Having read so many threads, especially in this forum and MPSIMS, in which people are so enamoured of animals, particularly their own pets, and so quick to judge those who advocate treating them in a way different from their own - witness the numerous declawing or inside/outside cats threads - I was curious as to other posters’ takes on animals.
See, I find all this emotional investment in animals baffling: I’m not condemning it; I’m merely perplexed by it. I’m completely indifferent towards pets - and animals - in general: I was profoundly relieved when the only cat I ever owned ran away. I regard animals as messy, smelly, expensive, and generally troublesome, in return for little apparent reward.
Other people’s pets leave me cold, too. I’ll try not to step on 'em, but apart from not letting them jump on me I try my best to ignore them, and please don’t ask me to admire them or play with them. I don’t dislike them per se, they just seem like somewhat more intrusive pieces of furniture.
As it seems so out of step with the general sentiment about animals I’ve read here, I thought I’d ask for a few responses. Am I alone in this attitude? Do you own a pet? Have you ever owned a pet? Want to own a pet? Like animals? Hate 'em? Ignore 'em?
I have never lived in a pet free zone so I feel some kind of pet-love. That said the “love” is relative. I never loved a cat enough to make it an inside cat…perhaps I liked my cats enough to let them outside?
Dogs? Dogs are pack animals. If you are part of “their” pack you know it. They can be as annoying as shit but good to have around.
I like to have animals around. I like to feel they are part of the family but in reality they are just fluffy things that require feeding.
I do believe that cruelty to animals is an indicator of behaviour in general though. I work with young children, the nastiest children squash bugs for no reason (NO reason. That is the insect is NOT poisoness or threatening… other then being eeeeeeeeeek A BUG!).
Oh, I’m not cruel to animals, and I don’t advocate cruelty to animals: the young 'un is carefully schooled to treat the neighbour’s cats kindly, on general principles. What I find difficult to grasp is the mentality that won’t kill vermin like mice: there was a thread in here a day or so ago - it may well still be extant - about the best way to get rid of a mouse in a cupboard, where the poster had carefully constructed an elaborate escape route for said rodent - which sounded more like a rat to me - rather than simply trapping it. I dunno, maybe that kind of sentimentality is an American {or an urban American} thing.
Well, I love cattle, sheep, and have some love for swine, too…
Oh. Non-food animals.
Well, I grew up with a dog in my family. I dislike cats, but I’m not about to do anything to one, and even have been known to pet and fold 'em when one had adopted me. I’m just marshmallow with pets, I think.
But I am not a good owner and so I do not have any. As you said they are messy and smelly and require someone who will take care of those needs far better than I. Heck, I have enough problems cleaning up after myself; and right now have almost nothing in the house worth eating for *me *- let alone remembering to buy *pet *food.
Also, it breaks my heart when they die, and they die far more frequently than humans. (Especially if you don’t buy pet food… ) (OK, that wouldn’t happen if I owned a pet, but what I’m saying is, I am a bad owner.)
My parents were animal lovers, and there has never been a time in my life when there were less than 2 dogs in the house, and at one time when we were actively showing in the 80’s we had 14 (including a litter or puppies). I have 4 right now, and it is a good number for me.
Yes , I will agree that they can be smelly, cost money to care for properly, make a lot more mess to be cleaned up, add responsibility to my life , make it a lot harder to have a real vacation,and break your heart when they die. But would I trade them for all the money in the world?? Nope.
I am a single woman, living alone. I have very few friends, and no living family. My dogs (and now cats, too) give me companionship that I would not have in other circumstances. They make me smile watching them play, and I can feel my blood pressure lowering when I pet one of them. They are worth all the inconvienence and cost to me 1000 times over.
My love for animals doesn’t end with my pets, either. I love all animals. Some more than others, of course, but I can honestly say I do love all animals. I cannot imagine a world without animals in it. It is not a world I would want to live in. Horses, tigers, snakes, dolphins, blue jays, wolves, meerkats… they make this world a better place for me, just by BEING. I have always felt that anyone that cannot open their heart to an animal is missing something in their soul. And to miss out on the special love that can only be found between two entirely different species, you are missing one of the most sppecial things in life.
I am likewise quite indifferent to animals, for the most part. I grew up with quite a few pets, and never felt all that much emotional attachment to them, though the rest of my family loved them. I did notice, however, that they vaguely creeped me out, and without the emotional attachment, seemed like a mere household burden.
Of course, like others are mentioning, that’s not to say I’m cruel or unkind to animals in any way. However, I often tell little white lies to acquaintences about my attitude toward pets, because I have had a lot of people get seethingly angry at me because I “don’t really care for pets.” I guess people tend to equate that with “you hate my best friend.”
I absolutely love animals. Sure they are messy and smelly (not so much if you keep on top of litterboxes/poop picking duties), but so are children, and people still have them.
Animals ask for so little but give so much. I cannot imagine my life without them. I made a choice - I have animals and not kids; I’m perfectly happy like this.
Both animals AND kids are wonderful. Most of the time.
It doesn’t seem like home to me unless there’s at least one cat in it. IMHO one great way to find out about a person’s character is to see how he/she treats dependent and vulnerable creatures, like domestic animals and children. Not foolproof, of course – there are a few idiots who are nice to dogs and mean to kids, and vice versa – but it’s a start.
No, Case Sensitive, I’m NOT saying you’re a child abuser because you’re not fond of domestic animals!
I am a cat person. However, I only like my cats, ant and any baby kittens, because they’re entertaining. Other peoples’ grown cats are as you said, intrusive furniture. I don’t espepecially like dogs. I used to be very afraid of all dogs, but I’ve gotten over that as an adult, I just like those around me to be independent. Dogs are needy. They remind me of middle children. You know, “lookatme! lookatme!lookatme! lookatme!lookatme! lookatme!”
But, then I’m not much on other peoples’ children either.
As far as other animals… I ride, ok, I used to ride, and I may ride again. That doesn’t me the horse gets to come in the house.
Other farm animals are just smelly dangerous things to avoid.
Wild animals or zoo animals? All I can say is we need deeper woods, so I don’t have to risk seeing them.
I can relate to the kitties, but what does an ant do that’s entertaining? Also, how come you have multiple kitties but only one ant? It’s not like they take up much space or anything. Also, one of the kitties may step on the ant. Can’t have that.
I’m also keen to learn more about OtakuLoki’s cat-folding technique.
I love dogs and cats. I’ve never lived with a dog, but that’s what I’d like my next pet to be. I had a cat for 18 years (Smokey; she and Boscibo’s dog, Bandit, died at the same time last year), but I have no plans to replace her any time soon. I spent more than half my life taking care of her, and while I don’t begrudge a single day I spent with her – and still miss her enough to cry about it every now and then – I’m finally enjoying the freedom to come and go as I please without worrying about having to feed, groom, clean up after, and spend time with a pet. Plus, I’m a renter, and it’s much easier and cheaper to rent without a pet. I’ll be moving next summer, and the next house will be the first place without any Smokey memories!
In the meantime, though, I take advantage of having friends with dogs and cats that I can pet and play with. I’d never go so far as to accuse other people of cruelty just because they don’t treat their pet the way I did (I stay out of the declawing conversations, for example), but animals definitely rock. I could never date anyone who didn’t at least like animals … honestly, I’m not even sure if I could be friends with them.
I love my cats. When I was living by myself, I only had one cat and he gave me a lot of companionship and comfort when I was sick or just wanted some uncomplicated affection (well, it seemed like affection to me - he was probably just trying to figure out if he could eat me yet). When I got my other cat, I loved the way the two interacted with each other, and I enjoy their different personalities. They’re practically inseperable now, unless they’re snuggling up to me. Both cats are also very good bug killers, and since we live in an old building, right over a very damp, cool basement, that’s pretty important. We now have a lot fewer centipedes than we used to. Or at least, we now have a lot fewer live centipedes. My cats don’t usually eat them, and it can be disturbing to walk into the kitchen to find a neatly laid-out centipede, minus the head, just for me. But it’s lots easier finding them dead than having to chase them down and get rid of them.
However, I’m not a big fan on my friends’ cats or dogs. Most of them are cute, yes, and many are friendly, but I don’t hang around them enough for them to seem different than a general pet. In other words, both my cats have distinct personalities that I enjoy. My friends’ pets, because I only seem them when I visit, don’t have personalities to me. I’m sure they do to my friends, but I haven’t hung around them long enough to notice or care.
I like animals in general. I love companion animals. We have cats and dogs which we love and that are members of our family. I also usually enjoy interacting with other people’s animals (there’s an exception to every rule–I don’t care much for pet birds or snakes, and I really don’t like “pet” insects/spiders).
There are very few times in my life when I haven’t had at least one cat around, and it’s easier to be a cat owner when you rent. Dogs are my favorite, probably because they socialize so well with humans and they can be kept in the house, unlike a horse. I rarely meet a dog that I don’t like and when I do I can almost always be assured that it’s because some person ruined the dog in some way.
I don’t mind the responsibility that comes with choosing to include aminals in my life. After raising kids, I’d much rather have pets–they don’t talk back as much, don’t “borrow” your clothes, don’t need to use the car, and provide unconditional love rather than telling you that hate you every other day.
Well, I’m typing this out while holding one cat on my chest, while the other sits on my shoulder. I love animals, and they generally love me. The more the merrier. Our cats are family.
Love 'em. Love mine, love everyone else’s. Even the more unusual of pets, I enjoy “meeting” them, petting them if possible.
But I still eat 'em in little packaged portions, fresh, breaded, or mechanically separated. Oh, alright, I don’t eat “pet” type animals. I couldn’t own a cow if it was meant for eating - I’ll admit it, I’d get attached to it. I can’t be emotionally attached to my dinner, so I buy anonymous cow in packages.
If I take them in and take responsibility for their health and welfare, they’re family members and are given love, attention, healthcare, etc. Everything else* is possible food. I say this with a purring kittycat on my shoulder, who doesn’t look too worried about this. If she could speak, I have a strong feeling she’d pretty much agree with me. If her claws were big enough, her muscles stronger, and she was just a little taller? Hell, she’d take that cow down herself. I don’t hunt, don’t care for it myself, being the big, bleeding heart that I am; I need someone else to kill my food for me. I’m so precious that way. But if my little Kero could learn to use a gun, she’d probably be a pretty good provider.
don’t read too far into that, I don’t mean it literally. I don’t eat koala, or giraffe, or penguin. I eat cow, pig, bird, fish, and some bologna, hot dogs, or SPAM (which my father defines as a seperate category altogether: the holy trinity of roadkill )
I think that students fill the place in my heart that pets do for other people: I like to watch them and think about them and tell little amusing stories about them and worry about them, and I feel all mushy inside whenever I take a minute to learn back and watch them, and they shower me with periodic, unexplained displays of heartfelt affection that make me happy.
However, having 100 pets for most of the day kinda taps me out, so I am glad when I come home and I can be selfish and not worry about whether someone else is getting what they need from me (except for my husband, but that’s like a totally different thing).
I like visiting other people’s pets, and hearing their stories.
) (OK, that wouldn’t happen if I owned a pet, but what I’m saying is, I am a bad owner.)
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