Does anyone else love animals but hate having pets?

[Jessicahare23]

Did you compromise with pets in your family or ban them altogether?
huge animal lover here but I struggle with having them in my house and find them mentally exhausting. I know pets are part of the family and the majority of the country love having them, but for those who don’t like having them what’s your story?

*this isn’t a thread for people who call their pets ‘fur babies’ or want to brag about how they love their pets more than their children, I just want to hear from those where my question applies thanks

Yeeeeees. I love to meet animals when out and about, I love the pets of friends but I HATED having a dog. The neediness, the mess, the demands on my time, not being able to leave a biscuit unattended on a coffee table, not being able to go on spontaneous days out (toddler and big dog was a challenge when I was on my own), the list goes on. Oh and the HUMPING. I never expected to be so disgusted by it but it turned my stomach.

That being said, we've got a cat too and while the carpets probably don't love her, she's more like a housemate than a cat.

I don't feel like this about our cats. We have four and on the whole they are low maintenance and really rather nice to have around. I have one on my lap at present keeping my legs warm.
We are however helping to look after our neighbours dogs at present. Nice dogs, very pleasant taking them for walks, but by God I couldn't actually live with them Far too much effort 🤣.
So I think it depends on the animal.

Yes I can’t stand the mess , extra workload, expense, and stress of not being able to be spontaneous because of worrying about holiday care for pets.
In an ideal world of course I’d live in a big mansion with plenty of land with miniature horses, goats, roaming peacocks, llamas , a tortoise or two and domestic staff. In reality I don’t , and a hamster would tip me over the edge 🤷‍♀️

I love dogs and cats, lived on a farm growing up so we had plenty of space for them.

I work fulltime, 5 days out of the house and have 2 dcs. When I was single I liked the freedom of nights away, work late without thinking about cats and dogs.

Now I am in my 50s and just don't have the energy on top of taking dcs to sports and my fulltine job. I would love a few cats. I would like to get them if i worked part time. I know that I would be a bit restricted for hols etc. Hoping I will get pets if I semi retire over the next 10 years.

Wish I'd stayed as an animal lover rather than pet owner. Absolutely hate having a pet. Never, ever thought i would but here we are ☹️

I have a horse, who I guess is technically a pet, but he doesn't live at home so I consider him in a somewhat different category. I don't really have any desire to have pets at home. If my partner wanted one, I wouldn't object, but he feels the same way as me. So I think it's unlikely we'll get one.

I doubt DH and I will ever have a pet despite both really liking animals and being out in nature and wildlife. It’s just too big a commitment, too much work, too much energy I don’t have, especially with DC. Baby sitting my MILs lovely dog is plenty for me!

I am 100% with you. I actually came across this because I googled "I like animals but hate having pets". I think I am too uptight and too much of a clean freak to enjoy having pets. We have 2 cats. They have ruined the corner of my new sofa. They have scratched & ruined the woodwork of our home. They constantly get litter all over the laundry room floor - I feel as if I am constantly sweeping up cat litter! But the kids love them & I won't abandon them or throw them in a shelter, so unfortunately this is my life for the next several years. Once they pass away they will not replaced. I want to enjoy an animal free home. I feel as though I've earned it. 🙂

We had “outside” pets as a kid but I never felt much affinity to them, inside pets were never allowed. However I don’t like to have pets, though I love animals, hate circuses because the wild animals should be in the wild or a comfortable habitat not put to work then chained and caged. Pets are a pain to me and I don’t hate other peoples pets, but I don’t love em either. Just the keeping of them, I want them to be treated well, but I just never bonded with a pet. And I’m fine with it

I totally get what you are saying, I love animals too.

We have had a dog from to pup till pts at 13yrs and 3 cats, all from kittens until pts around 17yrs. I loved having them but have never got anymore pets. I often think about it but never quite get there!

Lost the last cat about 6 years ago, perhaps I only see the disadvantages now and no longer want the commitment and the heartbreak when you lose them.

I am also disabled, looking after pets isn’t easy, it takes time and dedication, and if you can’t commit than you shouldn’t have them.

I love animals. I'm vegetarian.
I hate pets.
They just make me sad. I'd rather see animals living out their own lives in the wild.
Hate the idea of making an animal dependant on me.
Have been caring for my mums dog recently and hated every minute. Having something so dependant on me for its entire life, and having been purposefully bred to be that way. Is not for me. It just feels like a sad burden.

I feel the same i have a dog now and It’s been really stressful I feel bad because he accepted me and loves me but it’s hard to give him that 24-7 and the separation anxiety is the worse and I feel like he is controlling my life and I’m trying to get him to adjust to my schedule because I can’t be with him every second I feel like everyday I’m slowly detaching myself from him so right now I’m thinking about finding him a better home it just became to much for me mentally and physically

Dogs now all seem to be so anxious and needy, I'm sure it wasn't the same when I was growing up. I love animals, but pets are such a tie, so expensive and often so clingy.

Allergic to cats, love all animals, especially Otters, rode horses, owned a couple... Now that I'm retired, I'm super grateful I didn't take any pets in, all the same reasons the other posters didn't. I just can't deal with the mess & responsibility. A dog should have a yard, grass, temperate climate, and yes, be treated like a family member. Cats I have no words for.

The industry is feeding these animals their waste products, injecting them like they do us, and making us dependent on their dynamic. They render an intellect useless, due to their constant need for attention. God forbid you are in an area where the weather is too hot or cold for the pet to be outside. They're bored, needy, noisey, smelly, hair ruins EVERYTHING, and if there's an allergy you are in a constant state of inflammation.

I moved in with a younger woman almost a decade ago - soul mate. Indescribable. She had 3 cats & a dog, but in 5k SF. We moved into an 1800 SF, gave a Korat cat away but recently she unilaterally decided to get a Doberman Shepard, "velcro" dog. Yeah she'll say "But you said it was ok...." Sure but you said puppy, not pony. This friggin thing is huge, and follows you if you're napping & decide to roll over. Kitchen? Right there begging. Bathroom? Yup. Take 2 steps and you hear its toenails following you. Constantly in the way. Whines at EVERYTHING. A bloody nightmare. Had it pro trained, but still...Jesus.

I like to get up, wander to the kitchen, get my coffee, sit & get the news, chat with friends online, cook a casual breakfast, chill & watch a documentary or something. None of that happens. She works nights now, RN in the PICU so I make it as easy for her as possible but this is like having a newborn - up early to pee, I'm a light sleeper so every time it scratches or flops its damn ears, TIME TO GET UP!! Wanna have a nice quiet breakfast, lunch or dinner? Nope. Gotta feed IT first then it has to stare at EVERY BITE you take. Wanna lay on the couch & watch a show? (The nice, expensive leather couch)... Nope. He'll jam that big-ass wet beak in your back or face, whining to go play with him. No problem, but it's 120 degrees all week & the government is spraying morgellons & parasites with their mosquitos...and it never stops. This breed is the Chihuahua of big dogs - super smart but just never-ending energy & if you don't pay attention to them they'll just chew your sh*t up. 3 pairs of slippers, $150 worth of stuffed toys & misc wires we never knew were there & the food is about $300/month. The back yard is another story. The smell, the yuck...

The other dog is a cute mini mutt on doggie hospice status due to thyroid issues & crap renal function so no vet will fix its teeth so it just is sitting there, rotting to death... Notice I said cute. "Cute" to women means they get away with what others would die a horrible death for. Not in the male verbiage.

Her daughter lives with us but is on the (vaccinated) spectrum so although she helps a bit, she doesn't really take the full responsibility, so I'm saddled with pony dog and the cats & the hospice dog pretty much LIVES in our den on that nice couch.

It's miserable, but I'm grateful for a nice home, contaminated as it is.

I hate to admit it but she got these pets for the kids, now grown, and more as property, than anything else. I think it's unfair to perPETuate what the pet food lobby has created. If I want a clean home, I'm gonna have to leave the one I love. This place is COVERED in animal hair, and the cat hair hurts to touch. The haie is also ruining any instruments left out. The piano included.

IMO, it's incorrect science and mean to own pets, unless it was a rescue, which, let's be honest, is a bullsh*t term. Did I mention one of the cats is sorta blind and pukes daily? Yeahhh....

Who gets a giant pony-dog in the middle of the Apocalypse & names it Noah?

Yup, I love animals, almost always had pets, and I still have in-door cats that I will take care of until they die because I love them too much to give them up. But goddamn, it eats up soooo much time of every day... their happiness is important to me, but it takes so much time & effort day in day out. It's exhausting.