It is the stuff of science fiction, of course, but suppose one day a race of super-beings were to land on earth – peaceable and well-meaning, perhaps, but much cleverer and more powerful than ourselves. Would the implied superiority of these beings give them the right to keep us as pets, confining us in their homes, occasionally taking us out for walks to meet other humans on leads and selectively breeding us for the characteristics they found most useful or cute?

I was fantasising over this notion as I walked through London’s West End towards the Wigmore Street offices and showroom of PetLondon, an online retailer and distributor of pet paraphernalia. I already knew that pet supplies these days went beyond plastic dog bowls, tartan coats and rubber bones, but I was curious to find out how far.