Some people think that owning pets is a very materialistic thing and therefore shouldn't be done by people seeking spiritual enlightenment.  Others disagree and I am one of them.  For starters, while technically you may "own" a pet, only when you think of yourself as their owner and master are you being materialistic.  Most pet owners, even many who are not spiritual, think of their pets more as friends or companions or even like adopted children.  With that kind of attitude,you are not being materialistic.  
    Further, owning pets can aid us spiritually in several ways.  For those of us who don't have children, they give us an opportunity to exercise our maternal or paternal instincts.  They help us to relax when our everyday life has us all stressed out.  They help us to heal when we are sick (this ability is why many hospitals and nursing homes have animal visits for patients).   They provide an opportunity for us to learn to understand another species and realize that they are far more like us that we like to admit (for example, someone who communicates very well with animals can tell you that pretty much every species considers itself to be the most important on the planet and the one that has to survive to keep the planet going).  Pets also give us opportunities to practice our spiritual and psychic techniques by doing things like sending a mental image to your pet to see if they respond (for example, sending your cat a picture of it curled up on the sofa next to you and, if it come running in and jumps up on the sofa, you have successfully communicated).  Or after practicing our solar techniques with the spiritual sun and filling up with spiritual energy, if the pets come running over to be patted, it's a good indication that they notice that energy around you and in you.  Also, we can aid the spiritual growth of the planet by sending loving thoughts and spiritual energy to our pets.
    Now I'm not advising everyone to run out and get a pet to aid them in spiritual growth.  Some people are pet people and some are not.  I'm just saying that rather than being a hindrance as some believe, pets and even wild animals can aid us in our quest for spiritual enlightenment.