Are pets worth it? Pros and Cons of pet ownership

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Here’s Oscar’s and Skinner’s cat house:
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Another view of their luxury accommodations:
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I don’t ‘own’ the cat that shares our home. She’s free to come and go as she pleases; does not have a name (naming implies ownership. She is simply ‘the cat’); and remains because it suits her to. She’s been here for seven years, so we must be doing it right 😄
 
Such a beautiful kitty, with such great markings on his fur! 😄 ❤️

I love the cat trees, too. That must make your kitties very happy, having high places to climb.

We have a modular tower for our kitty.

It has a memory foam pillow that you can place on the top level. She likes to greet us from there, and she also likes to sleep on there, too.

We’re also thinking of getting some type of a tree or a smaller condo for her that we can put near our balcony window for her, so that she can sit/lay on it and look out of the window and watch the birds when the weather is nicer again. 🙂

I like reading this thread, as it’s fun to read how well-loved all of our pets are. ❤️
 
And it’s so much fun to pamper and spoil them. Of course, the kitties know a good thing when they experience one, and they milk it for all it’s worth. They figure out, pretty quickly, how to get exactly what they want from the humans THEY adopt. Who says animals are “dumb”?
 
My post will probably seem negative as I have no interest in animals.

Cons: They wreck the place, dog charges around and drops millions of hairs everywhere chewing stuff up, cats wreck the carpets scratching them all the time. I’m sure vet bills are higher in America but they aren’t fun over here either. Spending a lot of money on food especially for a bigger dog isn’t fun. Seeing your wife show them more affection than you makes you feel like an insect as that’s below the animals. Barking and meowing especially when trying to sleep, jumping on your bed during the night waking you up, drooling when you are eating. Taking them for a walk in all weathers at 4:30am before work.

Pros: Certain dogs will eat any dropped food which is good when your children are much younger. Children learn some responsibility by feeding them and cleaning the rabbits cage out.

I know, I’m biased.
 
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BigRon said:
They wreck the place, dog charges around and drops millions of hairs everywhere chewing stuff up, cats wreck the carpets scratching them all the time. I’m sure vet bills are higher in America but they aren’t fun over here either. Spending a lot of money on food especially for a bigger dog isn’t fun. Seeing your wife show them more affection than you makes you feel like an insect as that’s below the animals. Barking and meowing especially when trying to sleep, jumping on your bed during the night waking you up, drooling when you are eating. Taking them for a walk in all weathers at 4:30am before work.
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Yet, still worth it to have a friend with unconditional love for life.
 
Providing scratching posts for cats, who can be easily trained to use them, solve the scratching of the carpeting and furniture problem.

Almost all cats instinctively know to use a litter box. I never had to train any of mine to do so. As long as it’s kept clean, most cats will use it.

As for dogs, it depends on the breed. Labs are usually very docile and gentle. Good breed for kids. So are Boxers.

A simple solution to the shedding of hair is to get a breed that doesn’t shed. Poodles don’t shed their hair. They’re also very smart and easy to train.

Dogs have to have adequate space in which to run around. It’s never a good idea to keep a large dog confined inside of a small apartment. There simply isn’t enough room to provide the exercise the animal needs.

On the other hand, a very large fenced yard is ideal for most dogs, especially larger ones. We always kept our Boxer inside of our terraced yard, which was fenced and gated. He was never allowed to roam the neighborhood and disturb our neighbors (as a lot of people today allow their dogs to do), and he was perfectly happy. We played with him, petted him, gave him plenty of attention.

Cats need to have high places to perch on. Carpeted cat trees and kitty condos are great for this. They offer cats security, and are more in keeping with their natural needs and tendencies. Cats also need to be petted and played with.

How pets respond to their environments depends a lot on the appropriateness of those environments, and how their people treat them.

Not everyone likes animals, but those who don’t are missing out on something very special in their lives.
 
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I don’t think pets are for everyone. But for those of us who have the means, the time, and the inclination, they do bring a lot of joy to our lives. I happen to like most kinds of animals. Right now we have a dog and a turtle.

I’d love to have a cat or two as well but I’m kind of allergic and so are some extended family members so having a cat probably isn’t the best choice for my family. (Outdoor cats tend not to fare well in my neck of the woods due to traffic, owls, hawks, and coyotes.)

While they won’t stop anyone who has targeted your home, dogs (and a few cats, birds, and other pets) can deter opportunistic burglars. Sometimes they actually do earn their keep.
 
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.) This is Lincoln. He is a rescue.
 
He is very adorable! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:
 
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I had a cat, and had to give him to a friend because my place wasn’t safe for him. They had lots of cats, but my cat apparently came in and took over. (I picked him because he had a lot of personality.) I was happy that he got a home where he was contented and well-cared for and was a pleasure to the family.

I like cats and dogs fine, but I was in a situation where I couldn’t give one a good home for so long that I just kind of got used to not having one. Then I lived with a roommate who had a cat, cat hair everywhere, and I think I developed an allergy to pet dander.

I haven’t had a pet since. I feel pretty strongly that you have to ask yourself if you’re giving a good situation for the pet. You also need a plan for who will take your pet or care for it if you can’t, what you’re going to do if one of the typical catastrophies happens, like a big medical bill or you’re allergic or the animal gets a time-intensive physical ailment. I’m not saying you should overthink it, but it is a real commitment. You’re not getting an inanimate object, but taking responsibility for a sentient creature that can’t make it in this world without care. It can be very good for both parties, but you’re the only one with the power to make the choice, so be responsible with that power.

I could get a pet again someday, but it isn’t going to happen in the immediate future. Now I think my husband would rather that he get my attention instead of a cat or a dog!

Just for the record–and I know this could get me flamed–one of my pet peeves is when people refer to having a pet as “parenting” the pet. No, parenting is something different. Referring to one of your son’s high school friends as another child is one thing, but your dog is not your child. Your care for your pet is not parenting. It is very valuable, it doesn’t bother me hearing people refer to their pets as members of the family, but that is not the same as a parent-child relationship. (With cats, it is more like co-existence at some level of cordiality that is dictated by the cat, but that is another topic.)

In other words: Call your mail carrier a member of your family, if you like, or your dog or your turtle or even Alex Trebek, if you must, that’s your call, but children are not pets and pets are not children. Period.
 
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If a large dog is intimidating enough, he or she probably could stop someone who is targeting your home. Sometimes, it only takes a ferocious growl and flashing eyes to convey the message. We shouldn’t underestimate some of our pets.

Now, a teacup Poodle isn’t going to have much of an effect, but a huge Great Dane or Doberman or Rotweiler just might get the job done.

Burglars, beware!
 
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The term is used figuratively. It’s a figure of speech that conveys affection. Everyone knows that, technically, children and pets are not the same thing. And nobody believes that pets actually are children. But, if the term “pet parent” bothers you that much, nobody is forcing you to use it.
 
JanR said:
The term is used figuratively. It’s a figure of speech that conveys affection. Everyone knows that, technically, children and pets are not the same thing. And nobody believes that pets actually are children. But, if the term “pet parent” bothers you that much, nobody is forcing you to use it.
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I live near enough to Portland, OR, that I wouldn’t be so sure. I mean that there really are people here who object that their pets ought to be allowed anywhere that a child is allowed, and that in most cases the dogs ought to be allowed and the children excluded. Children really are talked about as if they are some kind of a pet and pets really are talked about as if they are children of another sort. (Of course, we are also in a region where people pretend they really can’t tell any substantial difference between heterosexual and homosexual unions or what makes someone a parent, too, so that could have something to do with it.)
JanR said:
If a large dog is intimidating enough, he or she probably could stop someone who is targeting your home. Sometimes, it only takes a ferocious growl and flashing eyes to convey the message. We shouldn’t underestimate some of our pets.

Now, a teacup Poodle isn’t going to have much of an effect, but a huge Great Dane or Doberman or Rotweiler just might get the job done.

Burglars, beware!
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Surprisingly enough, I have actually heard law enforcement officers say that toy-sized dogs tend to be more problematic for intruders. They make a lot of noise, they are more difficult to grab and “neutralize” with a weapon, and they don’t tend to be as willing to be bought off with food bribes.

I’m sure mileage varies, though.
 
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My sister-in-law loves Mastiffs. She’d rather have one than her husband! 😂
 
JanR said:
If a large dog is intimidating enough, he or she probably could stop someone who is targeting your home. Sometimes, it only takes a ferocious growl and flashing eyes to convey the message. We shouldn’t underestimate some of our pets.
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I agree that a large growling dog with a deep voice is a bigger deterrent than a small cuddly one with a high pitched yippy voice.

The real point I was trying to make was that many burglars are looking maintain secrecy when stealing. A noisy dog of any size is often enough to make them look elsewhere since they can’t be sure who will check on the noise. Robbers who are prepared to use violence to get what they want are another story.

I have had my home broken into twice when I had just a cat. (Too bad it wasn’t my childhood Siamese cat; he probably would have attacked a burglar.)

To the best of my knowledge, I have never had anything stolen from inside my home when I had a dog.
 
Siamese cats can yowl loud enough to wake the dead. And they do tend to be temperamental and aggressive. I wouldn’t want to tangle with one.

And yet, one of the nicest cats I’ve ever had was a pure white, apricot-point, or flame-point Siamese with blue eyes. He was a one-person cat, though. I could do whatever I wished with him, and he would calmly let me. But, nobody else could go near him. He would bolt.

A nice bright yard light can also deter burglars. They do NOT want to be seen.
 
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