Do you have a pet?

Do you have at least one pet?


  • Total voters
    194

NathanielWingatePeaslee

Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!
Staff member
An animal friend. Cats, dogs, gerbils, cockatoos, and so on. Does it help you emotionally? Does it help against depression? Is it therapeutic for you?

My answer is a huge yes for all of the above, but I'm curious about other people.
 

MrJones

Well-known member
I've had several pets as a kid, from the regular dog, to turtles, a chicken or a horde of cannibal hamsters.

That was before I my life went downhill, now I couldn't take care properly of a living soul, as I even have troubles with myself.
 

WeirdyMcGee

Well-known member
I have one cat of my own; but am currently living with 3.
My cat: 9 years old
My brother's cat - who we rescued almost a year ago: between 2-3 years old
My dad's cat - I had adopted for him a year ago and we're fostering her until he gets a place of his own and can take her back: about 4 years old

I do think animals can be a big help emotionally.
Having my cat with me for so long, she depends on me for alot and when I'm not around she gets really depressed (and I do too) I can feel more comfortable in my bed, feeling her sleeping beside me... even if she takes up half the space and I'm crammed in the corner.

I brought my dad a cat when he started his depression/agoraphobia therapy because he was ready to open himself up a bit.
In having her around, he was forced to take better care of himself, clean the house, feed her and take care of her.
Having her depend on him when he had no one else was one thing that kept him going and he grew very attached to her.
So, from his experience and my own- I would say, yes. Pets do help.
 

InfraRecon

Active member
Yes definately! I often see my cat Tigger as pretty much my best friend haha. I'm 18 and we've had him for over 10 years so I can't even remember him not being in my life and we definately have a special bond! :) I also love my other cats and pets so much but me and Tig go waaaay back :D
 

Phoenixx

Well-known member
I've always had pets. I don't ever remember a time when I didn't have at least some sort of animal (yes, even fish). I have always loved animals, and I never did take pet deaths well at all. :( I think the one pet I was the closest to was a border collie/lab mix I named Zeus. He randomly showed up at our house when I was 14, during the time when I was most depressed. I felt so happy to have him, and so happy my dad let me keep him. He was really wonderful and special to me, not to mention incredibly smart for a mutt. I taught him whatever I could, I always took him with me, and he followed me everywhere. I think the minute we 'met' he knew there was something wrong with me, he could just sense it. At night, when I felt my worst and was laying in bed, he would crack open my door and come in, come beside me and watch me for 5 seconds before he laid down next to me. He would stay in my room until I fell asleep, then he would leave. He did this every night til the day he died. ::(: I still get pretty depressed around his "death date" and it's been 4 years already. (And I just teared up a little typing this ::eek::)

Now I currently have a cat and a dog (Another wonderful border collie). They're almost like my children, haha. I spoil them so much. It sucks I can't see them as often, but at least I get to see them about every 2 weeks, sometimes a little more.
 
I love animals. I've had pets my entire life, even though I'm allergic to most of them. Dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, mice, fish, and for a brief week, two turtles. Right now, I have one dog, one cat, and dozens of fish. They are all my babies. I love them to death. And they love me back, without judging me or saying hurtful things. (Well, I'm not so sure about the fish. Sometimes I think they are plotting some sort of hostile takeover while I'm asleep.) They are one of the brightest and most dependable lights in my life.
 
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Section_31

Well-known member
I have 3 kitties and 2 fish. To me they are all just as important as my human family, i dont know what id do without them :).

1 siamese, 1 manx, and 1 american orange longhair tabby
 
My family has lost a number of dogs over the last decade. Too many. For the most part, it was always my job to take care of them, so I was more connected to them than the rest of my family. Then they died of things unrelated to me taking care of them. One had cancer, two got hit by cars (while either my step-dad or one of my siblings was watching them), one ran off and got shot (I don't know the details, I wasn't there), one picked up some disease while duck hunting with my step-dad and died the next summer. My favorite of the bunch, a sheltie, the first dog we got and the one who lived by far the longest (still only 9 years), died last summer from some non-cancerous growth. I'm pretty emotionally numb when it comes to dogs.

And yet no matter how many times we try to throw out the damn cats, they keep coming back. Just kidding, we like the cat.
 

this_portrait

Well-known member
I used to have a cat for the longest time, then she died. As much as I would like to get another cat, I can't at the moment because I really can't afford it, plus I don't have the time to take care of one. I want to wait until after I graduate and get settled into a new place and job.
 

Nanita

Well-known member
I have had pets.. But now that I live in an appartment in the center of city, I don´t think its the right place to have a pet.
Several cats
2 dogs
1 horse
 

Dead_on_Arrival

Well-known member
I currently have one cat and two dogs. I used to have 2 cockatiels, 2 other cats, a dalmation and 24 gerbils. I want a snake but her indoors won't let me.
 
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Kiwong

Well-known member
Lenny the Cockatiel, she's a champion little bird.

She is always happy to see me, and doesn't judge. She has been my constant companion this last six years.

What is really helpful is that my introspective thoughts are deflected onto another living thing.
 

Tiercel

Well-known member
Currently we have a terrier and a lovebird. I call the dog my "best friend in the world," while the bird is more Mom's than everyone's.

I'd love to move somewhere where it would be feasible to get into falconry, though. I'd love to be able to go out and hunt with a red-tailed hawk, but as I so often said in Diablo II, "not in town."

:D
 

Agent_Violet

Well-known member
i have a german shepherd that i'm totally smitten with...she's my babygirl and she makes me so happy:)

i also have two little babies...1 maltipoo and 1 pomapoo...they're adorable and make life so silly when i'm home.

we also have 1 cat who only loves those who ignore him.
and we have a snake who just kinda hangs around and uses people for their warm body.

along with an assortment of fish.
 

MaliceInWickedland

Well-known member
I have a Long-Haired Chihuahua named Gizmo. He is the absolute craziest and quirkiest little ball of energy ever and he always makes me smile and laugh. He also seems to have a lot of sympathy as he always comes up to me and licks me whenever I cry or am feeling down. I don't know what I'd do without him <3
 

Invisibleman

Well-known member
Yeah I have a golden retriever named merlin. He makes me sad though because hes certainly on his last legs, hes 15.
 
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