General Pet Discussion Thread

[SoaringDylan]

There is a big chance that you have a pet and even if you don't, you most likely have had them around in your neighborhood before. Pets can be real nuisances. Or they can be your best friend when you're feeling down. But no matter what, it's always fun to talk about the experiences we've had or are having with our 'little' comrades.

And that's why we have this thread! Here we can talk all about pets we have, have had or perhaps will be getting soon.
From discussions on "how you care for your pet" to "in what stupid corner your pet got stuck now", feel free to talk about it right here!

Please keep in mind:

• To stay respectful of each other and their pets.
• To put images in a spoiler tag.
  

  [spoiler]<your image>[/spoiler]

 

[Proxima Centauri B]

I currently have one cat,she is a 6 yr old short hair brown tabby and I adopted her from a shelter I used to volunteer at. She's very cute and friendly and meows a lot, she loves to snuggle and be petted and purrs loudly when she's not napping on my bed.

I would really love another cat but I dont think its happening. I live with my mom who loves dogs and has her heart set on getting a puppy. I like dogs too.

Other pets Ive had that are now gone are a guinea pig, 2 parakeets/budgies, several fish, a dog and another cat. Im a pet lover and like taking care of animals alot.

 

[Zexy]

My family (mother's side) once had lots of pets, with 12 canary birds, 2 cats and a dog being the most they had at some point simultaneously. As my mother and uncle grew up and some of the pets passed away, though, they'd get less and less, with their last one for years being a dog that passed away early when my mother was pregnant. They decided to not get any pets ever since, for the sake of my health and so they could take care of me better without having to devote as much time to the pets.

And this is how it went until 2014, I was 17 at that point and would leave home in less than a year. Some other relatives from my mother's side include a bird breeder, a dog breeder and a cat breeder (that's how the family always had lots of pets anyway), and at some family meeting they pretty much motivated my grandparents to get a pet again, they also felt like I grew up a lot and would soon leave anyway so they were like "why not?" tbh they wanted to feel young again a bit through this too. So we all decided on a cat, together. We got a nice female white fulffy kitten from the cat breeder. My mother insisted that we name her Cookie; I didn't mind it, so Cookie it was. This is the only photo of me and Cookie I've ever managed to get:

Spoiler

She might have not exactly been my pet alone but she is my first and so far "only" pet. I'd try to play with her and care for her as much as possible but I was also studying for final year and had to be away from home for several hours etc. so my family helped a lot with taking care of her. Then the time for me to go had come, and I had to leave her behind; we discussed the possibility of getting her with me but it'd probably be worse for her to take her away from the place she grew up in.

Anyway, a bit after I left they got some more cats, which actually gave birth to some more kittens recently. They all have become good friends with Cookie, who's grown up a lot. She does remember me but isn't as playful as she once was, which makes sense since she doesn't see me much. And she doesn't like staying still for photos, so sorry but I can't get a pic of her as an adult anymore... I still somewhat consider her my pet, she is my first pet and is still there, I still see her from time to time.

As for whether I'm going to get any other pets... with my current lifestyle I can't take care of them well enough, so that's a no for several more years. But maybe later on.

 

[Username19]

Currently I have three indoor cats, one outdoor cat, and three dogs. My outdoor cat is a solid black cat named Gabriel. He is probably the single whiniest cat I've ever had but I think that's because he doesn't like all the noise everyone makes when they walk past the flower bush he likes to sleep in. He doesn't really come in much unless its snowing outside. When its rainy or unusually hot he just goes in the garage and naps.

My oldest indor cat is Kitty Meow Meow. Shes like a mix of rag doll and Malaysian. Very pretty but not a people loving cat. She isn't aggressive but she certainly doesn't like being touched. My friend always says Meow reminds her of the cat from Cinderella. xD
Enrique is my other indoor cat and a kitten from Meow Meows 2nd litter. Hes a tuxedo cat and everyone we showed him and his sister off to wouldn't take them because they are mostly black cats. So we ended up keeping him and his sister. He doesn't like the outdoors and shoots straight up into the air like six feet if he accidentally steps off the porch. He loves hiding in cabinets, boxes, bags, baskets, trash...really anything he can fit in or on. He also enjoys sitting infront of the TV while I'm gaming and batting at my enemies for me.
Ricardo is my last indor cat and Enrique's little sister. She was the runt of her litter but also the smartest. Her favorite pass time is going outside and catching things and bringing them back in for me to find. Oh and she is a master of taking her collar off and hiding it.

Skipper is my oldest dog. He is a beagle. A little pudgy and usually very happy. He loves staying outside and just staring up at out trees hoping the squirrel will fallout of the tree.
Jak is a mixed breed dog my sister got from the shelter as a puppy. She works all the time so he stays with us permanently now. He is tall, muscular, hyperactive, devious, and spoiled. Hes favorite thing to do is bum rush you and take whatever is in your hand so you'll chase him around. xP
My youngest dog is Luna, a little Min Pin we got last year. Gosh she is spoiled and fast. She tries so hard to keep up with Jak and trys and plays with whatever Jak has at the moment. She has also started to slowly dig a pretty big hole in the back yard whenever she is bored and sits in it while she is outside.

Love my pets but I truthfully don't want anymore of them. Two of my pets died last year and I didn't handle it well at all. Its not a loss I want to keep going through but my Dad likes having a houseful of pets so he keeps adopting them. So as long as my Dad keeps adopting them Ill keep spoiling them rotten.

 

[dragon_nataku]

My parents had a dog before I was born and it bit me when I was like three ^<__<^;; It died shortly thereafter (I guess I am poisonous?). It had kidney stones at one point too, which might have contributed to its death. It was a Lhasa Apso.

Then when we moved to a different country dad got me a dog to keep me company. I remember thinking it was THE UGLIEST dog evAr (it was a Shih Tzu), but I quickly grew to love that dog and was very sad when she died at the ripe old age of like 12. I still miss that dog sometimes. We never got a new one cause mum hates animals, so I can't even have like a pet mouse or anything.

 

[Kung Fu Ferret]

I have a heeler mix named Momo and a three legged JRT named Boomy. Actually they are my mother's two dogs.

I want to get a leopard gecko at my apartment.

 

[Peekaboo Pikachu]

I take care of the cats that wander around our neighborhood.

There's a gray feral cat named Tyrion (because of his shorter-than-average legs), a stray black and white cat named Pepper (who is apparently deaf), and two cats who are obviously well taken care of but enjoy coming over for snacks. One of them is a jet black cat with long fur (I know it has a home because its fur isn't matted), and a black and white cat who wears a collar named Charlie. (We've called Charlie's owners and they say it's fine because he always wanders.)

Charlie and Pepper are both affectionate and enjoy being petted. Tyrion and the long-haired cat are easily frightened and don't trust people.

 

[FinalArcadia]

My family has two cats now: Luna (3 years old, a brown and black tabby), and Mickey (1 year old, mostly white but with a black tail and a few black spots). We had another cat, Champ (he was 8), but he passed away nearly 10 years ago now after suddenly getting sick and no vet ever told us what was wrong. It's been years, but it feels like it happened so recently and quite honestly I've never really recovered and I still get upset about him being gone. I never had the chance to say goodbye, and it just tears me up inside. Did he know how much I love him? How much everyone did and still does? I can only hope so. He was so sweet and loving and I miss him so much. His passing was so rough that - even though I love cats - I didn't want to adopt another pet because I didn't want to handle another loss or feel like I was replacing him.

Fast-forward to a few years ago when my parents took me to a Humane Society cat adoption weekend saying that "we'll just look at the cats since we're nearby." It turned into us getting an unplanned addition to our family, my precious Luna. It probably helped that she was a girl and looked totally different from Champ so it was easier to feel like I wasn't replacing him, but I bonded with Luna immediately. Her personality is exactly what I'd probably be like as a cat haha. She's not good with change and people she isn't familiar with, but to those she is close to (like me and my sisters), she is so very sweet and affectionate and intelligent. She's really smart and good at communicating exactly what she wants. And I'm very protective of her, perhaps overly so according to my parents who say I'm like a mother hen to her haha.

Two more years go by, and one day when my parents and one of my sisters were out, I get a sudden text with a picture of a kitten. I texted back that he was cute, and then my mom said they were bringing him home. I was all "WHAT" because there was absolutely no sign they wanted another cat and I was worried about how Luna would handle it. It took a while, but Luna and Mickey got used to each other and now I can't imagine not having Mickey here too. He's kind of dopey, but very loving and adorable. Sometimes he reminds me a lot of Champ in both appearance and personality and I find myself getting teary-eyed thinking about how I'll never know how Champ would've gotten along with Luna and Mickey. But I am very glad that we ended up adopting both of them because they they are very important to me and I hope they stay with me for a very long time.

 

[Maniacal Engineer]

Personally, I'm very partial to pet birds. I grew up with a pet cockatiel that knew my name.
My family now has my pet cockatiel, since I will be moving in with my girlfriend, and she owns two cats.
I don't mind cats. I've met hers before, and they seem to like me. Only thing is, I've got to keep them out of my Lego.

 

[SoaringDylan]

I don't mind cats. I've met hers before, and they seem to like me. Only thing is, I've got to keep them out of my Lego.

I've heard they're precise at throwing proton torpedoes, so watch out for your death star.

 

[Maniacal Engineer]

I've heard they're precise at throwing proton torpedoes, so watch out for your death star.

But they don't have opposable thumbs, so that's what doors are for. :3

 

[Proxima Centauri B]

I now have an 8 week old Shepherd mix puppy. We arent sure what breed she is totally since we adopted her. We've named her Lulu. She's very cute, funny and has lots of energy, though unfortunately she likes to chew everything, even us so we need to break her of that habit and get the housetraining down as well as regular dog training. She's very interested in the cat but the cat isnt so much interested in her, we'll see how it goes.

 

[ocelotlrama jaguar]

I am owned by two cats: a 15-year-old tabby boy named Sox and a 7-year-old Siamese girl named Bloo (yes, she's named after the character from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends). Sox is chatty and demanding, meowing non-stop since 2002, but a loveable ball of fluff that just wants to sleep and be with people. He LOVES people. Bloo is temperamental, chatty only when she wants to be, and loves to pretend that she's a wild beast. While not as approachable as Sox, she is friendly enough that she'll allow strangers to approach and pet her. She loves to be petted.

I also live with three rat terriers and while I am not their's (they own my parents), I love them a lot! Eddie, 6-years-old, the only girl, and named after the dog from Frasier (we thought she was a boy when her previous owners gave her to us and the name stuck); Chewey, Eddie's son (his dad, Max, passed away about a year and a half ago); and the newest addition, Reggie, a rat terrier/long-haired chihuahua mix. Eddie is not a fan of strangers. Well, she doesn't mind women but she's not a fan of men, for some reason. I think their deep voices scare her. She only likes my father and my brother. She'll bark her head off at my cousins, repair guys... Chewey and Reggie love people. They'll both tag along when we go for rides and happily go to new places. Eddie just prefers to stay at home.

All have their silly personalities. I wouldn't have it any other way. I adore them all. <3

 

[BorgyDudeMan]

We don't have pets, but there is this stray cat that for some reason my little brother considers as a pet. I basically decided to agree with him, and all the cat does in our house is just sleep on our boxes...

 

[Maniacal Engineer]

Currently I have no pets, but in a couple of weeks, there will be two cats here, Jadzia and Emony (bonus points for anyone who gets the name references).

 

[Zexy]

So my pet cat I was talking about a few posts ago, Cookie, has caught an upper respiratory infection According to our vet, for the safety of the other cats in the house, we need to quarantine her and just hope she gets past it, but the chances are against her.

I'm now trying to come to terms to the idea that the first and so far only pet that I ever considered "mine" is going to pass away soon...
EDIT: It happened. I'll miss her.

 

[FroyoDragon]

I've had many pets thorough my life.

Dogs, turtles, tortoises, cats, birds, a parrot, a bunny...

But I don't really have the best of luck with pets :/ over time, most have been either poisoned (My neighbor isn't very animal friendly, and there's a lot of garbage people, but that's a tale for another day lol), or they go away and don't return (and my mind goes to the worst of the worst...), Or we let them go/send them away.

Currently, I have two cats. I'm hilariously overprotective of them because of the above lmao. Both of them like to be caressed a lot, one is very easily scared, the other is energetic and fierce. Love them both <3

So my pet cat I was talking about a few posts ago, Cookie, has caught an upper respiratory infection According to our vet, for the safety of the other cats in the house, we need to quarantine her and just hope she gets past it, but the chances are against her.

I'm now trying to come to terms to the idea that the first and so far only pet that I ever considered "mine" is going to pass away soon...

=/ I know the feeling too well. Hope she gets better, even against the odds.

 

[Harryghost]

We once owned a male German Shepherd, which lived with us for a solid 8 years. It was a really fun time with my baby, and I used to pet him a lot to the point of spoiling him and we used to play a lot and have fun and... *sighs* He mysteriously went missing one day in 2015, and despite some extensive searches, was never found by anyone. My family believes that he is dead, but I am optimistic, even after two years of his disappearance, that we will find him, even if it is a slight 1% chance.

To get over with the loss and the gloom, we brought another German Shepherd puppy nearly 2 months after Tommy's disappearance, but he, too, is a lost dog now, after spending one year with us. In this case as well, I am optimistic that he is alive, and that we shall find him one day.

Seeing the previous track records, we have decided not to bring a pet dog in the house. At least, for some time now!

Tommy, Tuffy, I miss you, my babies!

 

[Vulpix037]

My house is a pet free zone.

 

[Dolce]

Now this is my kind of thread! Sorry for the text dump imma drop on you lot. Haha.

For starters I have a chihuahua, her name is Chiquita but we call her Chika for short. She's without a doubt the dog I've had around the longest time. She'll be 7 next year in March actually. Chika's a very generally quiet and she sticks very close by the members of my family. Even when outdoors I feel secure enough with Chika knowing she won't run off to chase something. She's also a very awkward dog; she loves tucking herself into my blankets and lays against my pillow, doesn't do hugs well, doesn't bark much (extremely weird for her breed imo). She's just my lovable goof. Lately though she's been distant from me because I'm simply not at my mother's as much as I used to be. It breaks my heart to hear she sleeps on the couch alone. So I always do my absolute best to spoil Chika when I'm home.

I also own a wild rabbit at my dad's house. Her name is Mocha and she's probably the 2nd longest pet I've owned after Chika. A cousin of mine caught Mocha as a baby and she had a bad leg, and now she's been with us for 5 years or so. Mocha by no means likes being touched or held but she's a very curious rabbit. She'll go up to things and sniff them. My dad lets her roam the house, she even goes outside on the balcony for fresh air.

When I was younger I owned probably around 10-20 hamsters. So I definitely consider myself a rodent person. And currently I have 2 gerbils, and 2 Robo dwarf hamsters.

My gerbils are a year old now and they're the first pair of gerbils I ever owned. I reccomend to those thinking about getting gerbils.. just know that they chew a lot. My boys Ace and Dash have destroyed 1 house, 3 almost 4 wheels, 1 food bowl, and 1 water bottle. I love them but I never anticipated the destruction. Ace is the more lax one of my boys. He'll let me hold him, and he's the more active chewer of the two. Dash well dashes off when I try to hold him and he absolutely adores running on his wheel. Luckily Dash is extremely food motivated so I managed to get him to accept me that way.

My robos are the more recent additions to my little rodent family. They were born on May 10th and were a gift from a co-worker of my mom's. They're my baby girls really. I've named them Mel and Lynn. So together they're melon! A fact I didn't notice until after my sister pointed it out to me. Mel is a lot more aggressive then Lynn and doesn't hesitate to nip at me. However like Dash she's also very food motivated and often carries around a nice stash of treats in her cheeks. Lynn is much more calm in comparison. But lately my girls have been my absolute joy since they let me carry them around. Something the boys don't let me do often.

And I think that's it. Sorry for the long post. ^^;