To say that having a pet is a luxury, not a right?

[YourSnappyFinch]

Pets are expensive and time-consuming. Shouldn’t people prove they can afford and care for them before getting one?

The thing is, we live in a society now where it’s acceptable to be your God Given Right to have something if you want it; and be damned if anyone says otherwise, it’s deemed as being discriminatory or offensive.

The problem is when that something is a sentient being that relies on you being able to provide for all their needs. The same absolutely goes for children. It’s not about who can give their pet/ child luxuries- it’s about whether they can reasonably afford to care for them responsibly. And too many people just bypass this with their own desire, and in the end it’s the animal or the child that suffers.

So yes, you are not being unreasonable. No one needs a pet. They are a luxury and driven by someone’s want.

Ive been working in different capacities for an independent cat rescue for 17 years most of the cats that come in there are change of circumstances as in going into care cant take the cats with them due to having to rent a different house, stray cats, weve just taken 26 cats and kittens from a hoarder situation,

my own cat from there at 17 i had to make the decision to have him put to sleep as he was deteriorating , but not all are bad my Siamese came from a lady going into care but she had been looked after very well up till then should that lady not have had a cat

rescues are on their knees at the moment and a lot of it is sorry to say this but cultural oh i dont believe in neutering cats, oh i just want her to have one litter , letting cats roam , luckily we have responsible people who come to the rescue centre to adopt from us and all our kittens and cats are neutered, vaccinated, flea treated and vet checked and adoption fees dont cover the full cost, but each year animal welfare overall in this country is getting less caring and yes OP i agree with you a lot of people in this country should not be pet owners

forgot to put in my post cats and kittens are also chipped before someone asks about that aspect

Elon Musk could run it, it could be called DOGE UK

I've always had pets, but won't have any more after these.

It doesn't feel right to have a sentient creature as a pet, a commodity, a cute thing. They're just a prisoner.

I bet in hundreds of years, maybe less, having a pet will seem outrageous.

this thread will just make a lot of people angry.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before but I could afford mine when I first bought her as I still lived at home.
if you’re talking about people who set out knowing their circumstances aren’t great I see your point but as long as they’re fed and loved it’s better than being euthanised or in a kennel for the rest of their lives.
and dogs are sometimes the only company that people have.

Same applies to children

It is a luxury, and I think as a nation we should wean ourselves off the dependency on another species to fill voids or needs in our lives - I am convinced human relations would improve if people put the effort they put into their animals into other humans instead.

I think great strides have been made in alternatives to guide dogs, and we should be pushing harder on that, and doing away with exploiting dogs for human need. Same for sniffer dogs.

People don't consider the impact of their pets on the planet either - how many other animals are killed to feed Fido or Tiddles, and how much waste there is due to pets.

I think the country would on the whole be better off without pets. People who say they rely on their pet would have to adjust.

Fantastic point by a pp about how we don't care about killing rats in horrible traps or with poison, but will pay £x for a hamster to be humanely euthed. Same goes for euthing dogs and cats and not giving a shit about the farmed animals in the slaughterhouses. We are a weird species to care about some animals but not all. People just don't think, or worse, don't care.

I love seeing animals in the wild, free, where they belong.

I budget my cats expenses into my budget. Yeah I could have an extra £300 a month (which would actually help some months) and not have them but I live on my own, some days they're my only company. I'd go without instead of giving them up (not one tells people to give up their children if they fall on hard times).

They're also my little family (one cat is currently missing and the torment and heartbreak of not knowing is something I've never experienced before). And no I don't need to put more effort into my relationships with the humans in my life I do that perfectly well. Animals love unconditonally (unless you're a cat in which case they can be absolute arsehole😂) humans come with catches.

I think it's one thing to only get a pet if you can afford to feed it, look after it and cover basic vet fees (and have the time to look after it properly).

But I think extortionate vet fees for complex treatments are another thing altogether. I wouldn't say someone should never have a pet if they don't have thousands of pounds spare for vet fees. (Yes I know there's insurance, but it often doesn't pay out, and if the pet is elderly or has health conditions then insurance may not be affordable anyway.)

But the whole point of a dog is to elicit care from humans. They are highly evolved to fit this particular niche. It's their (very successful) survival strategy.

Cats and dogs don't belong "wild and free". They are fundamentally domesticated animals.

Humans didn't choose to domesticate them - it was not a concious process. Rather, these species exploited new ecological niches that were created by human settlements.

Part if this survival strategy is dogs and cats exploiting us by mimicking some behaviours of human infants, and thereby triggering parental care behaviours in humans.

Actually, vets are really poorly paid. And the costs are very small compared to human medicine.

I live alone with my dog, and on a low income (benefits). I got her when life was better. Yes, she costs money, but she enriches my life so much and I would not swap that for the all the money in the world.

Great. Another thing the poors shouldn't be allowed.

Nice to see OP has come back 🙄 dump and then sits back and watches it go.

LameBorzoi

I know two vets well and have been out with their friends. I’m in Ireland so maybe it’s different but they’re on very good money after about ten/ fifteen years working.

We have a vet in the family, she is definitely not on a high salary but she works for one of the big multi practice groups - independent vets/ small rural practices probably pay much better.

I have two cats (rescues)

Insurance c £45
Pet plan c £35 (jabs, flea/worm stuff and check-up)
Food £120 (they get the good stuff)
Cat sitter £40 (for when we go on holiday - dd covers some).

£240pcm before you pass go. All figures above are pcm.

The children were significantly more expensive.

We are responsible parents so plan in advance.

CoubousAndTourmalet

There was a huge mix of them, not many rural, mostly Dublin, normal gp practices, one or two rural. All on 40-50k+euro

Must be different in the UK.

You may know one or two - if they work in a niche job, or for a large company (especiallyif working for ag research or something), they may be well paid. However, the average vet pay is about half that of equivalent professions.

People's circumstances change all the time; often through no fault of their own - who's to say what people should be permitted to do?
It sounds a little bit Katie Hopkins.

How do you prove you can look after something without looking after it? It’s not like they can have trial puppies they just drop into a house for 2 weeks.

No. Life is hard, pets bring people love, a reason to live, laughter, affection, conpany, getting out... so much. You can't put a price on that. Even the poorest make space in their budgets to feed their animals, the homeless living on the streets always have well fed animals.
I never understand the "can't afford to have children" comments, and they are usually from middle class people. Most people who have kids are poor/minimum wage, how do they think they afford it.. You just manage.
Love is everything