humanity overall) with a small mammal (that doesn't talk back) can more-humanly provide some missing things (interaction etc).
I agree on some thing especially in apartments if not outside but as for feelings it's personal thing...
For a bad example much like asking 'why do people play with computers in an apartment mostly' as a kind of different comparison (not serious) but shows how screwed things can be or just for many unsaid purposes or "social' things served (which maybe aren't really in the end).