To think that people who genuinely dislike pets are weird?

[Kittenmumma]

I understand not wanting them in your own home because you don’t want to deal with mess/smell/looking after them etc. but to dislike pets as a concept… I think is very weird, animals are so amazing and anyone who has or has had a pet will be able to acknowledge that, I am sure.
Mainly referring to cats and dogs here btw, not “strange” (by our standards) animals like reptiles, rats etc

I completely understand that some people don’t want or like pets but I don’t get people who don’t like animals.

I have pets, but I don't have kids. Kids being in poverty is nothing to do with me spending money on my own pets. Unless you think people should be giving up their pets and sending money to stranger's children instead.
I am not sure what your point is here.

I love animals but I live with my mil who has a dog and it has damaged the front door, stained the carpets, it stinks, it barks at every tiny noise and is a total pita. Why would anyone want to live with dirty animal is what I want to know.

I grew up with pets, and I didn’t like it. Never again. Pet ownership is an oddly controlling, unnatural and self-indulgent concept to me. I love to see animals being animals out in their natural habitat though.

I’m afraid I don’t like animals. I think the only compelling reason to own a dog is if you’re blind or have a lot of sheep. I’m a bit wary of most animals and find them a bit cloying. They also sort of take over. I do think I have a harder heart than most people and struggle to show or feel affection in the way a lot of people do though. And maybe that’s my fault.

Pet lovers aren't animal lovers if they eat animals.

My vegan friends go to the butcher’s several times a week to buy prime cuts of meat for their dogs. It doesn’t make sense to me.

Depends why they are vegan
Id say it’s odd they can stomach that if they are vegan for the love of animals but
If they are vegan for environmental or health reasons then it wouldn’t be an issue

l love my animals - currently my horse and my cat. When I was a child, my father had a very violent and unpredictable temper. He had been a gunner in Lancaster bombers in WW2. I escaped from his violent rages (undoubtedly PTSD) by going out on my pony for hours, and by walking the dog as much as I could. These days, as a retired person, I have a horse and a cat. They are reliable, responsive and affectionate. Something that are not necessarily found in people.

I would never trust anyone who professed that they did not like animals. I find that very strange, and as I said on another post today, sinister.

I'm not a fan of people in general, but people who don't like animals? The worst.

And this is why we need the laughing emoji back. As it stands, I’ve given you a clap instead. Obviously not the clap, that would also be nasty and weird!

Well I’m glad even the pet lovers don’t agree.

Mmmm. I'm a bit different from you. when someone has different views to me, I find it interesting.

For example, my cleaner asked what a parcel in the corner of my room was (we've become friends, it wasn't a nosey question, more curious). I explained it was a gift, a bit of football memorabilia. Cleaner said they didn't really like football. We then had a conversation about why I enjoyed watching it and they didnt. It wasnt polemic, just a bit of chat about our various points of view.

I quite enjoy an exchange of view where neither is trying to convert the other, just trying to understand where they are coming from.

No, because people have differing options on just about everything so why should pets be the exception?

If I’m brutally honest, I find people who are truly potty about their pets harder to understand than those who are indifferent to pets. I love my dog, but I’m not crazy about him, he’s a dog.

Humans have a choice on where they live as much as I love cats (and some dogs) as a species the idea of owning an animal seems weird they are not toys

I like animals but find pet people a bit much. Every single thing becomes about the pet. Particularly dogs.
every bloody place is dog friendly, dogs jump up, dogs sniffing around me, nights out cut short because “the dog” conversations inevitably return to “the dog” people calling themselves furry parents or referring to “their boy” 🤮
animals are and can be lovely companions if they are not children and should not be welcome everywhere. Sick of them being in every single social situation.

Also. One of my dog obsessive family members happily tucks into Sunday roasts. Hypocritical much.

Don't particularly like animals. They do nothing for me but totally respect people who have and love their pets. We have had fish, rabbits and hamsters in the past when my kids were little but will never have a pet again.
Never had a dog or a cat and never will.

@beachcitygirl This has been on my mind recently as a friend has just put her elderly dog through major surgery, which was painful and terrifying for him. I don’t really get it, because I wouldn’t put my elderly dog through that, he’s had a good long life and it would be time to let him go peacefully. There’s no guarantee that the poor dog will live much longer anyway, it’s a last resort.
Humans can consent to painful treatment, pets can’t.

I think it's great that people who don't want/don't like pets don't have them. Far better than those who make the choice to have a pet and then mistreat or neglect them. No one is obligated to have an animal in their life and if they don't want one, that's their right. It's also ok to want a pet as long as you look after it and treat it well. Pet or no pet no shame in doing either.

I clicked the wrong one…. I don’t think you’re unreasonable. I think a house isn’t a home without either a child or a pet. I don’t have the former so have the latter.

I can understand why people don’t want one, lack of time, money or housing not appropriate for instance. It’s far better not to have one if the circumstances aren’t right. But not to like animals at all is, I think, a bit weird.

Is it weird if people don't think this same as you OP?

I genuinely think that in 100 years, pet ownership will be frowned on for these reasons.

I've nothing against pets per se (although cats are evil animals, all teeth and claws - can't abide them).
But not everyone has the time or funds to look after a pet. And the inconvenience..... can't go anywhere because you have to get back for the dog, send it to kennels or book a pet sitter..... what a lot of faff and stress! I enjoy my independence - nobody needs me, I can do what I like, and that wouldn't be possible with a pet.

Animals are not meant to live in human's houses. There is an element of cruelty in forcing them into what is not natural to them. But those who "love" animals do not look at it like that ... they see it as their right. So I see these people as being "weird." There are always 2 sides to everything.

I am sure they treat their pets well and mean well but they mould their animals to fit in with human lifestyle.

They want to be out and about with their own kind. Walking to heel and being made to sit are not natural to them and are part of the human desire to control animals.

Personally I would not dream of doing that.

Add in that I do not want slobber and shitty bums in my sofa!