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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do you regret your pets?

392 replies

LittleLottieChaos · 17/06/2021 13:28

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

OP posts:
Deckchair1009 · 18/06/2021 23:54

Got two cute bunnies, to teach my kids animal husbandry etc... so far, they’re not as dwarf as they should’ve been. That’s ok, but they’re not very friendly on a day to day to day basis. They have a massive run and they love it, it’s a drag getting them in every night, I’ve left them
Out in a secured run (but scared a fox will be determined) now a tiny wild bunny is hanging around!! Tiny penis through the bars?

AutomaticMoon · 19/06/2021 00:56

@LoopTheLoops 'I really went off her after the birth of my youngest' - This is fascinating to me, I have read so many reports of women going off their pets after having a child. My shiny whippet bitch & fluffy tiny cat are lucky because I have tokophobia & PTSD & too afraid to be pregnant/give birth... that being said, I still get sick of them sometimes but it's because we live in an extremely small & unpleasant flat that was in a dire state when we moved in already, due to landlord negligence & incompetence.

BabyDereksToes · 19/06/2021 06:59

My cat is lovely when she's hungry or wants to.siy on your lap, but otherwise ignores us and can be quite grumpy. She also brings in gross presents like rats and birds. Hmm I wouldn't ever get rid of her but sometimes I do wish she was a bit more friendly! But that's cats for.you and her personality does make me laugh sometimes.

Ddot · 19/06/2021 07:18

You have to take the good with the bad. Old infirm and senile we all get there, hopefully!

AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii · 19/06/2021 08:51

I don’t regret our guinea pigs they are fairly easy pleased pets, we have a run on the grass for good days and they love being brought inside for cuddles.

As another poster said people should really think long and hard before getting pets, a lot of the replies here are exactly why I won’t have indoor pets as I couldn’t deal with the accidents, scratching carpets/sofa, barking etc plus I just don’t have the time to dedicate to cats or dogs

Sprockermum · 19/06/2021 11:48

Haven't read the whole thread so Apolgies for repeating what someone else may have posted... I had a very senior cat and while cleaning up after her and feeling very
p'eed off I'd think back to my old nan who I adored as she became the same... Confused, constantly soiling herself but being very aware so it made me feel kinder towards our old girl... Maybe that might help you... Think..
It comes to us all... There but for the grace of God......
Your kids might get fed up with you when. you're old and dribbling 😂 😂 😂

bemusedmoose · 19/06/2021 13:34

No, but then I take my pet ownership seriously. Yes they can be a pain in the butt, just like kids, yes life would be easier and less hassle pet free but it would also feel so lonely! I have a bunch of different animals - dogs, cats, reptiles, fish, and some rescued wildlife. I wouldnt be without them for a day. When my cat was seriously ill and in the vet for a week - the hole she left was huge! Even the kids said it wasn't the same without her (even though there are 10 other pets!) so good when she came home. Some are harder work than others but I love them all.

wishawish91 · 19/06/2021 15:59

@SweetPetrichor 😱 this is my worst nightmare as an arachnophobe but funnily enough I find tarantulas fascinating! My friend kept them when we were younger and I always made her put a tea towel over the tank when I came over 😂

loopylindi · 19/06/2021 16:44

We'd never had pets until our first cat adopted us. He'd stayed for a couple of days at each house in the close before deciding on his forever home - the one we were looking after for him. When he died, it left a massive hole in our lives. DH had become a cat-person by then. After a while we got another. Yes it cost a lot in vets bills and cattery but he and subsequent cats have been well worth it for the entertainment value alone
I suppose it depends on individual circumstances with regard to managing and paying for the upkeep.

Halfwreckedbykids · 19/06/2021 16:52

I didn't want a dog but got persuaded. Ended up doing all the work and night wee s as a puppy...all the cleaning feeding everything....but I love her so much...adore every inch of her.

Blackcat333 · 19/06/2021 17:13

I've always had cats, when they get old they need a lot of looking after but I do that because I love them. Don't ever have children, how will you cope if they wee the bed? 🤣

Original poster
LittleLottieChaos · 19/06/2021 17:24

@Blackcat333 I have a child and another on the way thanks. Wink I’m also well versed in and happy to clean up all bodily fluids.

Love my cat but when he pops his clogs I'm taking a pet break…

OP posts:
GentlemanBurglar · 19/06/2021 17:57

I suppose it depends on individual circumstances with regard to managing and paying for the upkeep

.... And individual circumstances can change a lot in the lifetime of a 20yr old cat - as has veterinary medicine: attitudes, available treatments and costs. Feel like it's a different world since I took my cat on over two decades ago.

Roxy69 · 19/06/2021 18:34

YABU I love my dog, I've had him 14 years from a rescue and he has been (mostly - 98%) a star. I just plonk him in the car and off we go to France etc, he's fine on the ferry overnight and the only time it's a pain is in the hot weather when I can't park in the shade in supermarket carparks. All the shady places are taken up by people without dogs - thanks a lot... Now he's got cataracts and is a bit deaf but I care for him like I would any family member. I'll be gutted when he goes and definitely will get another. Looking now, but I haven't told him yet and he loves company anyway.

lobsterkiller · 19/06/2021 18:55

I have a little bird, she's a messy bugger and very bitey and the responsibility is sometimes too much

Today she isnt very well and the vet has said it could be cancer, shes very clingy at the moment and i know our time together is coming to an end.

I dont think i will get another.

Lilydot · 19/06/2021 22:43

Your pet considers you as their family! You made that choice to have the it as a child. Stand by it to the end!

TheCrowening · 20/06/2021 00:01

We have four cats and no regrets. Even our ten year old girl, who we’ve had for two years - she spent the first eight years of her life in a pen in the garden before we got her, and her house training isn’t always
reliable. She will sometimes poo on the rug or the sofa, I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve had to deep clean. But she’s the happiest, most affectionate thing and I’m glad we can provide her with some fuss and comfort in her later years.

Vivana · 20/06/2021 00:15

No I love my cats all three of them and soon to be 4. They are great cats and I never regret any of them

Furries · 20/06/2021 00:29

Ugh, I really hate the “I loved them, but feel differently now I’ve had kids” responses.

And this is only re my own circumstances, but kind of don’t get the “regret having x amount of dogs” etc. Having a dog (singular) is a big responsibility. Maybe stretch to two, but I don’t have much sympathy for those with more who find it difficult. Some people will thrive with it, but the majority of people with work/commuting/housework/children etc - how on earth does adding multiple dogs (all with their own personality and training/maintenance needs) be conducive to a good situation?

malificent7 · 20/06/2021 00:40

Cats are far superior to any human...even kids!

ClareBlue · 20/06/2021 01:22

I absolutely adore my goats. They just make everyone's day more fun. Fearless, intelligent, fun, effectionate and just enjoy being in the moment. My only regret is that I didn't get them years ago.

VeganCow · 20/06/2021 07:55

@LoopTheLoops

I will be flamed for this but yes I hate our cat and wish I didn’t have one, I just don’t want any pets, I really went off her after the birth of my youngest, I would never rehome her though as my 7 year old would be devastated, it’s nothing she has done I just really don’t want any pets.
What a horrible thought you have. Why do you say you hate your cat?
Bluesheep8 · 20/06/2021 08:33

I will be flamed for this but yes I hate our cat and wish I didn’t have one, I just don’t want any pets, I really went off her after the birth of my youngest, I would never rehome her though as my 7 year old would be devastated, it’s nothing she has done I just really don’t want any pets.

Poor cat. Please consider rehoming her. Hopefully she'll go to someone who doesn't hate her.

Mamanyt · 20/06/2021 17:05

@LoopTheLoops

I'm not going to bash you, but please consider rehoming her. Cats pick up on our energy. They are little sponges. She KNOWS how you feel, and is almost certainly experiencing anxiety over it to one degree or another, which can lead to serious behavior problems.

ConfusedCarrie · 20/06/2021 22:36

Not for a second. My youngest DC and my dog have an amazing, special bond. She was there when DC started crawling and would block the stairs to stop him climbing, followed him when he started walking and has been his BFF. She is now old, deaf and arthritic but they still sleep in the same room. No i don't regret having her.