Do you regret your pets?

[LittleLottieChaos]

I know there are regular threads on people regretting their children… but I’m interested to know, are people similarly regretful of their pets? I currently am looking after my old childhood cat - he’s an old gent now, poos/wees inside and randomly vomits after eating. He also has to be securely locked downstairs at night or he’ll come up and wake us all for food/drool on our heads.

After spending years thinking ‘yay I want a dog and a cat, in fact a whole menagerie’ now I’m thinking ‘no, I’ll just have my kids…’

YABU - I never tire of my animals

YANBU - I sort of regret them at times

I'd be interested to know if more exotic pets tend to be more difficult. I do wonder how many end up difficult to tame and not that rewarding

You don't tame exotic pets. Well, not the reptile ones anyway. They just have to be appealing/interesting as they are, they're never going to cuddle!
We had a python for several years. Actually pretty easy pet when healthy and the vivarium is set up properly: just a defrosted mouse every couple of weeks! Nothing like a bearded dragon.
However, yes, it's quite necessary to have an exotics vet nearby. We did, fortunately and he was fantastic. However, a boy I taught back then took his bearded dragon to a different, non specialist vet. The poor creature was given an overdose and died!

For the first year with a Springer pup I thought ‘WTF have I done?’
But now he’s the sweetest, most affectionate, loyal and funny being in the house. Love him to bits.

Getting our two incredible dogs is one of the best decisions we have ever made. They just add so much to our lives, they are amazing little beings and I honestly cannot believe how much I love them!

I adore our dcat, even though he hates me and is a complete PITA . He's 9 now and any sign of him getting chronic disease, incontinence or going blind and he'll be getting PTS. I really don't think any of that is fair, he's had a great life and I have no wish to prolong his life beyond what is good for him.

@ridemesideway

For the first year with a Springer pup I thought ‘WTF have I done?’ But now he’s the sweetest, most affectionate, loyal and funny being in the house. Love him to bits.

A lot of people feel that way, a dog's puppyhood is soooo long. And springers are particularly hyper and impossible to tire out.

Not for a single second. I have three rescue dogs and they’re a joy for me, my husband snd my two young kids. One is very elderly now—17.5—and he’s not easy to look after, but that’s part of the contract: pet for life, and all that.

My cat is the bane of my life and enhances it in no way. Still, my pet, my responsibility. I've had him for 9 years and he's a drain. I think I can hear him whining for food even when he's not around.

My dog is the best decision I ever made and I adore him.

Cats are for those who can't be bothered owning a dog.

My youngest dog, yes. I’ve no idea why we got a 2nd dog. She’s absolutely lovely but totally insane. She barks at everything even if You just put a cup down. We’ve tried everything, training, behaviourist, really long walks every day. The older dog joins in as well whereas before she was a really well behaved dog and rarely barked. It’s been 5 years now and it makes life really stressful. The constant barking, running out the door if it’s open etc drives me bonkers.

@eatsleepread

My cat is the bane of my life and enhances it in no way. Still, my pet, my responsibility. I've had him for 9 years and he's a drain. I think I can hear him whining for food even when he's not around.

My dog is the best decision I ever made and I adore him.

Cats are for those who can't be bothered owning a dog.

Strange that you'd describe an animal as untroublesome as a cat as the 'bane of your life' and a 'drain'. Some pedigrees can be demanding I believe, but most cats are pretty unobtrusive and take themselves off. Mine spend most of their time outside at this time of the year.

A cat that is whining and always hungry might need checked for thyroid dysfunction.

Had our eldest cat PTS last week and honestly it was a relief - she was pooing on the carpets 6 or 7 times a day, deaf, mostly blind, had cost a fortune in thyroid meds..... but I still miss her. I miss the first 18 years though, not the last 18 months.

I've regretted getting up to 5 cats. Some were rescued kittens, some strays that have moved in so not exactly a choice but wouldn't turn them away. But it's a lot. And 90 quid a month in food.

My cat definitely not

My husbands fish.... maybe! The constant tank cleaning 😬😬😬

YANBU. We have a 12 y/old collie mix; we got her as a pal for my youngest as he's a lot younger than his sibs. Turns out she's not that fussed about people so we don't get cuddles etc; she prefers to be in the room next door or the hallway (as long as she can see us). She doesn't chase balls or do normal doggy stuff. I love her to bits, but she hasn't exactly delivered on the "pet dog" side of it.
We're now almost empty nesters, except we're not because we still have to figure out what we're going to do with the dog in every decision.

Yabu.
That little old cat has spent his whole life with you and loves you above and beyond anything you could possibly imagine. He deserves love, care and respect in his latter days.

I love my cat but I'm super sensitive to smell and the smell of his food makes me feel really sick sometimes :(

I would never regret having my dog. I currently have a 12 1/2 yo Labrador which I have had since 8 weeks. She has been given 2 weeks to a month left and its left my children and I heartbroken. As for the cat well, when he brings in live mice and birds, then yes I do think why did I get him. But when I see him snuggling into the dog I soon change my mind.

@FlyingPandas

It’s a good question OP.

We have guineas and for me the pros of having them vastly outweigh the cons.

Yes, there are days when the thought of cleaning them out / trying to catch them to put them into the outdoor run / trying to catch them to bring them back inside again makes me weary. Yes, the logistics of having them (ie arranging holiday care etc) are an additional domestic task. Yes, when one is poorly and needs medicine, or multiple vet visits, or emergency syringe feeding every few hours, it’s stressful.

But overall they are lovely and cute and charismatic and having them in the house brings us joy.

I wouldn’t have a dog or cat, much as I really like dogs and cats, because I know myself and my limitations pretty well and I know that very quickly the cons would outweigh the pros. I would find it so stressful and exhausting and the mess and smells and impact on the house tidiness/cleanliness would drive me nuts. Tbh the worry would strip away the pleasure in its entirety. Hence why I’ll never have a cat or dog.

So I can completely understand why people might regret their pets even if I don’t regret mine.

Same ! I love my two Guineas to bits and they really helped me through lockdown. Would love a dog, but know it wouldn’t suit us and GPs are perfect for our family.

I don’t think YABU, I love my pets, I have what feels like a small zoo and I love them all, from rodents to reptiles and break my heart any time we have lost a pet. However this year I have spent a lot on vets bills and lost pets and it has been really hard. I wouldn’t change them, but it is hard never being able to even go out for a long day due to dogs needing walked etc and I do sometimes wish I didn’t have all the stress, cost etc

I love both of my dogs dearly (rescues) and they are such good company. BUT one of them barks for everything. For food, for fuss, at a bird flying over the garden. We've just had people move in upstairs too after nobody there for a year so he's barking whenever they make a noise. They have to virtually walk through our garden to get to theirs too and have visitors there everyday. So the back gate is constantly going, music is playing, her baby is crying. My dogs aren't used to it and it all
Makes them bark more. The neighbours keep shouting at me over the fence to shut the dog up. It's miserable

@Strokethefurrywall

YANBU I have an elderly (12 year old) shepherd mix. Had him since pup, love him obviously but has liver disease and general urinary incontinence and leaks urine everywhere. Thankfully I’ve got tiled flooring, but everything needs mopping all the time, he smells horrendous and he’s just generally a grumpy bugger. He’s never been an overly affectionate dog, is stubborn as fuck and I find myself wondering how much more of it I need to put up with. Our 2nd dog is much more of a “dog”, affectionate, fun, interactive, great to walk, loves us etc. Dog 1 has just never been that dog and whilst I don’t regret rescuing him, I do regret that my house now stinks of pee for a dog that currently just moonlights as an animated rug.

You can get dog incontinence pants, a few on Amazon.

I love my cat and dog even though my dog was bought as a please don't leave me gift from my ex and my cat decided to release a live bird in the house the other day. That being said when they pass I doubt that we'll be getting any more just because my health is deteriorating rapidly and if things carry on the way they look like they're going I'll be too ill to look after them yet alone myself and that just isn't fair on them

I'm quite the opposite, DS begged for a cat for 2 years, when DH started wavering I told them both repeatedly I was not going to be responsible for a cat in any shape or form, I made DH agree he would pay for all food/supplies and he would be the one to make sure the cat always had what she needed, he would do all vets trips/bills and I would never deal with a litter tray.

Fast forward a year and today I walked 45 minutes each way to get her favourite treat because our local shop was out and I didn't want her to be disappointed.

I never wanted pets as I knew I would end up being the one doing all the looking after/clearing up and with 3 DCs I could have done without the hassle. ExDH talked me into getting a rescue cat for the DC. ExDH promptly fucked off two weeks later, leaving me in charge of the cat and the DCs. The kids would never have forgiven me if I had rehomed the cat so I had him for twelve years, long after the kids were interested in him. Inevitably ended up cleaning up when he became ill and incontinent and eventually he was PTS. I cried buckets because I ended up loving him and resenting him at the same time. That’s it though, no more pets for me. Ever

I can see why people do 'regret' their pets if they've got an animal and their lifestyle suddenly changes, or they've bitten off more than they can chew, but it's not really 'regret' if you had a great time with your pet while it was fit and healthy but are just fed up now it's old and smellly and incontinent. That just comes with the territory of pet ownership, I'm afraid. Suck it up.

Yep m, the only one I don't is the budgie !, we have a tortoise who takes up so much room when not outside , he costs a fortune with his heat lamps etc, I'm the only one who looks after him and the the stupid dog I was bullied into getting again only one that's trains him, walks him etc I do it all for all the pets and kids and honestly if I could have the choice again we would be a pet free house !!

Good god noooo, I love all our pets