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Original poster

Pet owners referring to each other as mummy and daddy

177 replies

Perfidy · 19/04/2020 07:29

We’ve got an adorable scruff of a puppy. First time dog owners as adults, had cats before. Dh has grown up kids and the dog Is to help with a bit of empty nest.

I’m finding the being referred to as ‘mummy’ by dh, as in go find mummy she’s got your dinner’ a tiny bit cringey. What to do instead....or just get over myself!

OP posts:
Littlemeadow123 · 19/04/2020 10:03

@heartsonacake

For christ's sake, I know that being a mum to a dog is not the same as being a mum to the little humans I gave birth to.Confused Its cute, it's a bit of fun, referring to myself as my dog's mum is less cold and more affectionate than owner and easier than calling myself 'my dog's loving female carer, centre of her world and provider of her safety and shelter'

Beyond bored now.

MashedSpud · 19/04/2020 10:07

Soon you’ll be saying “Come to mummy” and the cringe thing will be a distant memory.

Boogiewoogietoo · 19/04/2020 10:07

My DS had to write about his family at school. Drawing (carefully labelled) of mummy, daddy and his sister - the dog.

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 19/04/2020 10:08

Only in MN could someone take this seriously and feel the need to explain the difference Hmm

Costacoffeeplease · 19/04/2020 10:08

Even my vet refers to my daughter/son, and my mum’s pets are my siblings, and mine are her grandchildren. She says it all completely seriously

LisaSimpsonsbff · 19/04/2020 10:08

It personally makes me cringe and I don't do it, but I never understand why people are so nasty about people who treat their pets as children. Either:
a) this is a coping mechanism for dealing with childlessness, and so it seems cruel and heartless to criticise it or
b) these are people who find that having a pet satisfies all their maternal/paternal urges, in which case they definitely should not have children - if you only want a baby in the sort of way that having a puppy instead would do you shouldn't have a baby! - and so should be encouraged and celebrated!

Patterjack · 19/04/2020 10:12

Oh God 🙈 we call each other Mam and Dad to the dog, the kids are the dogs Sisters..my parents are the dogs Gran and Grandad...
We're probably crazy but I don't care!

maddiemookins16mum · 19/04/2020 10:13

We do. Nobody knows outside of our front door. DD is ‘big sister’.
We’d never admit to it in real life obviously.

thecatsthecats · 19/04/2020 10:13

One of my cats likes to be cradled like a baby, and will hold your finger in his paw. If he thinks he's a baby, of course I'm his mummy!

I'm a bad mummy though, because I will happily sit my furry sons in front of YouTube videos of birds.

Shitsgettingcrazy · 19/04/2020 10:23

I feel pity for people who have animals and have never bonded to the point the pet is part of the family.

We all pity different things

Userwhatevernumber · 19/04/2020 10:23

I can’t really get worked up about it tbh, I’ve lots of friends who refer to their pets as their fur baby etc, not something I would do, but each to their own. It’s harmless, so I don’t judge.

My dad is ‘Master’ to his dog, but my dad is older so Dad was never going to cut it, and it sounds really military like and strict and authoritarian, but... my dads dog adores him, they have a very close relationship, and goes crazy with excitment when you say the words Masters coming!

squeekums · 19/04/2020 10:27

When dp hints at a 2nd kid, I say he has a son already, the dog lol
We have used mum or dad in reference to the pets, dd is sister to them, always in a jokey way though

FAQs · 19/04/2020 10:27

No! It’s awful, we have a dog and cats and would never refer to myself as mum, mummy its just no, no no.

Those who do, do you also do it in public 😆

squeekums · 19/04/2020 10:29

I'm a bad mummy though, because I will happily sit my furry sons in front of YouTube videos of birds

We play the mouse that runs on and off screen
Miss kitty also likes the fish ones lol

BiteyShark · 19/04/2020 10:29

Those who do, do you also do it in public

Yes, don't care what anyone thinks.

squeekums · 19/04/2020 10:33

always want to ask, so how was the actual birth, was the midwife shocked?
Or, how did you conceive

We adopted miss kitty and had a surrogate who had a home birth for the dog, our boy lucky, his siblings got eaten by the birth mum Grin

BrexpatInSwitzerland · 19/04/2020 10:34

Oh, I'm definitely more silly about the cat than I am about my actual, human child!

See, with my daughter, I hope left that she may yet grow up to be a well-adjusted, functioning adult. The cat, on the other hand, has not only killed all hope in that respect but also manages to make me doubt if I'm a well-adjusted, functional adult myself half of the time.

It's all "no, darling, you've just had a snack and we're having dinner in two hours ... awwwww, is fuffikins hungry, come to mummy, my little fur monster, we'll get you some yummy-yummy!" at our house. Blush

Hendrixrain · 19/04/2020 10:34

My DM calls her dog my DD’s sister🤢🤢

Worst part is she has always deeply neglected the dog since they got it as a puppy but that’s a different thread!

ALovelyBitOfSquirrel · 19/04/2020 10:44

Worst part is she has always deeply neglected the dog since they got it as a puppy but that’s a different thread!

@Hendrixrain wtf? You just let it carry on?

bigbluebus · 19/04/2020 11:03

I don't have any pets but looked after a friend's cats whilst they were away on holiday. I found myself talking to the cats and it occured to me that I didn't know if i should be referring to my friends as mummy and daddy or Jan and David. (They don't have any children). I asked when they returned home and apparently Jan is mummy but David refuses to be daddy!

Can't believe I even asked the question tbh!

JohnFinlaysNewTeeth · 19/04/2020 11:10

It personally makes me cringe and I don't do it, but I never understand why people are so nasty about people who treat their pets as children.
Either:
a) this is a coping mechanism for dealing with childlessness, and so it seems cruel and heartless to criticise it or
b) these are people who find that having a pet satisfies all their maternal/paternal urges, in which case they definitely should not have children - if you only want a baby in the sort of way that having a puppy instead would do you shouldn't have a baby! - and so should be encouraged and celebrated!
OR ... it’s just a bit of fun too. We’re not all trying to fill an emotional void!

Pelleas · 19/04/2020 11:15

Cats definitely see you as a parent - it's why they paddle you. They're mimicking the action of suckling (some cats even suck your clothes).

ShadowsInTheDarkness · 19/04/2020 11:17

It's necessary if you have kids surely? We have cats and a dog, and 2 DCs under 10. The DCs always call me mum (obviously!!) and DH will use "mum" when around the kids - "go and ask your mum" "what does mum want for dinner?" Etc. The animals aren't daft and they know that when DH or the DC say "mum" that means me. Would be seriously confusing to try and get the DC to use my actual name when talking to the animals, but still call me mum the rest of the time!! So as far as the animals are concerned we are Mum and Dad. I can't believe all the judgement coming from some people as if the above scenario hasn't occurred to them!?
I reserve judgement for people who are cruel to animals. Who treat their pets with contempt or who neglect them. People who love and care for their animals aren't the ones you should be judging. There is no harm done and no detriment to the animal so seems pointless getting stressed about it.

WildOrchids67 · 19/04/2020 11:20

Legally, pets are property, but my family has always had dogs and thinking about it now, whoever they belonged to (My granny, auntie, dad etc), they were always mummy or daddy to the dogs. I'm mummy to my dog, she stayed with my ex when we split because he was staying in the house with the garden, I was going round every week to see her before lockdown. I'm still her mummy though.

iWantToBreakBrie · 19/04/2020 11:25

Either:
a) this is a coping mechanism for dealing with childlessness, and so it seems cruel and heartless to criticise it or
b) these are people who find that having a pet satisfies all their maternal/paternal urges

Or c) we have selectively bred dogs over thousands of years to have physical features that instinctly tap into our biological parental response, triggering things like oxytocin - the hormone also triggered when a parent looks at or holds their baby. None of which is under conscious control. Moreover, there is plenty of evidence to suggest we in turn evolved to be even more responsive to these triggers, especially where dogs are concerned, because a close human-canine bond mean the human survival rate was higher.