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Do you have a pet?
- Thread starter Sunny1
- Start date
That's kind of a "loaded question" without more information. A better notion of what might be the right pet depends on such details, and knowing all the possible strengths and weaknesses of a particular animal or breed, and whether a "rescue" pet or not.
Simple answers over such an issue may have some very complex considerations. Where you have to decide what is most important to you, versus how much or how little care may be involved over time rather than over any short duration.
Perhaps the most important and basic consideration is about you and not a potential pet. Whether you live in a home with a yard, or an apartment unit. And how much time you are routinely away from them when left alone. Those factors can better narrow down what may be an appropriate pet based on your normal living conditions.
I've had both purebred Yorkies and a cat over the years.
Simple answers over such an issue may have some very complex considerations. Where you have to decide what is most important to you, versus how much or how little care may be involved over time rather than over any short duration.
Perhaps the most important and basic consideration is about you and not a potential pet. Whether you live in a home with a yard, or an apartment unit. And how much time you are routinely away from them when left alone. Those factors can better narrow down what may be an appropriate pet based on your normal living conditions.
I've had both purebred Yorkies and a cat over the years.
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Yes! If you like cats, then adopt a cat. They are very low maintenance. All you really have to do is feed them and take out their litter, cuddle them a couple times. They bathe themselves and if they are an indoor cat, they don't need to go outside to play or be walked.
I have a cat. His name is Norm. I love him dearly and he likes to cuddle.
I have a cat. His name is Norm. I love him dearly and he likes to cuddle.
aspieoutlaw89
Rookie
mine meowed like him.he caused trouble,but i still love him.i had him when i
was 16.
me when he passed away.
I'm not sure about low-maintenance, dogs need more attention than cats but I think all animals need something. But cats are very good company and they don't really 'need' people, they are often very independent. And there are lots of cats that need a home.
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Aneka
Well-Known Member
I have a high-maintenance Maine Coon cat
Any pet from fish to cats to dogs to horses are not low maintenance. They all require time, care, and attention. Even 'minimum' maintenance pets like betas require more attention than a houseplant.
Dry run the least amount of time you have to contribute to a pet, think fussy houseplant (e.g. African violet). These buggers are fussy about light, soil, fertilizer, and water. Usually around six or seven dollars and are readily available. Keep it alive through at least two blooming cycles 4 - 6 months.
This is similar to baseline care for small mammals (hamsters, mice) and most basic fresh water fish.
Rats, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and other more exotic species (crabs, lizards, salamanders, snakes, and birds) will require as much attention and enrichment as any cat.
Cats need as much care as any dog, but many dogs are as demanding as a human toddler.
And don't be taken in by the idea cats are 'low maintenance'. Just like dogs, they require attention and healthy time investment. Brushing, feeding, litter, shots, enrichment activities, flea and tick prevention, as well as preventative care for things like renal disease. (This means feeding your pet a high quality balanced diet, not the Walmart brand cat food unless you want a $3,500 vet bill before the age of 7.)
Never consider free feeding because it is the leading cause of obesity and obesity related deaths in cats. Top complications being renal failure, urinary tract blockages, and an increased risk for cancer, and diabetes, (treated with two insulin injections every day for the rest of their life).
Many don't live to see the age of 10 due to 'low maintenance' care. (e.g. Top off a food bowl once a day. Scoop litter every other day. Refill the water bowl when you remember.)
I have one cat, his food is around $40.00 a month. He is on high protein, low carb kibble in the morning and refrigerated fresh at night.
Just like with dogs, even more so with cats, an average commitment is between 10 and 22 years, with the cost of care increasing as the cat ages.
Cats might not require walks and outdoor exercise like dogs, but they still require just as much care and interaction. My cat, Potato, actually requires more work than our greyhound, Zwi, whose personality is so laid back he is nearly comatose.
Keep food cost and vet bills in mind. Can you afford to drop $250.00 at the drop of a hat because the 'free' kitten has been vomiting for two days? I had to fork over $900 for Rue Dog when he had to have a dental because he cracked a molar on his chewy bone.
I gladly paid it, but things were tight for the next few weeks.
Other things to consider. Behavioural issues. Peeing outside the box. Scatching of inappropriate surfaces. Night time distrubances. Pet care when you have to be away from home, etc. What happens if the pet ends up with a chronic illness like diabetes or a thyroid condition? These are all top reasons cats end up in shelters.
Dry run the least amount of time you have to contribute to a pet, think fussy houseplant (e.g. African violet). These buggers are fussy about light, soil, fertilizer, and water. Usually around six or seven dollars and are readily available. Keep it alive through at least two blooming cycles 4 - 6 months.
This is similar to baseline care for small mammals (hamsters, mice) and most basic fresh water fish.
Rats, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and other more exotic species (crabs, lizards, salamanders, snakes, and birds) will require as much attention and enrichment as any cat.
Cats need as much care as any dog, but many dogs are as demanding as a human toddler.
And don't be taken in by the idea cats are 'low maintenance'. Just like dogs, they require attention and healthy time investment. Brushing, feeding, litter, shots, enrichment activities, flea and tick prevention, as well as preventative care for things like renal disease. (This means feeding your pet a high quality balanced diet, not the Walmart brand cat food unless you want a $3,500 vet bill before the age of 7.)
Never consider free feeding because it is the leading cause of obesity and obesity related deaths in cats. Top complications being renal failure, urinary tract blockages, and an increased risk for cancer, and diabetes, (treated with two insulin injections every day for the rest of their life).
Many don't live to see the age of 10 due to 'low maintenance' care. (e.g. Top off a food bowl once a day. Scoop litter every other day. Refill the water bowl when you remember.)
I have one cat, his food is around $40.00 a month. He is on high protein, low carb kibble in the morning and refrigerated fresh at night.
Just like with dogs, even more so with cats, an average commitment is between 10 and 22 years, with the cost of care increasing as the cat ages.
Cats might not require walks and outdoor exercise like dogs, but they still require just as much care and interaction. My cat, Potato, actually requires more work than our greyhound, Zwi, whose personality is so laid back he is nearly comatose.
Keep food cost and vet bills in mind. Can you afford to drop $250.00 at the drop of a hat because the 'free' kitten has been vomiting for two days? I had to fork over $900 for Rue Dog when he had to have a dental because he cracked a molar on his chewy bone.
I gladly paid it, but things were tight for the next few weeks.
Other things to consider. Behavioural issues. Peeing outside the box. Scatching of inappropriate surfaces. Night time distrubances. Pet care when you have to be away from home, etc. What happens if the pet ends up with a chronic illness like diabetes or a thyroid condition? These are all top reasons cats end up in shelters.
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I've always had English Bull Terriers. You find you have to out-stubborn them a little often. You also have to deal with the often mad, clownish behaviour. Then there is the hogging the bed, any bed that is, and their acute fridge radar.
They love their hugs and people but aren't always keen on other dogs. This and their obedience training will be where the work is needed.
They love their hugs and people but aren't always keen on other dogs. This and their obedience training will be where the work is needed.
We have an agility set in the backyard for Rue Dog, a tunnel system for Potato Cat, and toy baskets upstairs and downstairs for both Rue and Potato Cat.
Zwi is lazy to the point of resembling a deer carcass, but he still has his big beds and enjoys having his head dribbled from hand to hand.
It comes down to asking some basic (some might consider hard-nosed) questions.
How much time can you realistically commit?
How much can you reasonably afford?
How much are you willing to deal with? (Cat vomit under the bed in the middle of the night, etc...)
Consider past experience with pets, your own or those of friends and family.
As well as the stability of your own home circumstances...(rent or own, living alone or with roommates, family, allergies, phobias of others...). Pets will impact the entire household.
Rue Dog and Potato Cat account for roughly 36% of my grocery bill each month. Zwi belongs to my best friend, so she pays for his kibble, vet bills, and maintenance, but I will chip in a bag if we start to get low.
Rue's flea, tick, and heartworm is usually about $40.00 per month. (We live in a tick endemic area so preventative treatment is required or pets are guaranteed to get either lyme disease or heartworm.) And he is a medium size dog. (35lbs.)
And as Rue is a high energy, super smart dog, he usually requires at least 2.5 to 3 hours of interaction per day. (Training, enrichment, exercise, play, and grooming. He's a floofer and sheds incessantly. We need to sweep daily, despite daily brushing.)
He just turned twelve...
Do some math and some serious consideration. Any pet is a pretty major commitment.
Zwi is lazy to the point of resembling a deer carcass, but he still has his big beds and enjoys having his head dribbled from hand to hand.
It comes down to asking some basic (some might consider hard-nosed) questions.
How much time can you realistically commit?
How much can you reasonably afford?
How much are you willing to deal with? (Cat vomit under the bed in the middle of the night, etc...)
Consider past experience with pets, your own or those of friends and family.
As well as the stability of your own home circumstances...(rent or own, living alone or with roommates, family, allergies, phobias of others...). Pets will impact the entire household.
Rue Dog and Potato Cat account for roughly 36% of my grocery bill each month. Zwi belongs to my best friend, so she pays for his kibble, vet bills, and maintenance, but I will chip in a bag if we start to get low.
Rue's flea, tick, and heartworm is usually about $40.00 per month. (We live in a tick endemic area so preventative treatment is required or pets are guaranteed to get either lyme disease or heartworm.) And he is a medium size dog. (35lbs.)
And as Rue is a high energy, super smart dog, he usually requires at least 2.5 to 3 hours of interaction per day. (Training, enrichment, exercise, play, and grooming. He's a floofer and sheds incessantly. We need to sweep daily, despite daily brushing.)
He just turned twelve...
Do some math and some serious consideration. Any pet is a pretty major commitment.
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One little cat at present, had 3 other dear cats too who are gone now. Most recent trick she has is climbing in front of TV and tapping on it rather strongly. This means she wants food, or she's had food and now wants to go out. She's feeling rather superior with this trick. It does get our attention of course. Bless.
She likes to sit in or wander near the little front garden we have, and the lane we live on. Ideally she's out all day in summer and resents coming in. But sleeps near on our bed or near mostly. We make her comfy looking beds but in summer she doesn't want them much, or laps unless tired. Sweet and feisty. She's 10 now, we will probably get 2 kittens when we lose her. She moved in aged 2, don't know if she had any litter mates.
I had hamsters mice and a rat as a child. They did ok and seemed happy.
Caterpillars are nice if you don't mind them eating Yr garden.
Or a fish tank?
A friend had a herd of guinea pigs living in the garden.
Two big floppy rabbits live up the road here, in the house and garden. Huge and very still mostly.
She likes to sit in or wander near the little front garden we have, and the lane we live on. Ideally she's out all day in summer and resents coming in. But sleeps near on our bed or near mostly. We make her comfy looking beds but in summer she doesn't want them much, or laps unless tired. Sweet and feisty. She's 10 now, we will probably get 2 kittens when we lose her. She moved in aged 2, don't know if she had any litter mates.
I had hamsters mice and a rat as a child. They did ok and seemed happy.
Caterpillars are nice if you don't mind them eating Yr garden.
Or a fish tank?
A friend had a herd of guinea pigs living in the garden.
Two big floppy rabbits live up the road here, in the house and garden. Huge and very still mostly.
Have two American shorthairs named Rain and Mew. What you may not know when getting them are their personalities. Rain is friendly sometimes so much that she gets bothersome. My spouse calls Mew my aspie cat. She is a bundle of energy but prefers to be alone. But, for whatever reason mew wants to know where I am. If she doesn't she finds me, rolls around at my feet and if I go to pet her, she is off like a rocket. Quality cat food is not cheap and after buying what they like they decide that it's terrible.
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I don't recommend dogs if low maintenance is a priority. Cats are a little better in requiring less maintenance but still can require a considerably ammount of attention and potential medical costs . Certain birds (smaller ones like Budgies and Finches) are low maintenance as they don't need much interaction (as long as you have a pair at least) and are fairly easy to take care of. With these you just have to follow regular feeding and watering (daily) and keeping their food bowls clean. They are fragile however, and if theyget sick often don't make it. Finches live on average 5-10 years. I kept one for 11 years and swear by food bowl cleanliness. That is water bowl washed out once a day (no detergent - just wiped out well and rinsed clean) and food bowl cleaned out every few days unless they have soiled in it.
I have 4 Chihuahuas and 3 Finches currently, but also have had a cat and several other birds.
I have 4 Chihuahuas and 3 Finches currently, but also have had a cat and several other birds.
As someone who currently has six dogs, I can assure you that dogs are the opposite of low maintenance
One of the best descriptions I've heard (and experienced) of this is that once you have them, your life is not about you anymore.
Yeah, I'll second this.
Not to mention that whatever type of pet you get, you have to deal with the facts that A: pets are unpredictable, and B: have their own personalities.
I have two dogs, Cooper and Dingle, both Wheaten Terriers.
Cooper, the bigger of the two, is utterly passive and agreeable and well trained, but has HIGHLY SELECTIVE HEARING, and any dog owner probably knows what THAT means.
Dingle, the smaller and younger of the two, is totally out of her gourd and there's no way to know what she'll do next. Except follow me around. She does that a lot.
Even knowing both as well as I do, I still have to be ready for random chaos at any moment and both need a lot of attention and time.
Potato Cat and Rue Dog play the game of 'I'm Not Touching You...' Potato Cat merely looks at Rue with his ears set at a 45° angle and Rue starts grumping like a bad alternator.
Potato Cat doesn't ever actually do anything, never has. He just does it because he knows he can get a reaction out of Rue.
Zwi excels at selective hearing...especially when it means he has to get off his bed.
Potato Cat doesn't ever actually do anything, never has. He just does it because he knows he can get a reaction out of Rue.
Zwi excels at selective hearing...especially when it means he has to get off his bed.
I enjoyed keeping doves as pets--you would probably do better with a pet dove or pigeon, than with most other bird species. Clean water (all day, not just a little) and fresh food are essential, as is plenty of space and all the other requirements. You can get doves relatively easy; get a mated pair so they can keep each other company. Acting "lovey-dovey" refers not to smitten teenagers but to the genus Columbidae. Two is no harder to keep than one.
Tom has finches and I can attest finches are amazing.
Tom has finches and I can attest finches are amazing.
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