To think that poor people shouldn't be able to afford pets?

Including you?

I wasn't responding to the OP.

Do you donate to and help animal charities OP?

Do you also donate to food banks and charities that support the poor?

Because people on MN are morons.

You said that everyone you know who owns a pet is in debt. Which is bizarre.

But OP is very clearly talking about not having enough money to live within current means and then deciding it's a great time to add a pet to the household bills. What's your view on this?

There will never be an answer to this.

You could say poor people shouldn't have children. How is that enforced?

Do we penalise GGG with her five starving children and false nails before we tear into HHH, the elderly vulnerable man who lost his wife and spends every penny on feeding his dog. Who used to manage but his child moved abroad and the government cut his allowance.

Or do we start with those who have had children removed, but pets left in squalor.

What about a down the street who drowned a litter of kittens she couldn't sell.

Then there is B. B feeds the neighbours cats. Often goes without herself, but the neighbours are drug dealers.

It's just a ridiculous assumption that those with pets who care for them should not be allowed them.

I think in Mumsnet there is often a tendency to sweep and say these things.

The reality is there are horrific wrongs across all levels of society, some that should not be justified.

Some that are very much at the heart of poverty that people just will never understand. Eg a charity where they simply cannot take anymore animals, but can help others care for them to give them joy, save shelter in staff and ease that burden.

You forgot to say and Sky TV and fans OP.

Oh OP.

Being a person on low income in this country is shit. My partner and I both work full time and still have to rely on UC to get through the month. That's not how it ought to be. Previous generations we'd have been providing for ourselves with money left over, we'd own our home and have had no university fees to pay.

I know there are people outraged by the fact that we have a dog and two guinea pigs but you can sod off, because I'm not working full time to sit at home afterwards with no TV or internet and giving my phone up so I can just be a good worker drone that the rich make money off. We have to live too, you know, these are our lives and they need to be worthwhile. The arts are cut to ribbons, and the economy is everything. Except that it's not. I love my dog dearly, and I look after him. He's not expensive and he's the best therapy you could ask for.

Most pets are indeed an expensive hobby. But, maybe their pet is all some people have in the world.

And just as human food banks exist, ( even though we should not need them) so there are pet food banks; and PDSA etc for vet care.

Some of the most beloved pets live in ‘poor’ homes.

Or flat screen TVs? Or children?

They are righteously misreading. Even as ESL I understand the question 🤷

No, it's not ok to get a pet when you can't afford essential for you ro dependant humans. It's not just about food but also vet etc. Simple math really

Well, people already living in poverty with no extra money to their name shouldn’t be having kids because they can’t afford them so…

I mean, I have kids. I can comfortably afford 2. I wanted more than 2. I cannot comfortably afford more than 2 so I just didn’t have more.
If I could only afford 1 then I’d have had 1.
If I couldn’t afford kids then I wouldn’t have had them. Not hard really.

It's too general.

Family who can't afford to feed kids. Definitely don't need pets adding to costs.

Single person who's mh is improved by their pet and they ensure their pet doesn't suffer. I wouldn't begrudge them.

Person who got a pet and then fell on hard times but make sure their pet doesn't miss out I did consider them to be a responsible et owner.

Some poor people smoke, take illegal drugs, drink to excess. Far worse examples of the wrong financial management priorities.

Lots of pets eat and thrive on cheap food from Aldi or wherever. Only MN pets eat organic meat from the farm shop.

Why can’t people see there is absolutely a difference between getting a pet then say 5 years later and going though like changing circumstances such as redundancy or divorce vs people who have no money today and still go ahead

if you cannot pay your food, bills, have money left over for emergency or general living then no you should not get a pet

I have pets and have never been in debt bar my mortgage, which is now paid off

They already can't afford dentistry, contents insurance, transport, takeaways, holidays . . . . the least you can allow them OP is to stroke a fucking cat.

YABU

I'm poor with pets I can't afford and they eat cheap food from Lidl.
I won't buy the stuff from work, far too expensive when you're on minimum wage.

It would be lovely if life were predictable and stable enough to always go education > job > financial security > kids > pets but it doesn't work like that. Even leaving aside unplanned pregnancy you have the possibility of redundancy, your employer going bust, recession, physical or mental illness, complex conditions in your children, major housing costs, fraud, caring for elderly relatives...

Generally speaking what I hear when people say things like 'shouldn't poor people prioritise x?' is 'I could never end up in that situation'. The idea that we could lose our financial security - which isn't very far away for the majority, maybe one or two paychecks? - is terrifying and it's reassuring to tell ourselves we're smarter, we plan better, we're never going to be in the position of having to find £1500 in vets fees for the elderly dog who we bought 12 years ago when everything was fine but now someone's ill, and someone else can only work part time because of the kids' care needs, and we can't sell the house, and we can barely afford food let alone insurance for that dog, and we're scared that it'll get put to sleep if we give it up to a rescue...

Presumably if these kids need uniforms then they already exist, the pets are being added later on when money is already tight for those kids.

Luxury

Because some people make bad life choices.

I have a friend who has a horse in livery (I also have horses and have kept mine at the same livery). Total costs are at least £400 a month and that’s before any sort of veterinary emergency. Her daughter routinely doesn’t have appropriate shoes on and there isn’t food in the house to eat. She’s always hungry. My dd has bought her lunch at the school canteen because she had nothing to eat and no money in her account to buy anything. I feel bad for her. She doesn’t have a good life because she just isn’t a priority. I know how hard it is to give up a horse when it becomes too much, but children should always come first.

They shouldn’t ‘ave any animals except the roadkill they can scrape up for their dinner @Cherrypickled