fur baby
n.— «The comparative review of recent history to the present, and the changing status of dogs from living outside the home as working dogs on farms and as guard dogs, or serving as a distraction for the children in the family and perhaps as a means to teach responsibility, to the far more elevated status of a true member of the family, with new descriptive language like “pet parents” and the more recent coinage “fur baby,” is interesting and instructive.» —“A dog-centric America? A book review” by Mary Haight in Chicago Examiner Apr. 12, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The adjectives canine and feline refer to dogs and cats. But how does English address other groups of animals? Plus, cabin fever has been around much longer than the current pandemic. That restless, antsy, stir-crazy feeling goes back to the days...
You know when a cat’s tail goes straight up and appears to vibrate? Emily from Coventry, Rhode Island, says her family has their own word for that: fribbling. She says her family also made up the word bomple to denote the action of fruit...
I have long referred to my cat as my furbaby (fur baby). Your definition is exclusive to pet dogs. I think it should be broadened to include pet cats, as well.