AIBU to refuse to keep a pet in a flat?

[GrilledCheeseTomatoSoup]

DD thinks I am. She says all her friends have pets. She is desperate for a cute, cuddly pet like a kitten or a puppy. We live in a top floor, open plan flat and I don't believe it's really fair to have a pet.

YABU - get her a pet (what?)
YANBU - it's unfair to keep a pet when you've only a balcony as outdoor space and essentially one room.

Rats would be perfect!

Don’t get any pet unless you are happy to care for it but if pushed I’d go for a pair of rats . Rats make the best pets for children , they are generally friendly and want to interact unlike most of the other caged pets . They are literally like small dogs and from your POV you aren’t committing to the next 10-15 yrs .

I agree goldfish aren't a good choice. Bettas are fab though. They need to be kept alone, are happy in a relatively small tank and are very friendly and playful.

A dog in an upstairs flat without a garden will be awful, I don't recommend at all.

Have you considered a house rabbit? I have 2 and they are wonderful. They don't make any noise, don't jump on the counters like cats. They litter train pretty easily. If you get one from a rescue it will come vaccinated and neutered and possibly even litter trained. They are relatively cheap to keep once initial set up cost is over. They tend to be active in the morning and evening when most people are at home. They don't smell as much as a cat or dog. They come in lots of sizes so you can find one that fits your lifestyle.

I have an xpen set up for mine so they can't get loose and run amock when I'm not at home or I'm in bed. I let them out to play and they are wonderful fun, binkying around, love being petted, sleep in cat beds etc.

Ah yeah, Bettas are cool.

The OP is in a top floor flat, several of the greyhounds I know are very reluctant to go up and down stairs, so unless there is a very dependable lift or someone who can carry greyhounds without dropping them………

I mean, it is fine to not get a pet if you don't want a pet, but you absolutely can keep a pet in a flat.

Guinea pigs do very well indoors, and rats are lovely pets too.

I wouldn’t recommend a dog in a flat. I live on the first floor with mine and it’s incredibly hard work. Our first walk is at 6am then we’re out every few hours until 10pm. That’s every day, regardless of weather, if I’m ill or just plain knackered.

In the winter there’s wet clothes and muddy boots everywhere, in the summer you have to go out no matter how hot is is because the dog needs to toilet.

Think I worked out the other day that my dog takes up around three hours a day. He’s worth it and I adore him but won’t be getting another until I have a garden.

Rats are lovely! Good natured too, not usually bitey like people think.

@GrilledCheeseTomatoSoup I was thinking YABU but the idea of a FIV rescue cat is good. But what worries me is that she wants a cute cuddly puppy or kitten, not a cat or dog, and she’s saying all her friends have them. Is she very young? They’re not fluffy toys. The puppy / kitten/ cat / dog might not turn out to be friendly and cuddly, it might be just a fairly unfriendly character, and you can’t just swap it for a cuter one.

Sadly the research evidence is that whatever children say, they do lose interest in a pet as it gets older. In its old age it will be your cat or dog to care for for its whole life.

Actually, rats are a good call. They are very cute and snuggly, love people and learn tricks.

Good point re: greyhound and stairs! That's why a rescue is where to start - they should warn you off unsuitable pets.

Fwiw I think taking on a rescue cat in a small flat is incredibly risky. If they are stressed there's little they can do to get away, they you get problems with peeing and clawing at the furniture and that's hard to deal with with a much loved pet let alone an animal you barely know.

Whatever you decide remember that it's you that will be doing all the care (for the next 10+ years).

There are plenty of small animals that make good pets that you could have in a flat BUT if you don’t want one then that’s that.
This really is one of those scenarios when you have to step up and be the adult.
My kids think they’d like a dog. It will NEVER be happening.

I personally think it's cruel to keep a cat in a flat. I think they need anple space and access to the outdoors (I know some will disagree with me).

Depending how big it is.. you could get a rabbit. We have a rabbit in a large x-pen but she also free roams most of the day if I am home. She jumps on the sofa to sit with us, she plays, she comes for attention. She is litter trained and doesn't smell.

Second this. But get two as they are sociable animals and (obviously!) same sex. Preferably two females as they are less likely to fight.

Make sure the cage is big enough.

If you clean it daily they won't smell. They really are very sweet.

You can have a dog in a flat. Or a cat. A dog will need to be taken downstairs every hour as a puppy, then once housetrained, about every 3ish hours (depends on your dog). So you can of course do it - lots of walks - but do you want to?

When I moved into DH's second floor flat I (obviously) brought my elderly dog with me. It was a nightmare tbh. She needed to go outside for a wee quite often and the last thing I wanted to be doing at 6:30 am before work and 11 pm before bed was traipsing up and down two flights of stairs. Also unbeknown to us one of our downstairs neighbours was terrified of dogs so (even though she never barked or anything like that) she would be cowering in the stairwell whenever we passed each other on the stairs. It also just felt unfair to her - she used to spend summer days lazing in the sun in the garden and then suddenly she was just stuck inside all day 😔

She sadly passed away and we now have two guinea pigs. They seem perfectly happy indoors, they're lovely calm, cuddly little things - they'll happily just sit on your lap for hours (especially if you're giving them some cucumber or something at the same time!). They're still quite a lot of work though - they're basically eating and pooing machines so their cage needs to be cleaned out a few times a week. Is your DD old enough to take responsibility for that herself?

you could get a rabbit. You're not allowed to keep rabbits indoors though.
We wouldn't have the 2m^2 floor space for two Guinea pigs and you're not supposed to cuddle either Guinea pigs or rabbits as it causes them stress
I do not want a dog as I know all the walking would be left to me.
Fish are not cuddly! And DH does not want because of the noise of the filter.
If you have a cat in a flat (and from what I've read, several places will not let cats go unless there are two) do you take it out for walks?

you arent allowed pets in our flats, its against the lease. I guess you might get away with a goldfish but i cant see you being able to hide a cat/dog.

Who says you can't cuddle guinea pigs?! I've never heard that before (and a quick Google reveals nothing...)

You could have a cat in a flat? Just where the litter tray goes may be an issue?

course you can have house rabbits - they have giant house rabbits?
you can also cuddle rabbits and guinea pigs! more handlign the better they will be tamer - especially rabbits

many many people house train rabbits!

You should be buying any pet just for your child to cuddle it! Buy her a teddy she can cuddle that.

Personally, I wouldn't keep a dog or cat in a flat. Maybe an adoptive cat who is used to being an indoor one if you can provide enough kind of stimulation indoor like one of those climby things. There are pets that would be more suitable in terms of the space - think rodents, reptiles, birds or fish as long as you have suitable space for a large enough tank or cage.

*shouldn’t