What is the purpose of having a pet?

Great Debates
101

Anybody who thinks any pet is going to be completely obedient to them is either incredibly stupid, or delusional. Or maybe both. Animals are individuals, with their own distinct personalities. Sometimes they’re perfectly happy to do whatever you’d like, other times they’re going to do what they want, and you don’t like it, tough. (Anyone who thinks an animal isn’t capable of expressing “Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, I’m doing what I want” has obviously never had a strong-willed pet.)

I have pets for a lot of reasons. They’re soft, and their fur feels nice. I like things that are soft and feel nice. They’re cuddly and warm, and I like things that are cuddly and warm. They make nice noises, especially when they’re happy, and puppy and kitty kisses tickle. The rhythmic rumble of a purring cat on the pillow helps me fall asleep, and warm lump of cat at the foot of the bed keeps my toes warm. They’re a lot more entertaining than anything on television, and they’re cheaper than going to the movies or concerts all the time.

Mostly, though, I keep them around because the house just doesn’t feel right without them. I can’t explain it, really, any more than someone could explain any other inborn urge. Some people have a deepseated need to be around kids, or to make music, or to make order out of disorder. Others of us have a deepseated need to be around animals. We can’t quantify or rationalize it, it’s just there.

102

Admittedly, I am posting this before reading ALL the other posts, so I hope I am not repeating anything.

I think it is important to point out that those people who desire to be dominant are the people who abuse animals, not those who have well-loved pets. These are also the people with a lack of respect for life in general, including human life. A man who beats his dog probably beats his wife too (or at least wants to and takes it out on the dog.) The people with pets have respect and love for their animals. They expect very little of their pets.

I have two house rabbits. They live in my room. They have a three-story cage built by me that they are rarely confined to. I spend about $10-$15 a week on veggies for them. I spend even more on pellets, hay, and litter. They have oodles of toys (yes, rabbits play with toys). If they were just here for my amusement, I could keep them alive and around with much less effort. But I want them to be happy and therefore spend the extra money and time.

There are many people who adopt animals. Is this a selfish act? Cetainly not. Adopting takes time, you cannot adopt an animal on impulse. In my case, adopting my second rabbit was mostly for my first rabbit, so that he would have a companion when I am not around.

Certainly there is some selfishness in keeping animals and in domesticating them in the first place. (In the case of rabbits, for food and fur… ew) But what human act isn’t ultimately fueled by selfishness? We were designed by evolution to be selfish, not to make the world happy. It could be argued that we protect our children ultimately to ensure the continuation of our genes.

103

[QUOTE=escapol]

[QUOTE=Intent]
Escapol, I have to ask. Do you have anything that you love? A human, a hobby, a child, anything? Now, ask yourself why. Can you explain to me why you love that thing? I don’t love it. I probably don’t even know it. Why do you love it?

My cats communicate with me all the time. True, they (mostly*) don’t use the English language, but I know very well what they want by observing their body language and vocalizations. When I use a can opener, my female Siamese asks, quite loudly, if I’m opening a can of tuna, and if I AM, I should remember that she is entitled to the liquid that I will drain from that can. She will keep reminding me of this until she has her dish of tuna juice to drink. When I take out my insulin and draw it into a syringe, she says that SHE is ready for a meal, too. By this she means that she wants people food, or at least cat treats. She always has fresh cat kibble and fresh water available. The male cat will meow if someone has a paper bag, because he wants that paper bag to be emptied and set down on the floor, on its side, so that he can Lurk in it. The male also enjoys being talked to, and will stretch and roll in response. However, he doesn’t want his tummy rubbed at all. Nor does he want his nose beeped. He makes a face of utter disgust if I dare to touch his nose. If both cats have, for some reason, decided that they are Starving and have devoured the cat kibble, they will holler at the nearest human and lead him or her to the food dish, which will still have kibble in it, but horror of horrors, the cats can see the bottom of the food dish! And Her Nibs will let us know if she considers the litter box to be too dirty or odorous.

We don’t order the cats around. It’s QUITE the opposite in the Bodoni household.

*The Siamese female can and will make a vocalization that sounds like Mama. She did this by chance one day, and I praised her for it. Now she does it deliberately, when she particularly wants to butter someone up. She’s very clever and is quick to learn which of her behaviors will result in the desired human behaviors.

104

Yes it has. You merely refused to accept the answers as valid.

There were many more reasons given other than solely “to love”. My praying mantis Pat is effectively a 3-D interactive X-Box game in himself. But even so, you are arbitrarily dismissing this reason based on whimsical criteria.

Would that no tragedy ever left you dependant on another, with whom you could not discuss issues. For who, then, would love you?

105

Little to add to the many excellent answers already given.

A minor point: escapol, I am not sure why you believe folks simply “wake up one morning saying ‘I MUST have a pet.’” (paraphrased) For the vast majority of pet owners, the decision is the result of deliberate choice. So realize that your characterization of the thought process demeans the actual process and actors.

Just this morning, Ms. D commented on how many times a day Daisy (our dog) makes her smile, not because of any specific thing she did, but just - I don’t know - because of the way she is. And she observed how that “benefit” far outweighs the relatively modest efforts Daisy requires. Daisy really likes being with us, whether riding in the car, or sitting next to our chair, lying under the dining room table, or acting as a backrest for a kid lying on the floor while watching TV. Tho sometimes I feel it is a pain in the ass when she nudges me with her nose in order to be petted (endlessly), I have to admit it is pretty darned low on the list of potential annoyances.

And I would like anyone to explain how, in any respect, she does not have a pretty darned good life for a canine.

So what is the loss? What needs to be explained? She provides us enjoyment outweighing the effort involved. And she is in no way harmed by the exchange.

106

Escobal.
I was afraid you had disappeared there.
I’m a little curious about your actions here. You have been a member for some time now. During this period you appear to have been on vacation for quite some time, returning only within the last three month or so. I did a search to see what other threads you have been in, and that led to 5 examples of potentially good, thought provoking topics in the last 3 and a half months.
There seems to be a mindset in this thread on your part against opening an issue for debate. Instead you refuse to consider anything but your preconceived notion that all pet owners have an improper agenda with respect to ownership of their pets.
So far, your debate style is very similar to Baghdad Bob’s.
This approach is rather frustrating to others who seek to engage you in a debate on your opinion of pet ownership. In a previous thread you stated you “never feel qualified enough to participate in debates”. I doubt this is the case. A person who is capable of generating what the examples pasted below show, is capable of debating the questions.

Before this gets out of hand, why not respond to some of the points raised against your position with logic, not with verbal gymnastics.

I’m providing these results to save the hamsters from having to do the extra work required to regenerate them.

What’s the point of planet Earth?

Why do you believe in Jesus Christ and not Allah or Buddha?

“I never feel qualified enough to participate in debates, but thanks for taking my question seriously.” escobar, 2003 (practice makes perfect.-zig)

Art and homosexuality: If Michelango was straight…

Does reverse racism exist?

Do ALL non christians go to hell?

107

Okay, I think I see the problem. Here’s the answer to your fundamental question:

Nothing.

Incidentally, many similar questions have the same answer, such as, “What makes a person say, ‘I must pour feelthy macaroni noodles on my head. Noodles that will sing songs to me, and do what I say’?”

Nobody says that, so there’s nothing that makes people say that.

Does this answer satisfy you?

Daniel

108

[QUOTE=escapol]

So why would anyone own an XBox, or a Playstation?

109

I find it interesting that you’ve already built a caveat (if that’s the right word) into everyone’s argument. You’ve said “oh, you’ll deny it, but I know it’s true” basically, so anything any of us pet owners has to say is immediately invalidated in your eyes. Why bother “debating” with someone who does that? An intellectual debate involves to parties of dissenting opinion trying to sway each other through valid scientific reasoning. That’s just the way it works. You put forth an intellectually-based, potentially valid argument for your views. We put forth an intellectually-based counter-argument for our views. We go back and forth until we have reached a conclusion, even if it is to agree to disagree. Thus far, most of the arguments about how pets help humans in myriad ways while receiving something in return can be supported by valid scientific studies: Pets are good for your health, Pet Therapy. I have yet to see you make any assertion whatsoever that is based upon science or intellect. So now it’s your turn - the gauntlet has been thrown. If you can provide sound scientific evidence or at least make an intellectually valid statement that demonstrates that you have considered both sides of this argument, there will be a debate. Until then, you have absolutely no leg to stand on.

110

[QUOTE=escapolWhat makes a person say, ‘I must get an animal. An animal who will be completely obedient to me, and do what I say.’[/quote]
Nothing, and you vastly misunderstand the nature of the relationship in the first place if this is what you think people think of their pets. You probably also underestimate an animal’s ability to act on its own impulses, as well. In most cases, animals are rather quick to let you know if they’re being taken advantage of, abused, hurt, and so on, except in cases of a pattern of abuse, in which case humans (animals themselves) are the same way so the point is pretty moot.

Children are dependent on their parents for food. Does having a child mystify you, too?

111

Well my Niece wanted an aquarium and fish for Christmas. She wanted something that she could be responsible for, that she could care for, and that she could show to her friends. If you find you can be responsible for and care for your playstation then you are a very weird person.

112

The frustrating thing is that I bought the top-of-the-line filter for my playstation’s aquarium, feed it only the best food, and make sure to dechlorinate the water regularly, and it STILL died :(.

Daniel

113

You’re right. One morning, I opened my eyes and a wonderful plan formed in my mind. “I must have a slave that will obey my every whim! It must be incredibly obedient, and without a will of its own! HEY, I KNOW! I’ll adopt two kittens! Everyone knows that kittens are the most obedient creatures on earth! Bwah ha ha ha!”

Then I went to buy some kittens from the local slave market…er, I mean animal shelter. Strangely enough, they gave them to me for free! I was afraid right then that they might be defective, but I decided to take a chance. After all, when someone offers you free animal slaves, you don’t question your good luck!

I should’ve questioned it. I got the two kittens home, and, just as I suspected, they’re defective. They don’t obey me at all! No matter how many times I crack the whip at them and yell, “No, kitty!”, those nasty little brats claw the chair, jump on the dining room table, eat my plants, and shed their fur in my bed.

I tried to teach them to do things, like scrub the bathtub and take out the garbage, but they turned out to be useless for such tasks. Primarily, they want to lay around on my lap, purr, and be petted. Sometimes they chase each other around. These activities are completely useless for my purposes. Clearly, the slavers pawned off some severely defective cats on me.

I’m outraged, and thinking about suing. After all, everyone knows that pets are supposed to serve their masters! Do our bidding! Surely ALL people purchase their pets with the expectation that they are buying domestic help!

Man, you really have my number. Am I supposed to feel ashamed that I wanted to buy some animals to serve their God-given purpose: to serve all mankind? Well, I refuse! I did what was natural and just! Now, if only the cats would hold up their end of the bargain! :mad:

114

“Home . . . I haff no home. Hanted . . . despised . . . liffing like an animal—the jongle is my home! But I vill show the vorld that I can be its master. I shall perfect my own rice of keetens—a rice of atomic super-keetens that will conquer the vorld!”

115

When I was seven years old, I wanted a cat because cats are cuddly and cute and they play with you and love you and let you pet them. I had my heart set on getting an all orange cat, but one day someone answered the ad that momsix placed in the newspaper who didn’t have an all orange cat. What they did have was an abused kitten that spent all its time living in their bathroom. He wasn’t the kind of cat I wanted, and he wasn’t a kitten like I wanted, but I refused to let him stay in that house with those people. We took him home.

For eight and a half years, the cat was always happy to see us, would snuggle on the couch with us, would spend his time deciding who he wanted to sleep with, and developed quite a personality in the house. He refused to drink from a bowl, and would only drink running water from the bathtub. He would announce his intention to get a drink by coming to get someone and heading for the bathroom, and we’d go and dutifully turn the water on for him and wait until he was done to turn it off. He had a lot of other interesting habits, and he was a family member with his own personality just like the rest of us. He had his own toys, his own room, and full run of the house. After he got neutered, he never left his own yard and rarely liked to be outdoors without one of us there. And then someone put anti-freeze in the yard and poisoned him.

Over the course of two weeks, we spent countless dollars and many hours attempting to save his life with health care that would rival what we’d do for ourselves. We fed him baby food from a spoon and we let him drink out of a bottle. When we knew that it was hopeless, and that nothing could be done to lessen the fact that he was suffering, we had to have him euthanized. That was the hardest day of my life, bar none. I have absolutely no scientific evidence for it, but I believe that pets are capable of immense love for their families. The cat was free to leave us any time he chose; we never treated him like a prisoner, and even when he was highly pissed off at us (like when he had to get a bath because he got too close to a skunk) he never left us. He let us know he was displeased (He’d find a shoe belonging to the person who did the bad thing, and shit in it.), and then he’d forgive us and love us again. For eight and a half years, he gave us all his love and affection, unconditionally. He made our lives better by being there, and we gave him everything he wanted to make his life happy.

No PlayStation, XBox, or GameCube can do that. A PlayStation won’t know it when you’re not feeling well and spend all day curled up beside you. A GameCube will never meow when the coffee pot starts to perk in the morning and wake you up. An XBox will never see you crying and nuzzle your head until you stop. And to this day, he’s the only friend I ever had who never, ever told anyone a single embarassing secret I ever told him.

All of those toys could be replaced. That cat was one of a kind, irreplacable.

116

clap clap clap

117

shudders at the thought of atomic keetens

“Pull the strings! Pull the strings!”

118

Very young children do not fit this description, yet people have children. Are you going to ask ‘what is the point of having children?’

I have no idea. Because I have never been nor known that person. The overwhelming majority of pet owners are not that person. So your question is unanswerable unless that rare person turns up.

Your point seems to be that if something is alive it is not worth having.

Your basic question has been answered many many many times. You may or may not know it but your statement “My fundamental question still has not been answered.” Is coming across as insolent. You are turning your nose up at serious attempts to answer your question. Most of which are valid answers.
People have pets because they make good companions - A valid answer.

People have pets because they grew up having pets - A valid answer.

People have pets because (and if) they are lonely - A valid answer.

People get pets as gifts - A valid answer.

People have pets because owning a pet is a mutual benefit situation - A valid answer.
Unless your question is not “Why do people have pets” and is in fact “Why do people wake up one day and decide to get a thing that must be obedient to them and do what they say”. In that case the answer is - those type of people are power-mad and want something to dominate and boss about.

For most pet owners obedience and command are unfortunate side-effects. I personally don’t like animals that are obedient. To me its undignified, I like pets with dignity and a mind of their own (so to speak) and a flap in the back door.

119

Most people have written about the pleasure that pets give them, which is true, but it works the other way also. We got our dog when the people who owned him started a business. Though they gave him love, they had to leave him home alone all day, and Ki hated that. So, they were willing to give him up for his happiness. My wife works from home, so Ki spends his time in her office, often under her desk, and is very happy.

He also likes to howl with us, but won’t do it until I start. He is so expressive that he could just as well be talking. He is a very happy dog after a howl. He’s happy when we take him for a walk. He’s happy when we brush him with his ridiculously expensive Sharper Image ionic brush.

He is living a contented life with us. Bet you can’t make your XBox happy.

120

Folks, escapol has left the building. No point trying to respond to him/her.