Has anyone got a dog/cat then regretted it?

[toastytea]

Basically q above. Would like to add to the family but wanted to hear some opinions.

Also, anyone got a cat/dog and really happy with their addition to the family?

Thanks

[anxious123]

I've had 2 very complex rescues literally land into my life including my current boy. I grew up surrounded by dogs and adored it. No regrets what so ever with any of it. They are bloody hard work, frustrating & confusing but they are also loving, loyal, hilarious & part of my family.

[burninghigh]

We also have a cat. She is no trouble at all.

[burninghigh]

We have a puppy. She is lovely but it is very hard work if you have young children. She is virtually house trained now so getting easier. To be honest most of the time she is just something else I'm responsible for. The kids love her though which is why we got her.

[ownedbySWD]

I hope we get to that stage!

[KittiesInsane]

In fact, they remind me very much of a small child being given a sloppy kiss by an annoying auntie -- 'Euuuwww, must you? Oh good, that's over.'

[KittiesInsane]

Our (youngish) dog licks the cats' heads in an affectionate way as they walk past. They look very offended but not remotely anxious about him.

[ownedbySWD]

We've adopted our two cats and puppy, so in that sense I'm happy to provide a safe, loving home for them. They are messy, expensive, crazy creatures though, and I worry that I've ruined our cats' peaceful lives by getting our puppy. She is constantly following or chasing them, but I'm working on it. I naively hoped a puppy wouldn't chase the cats, just accept them, but that hasn't been the case. The cats are anxious around her, but it is getting better. Just last night one cat walked right past the dog's nose and no fighting or chasing happened! That was quite a victory.

Having pets has been good for our children however, and we are quite homebodies so haven't struggled much with holidays. I'm no soppy over my pets, although I do ensure they eat high quality food, visit the vet, get spayed, etc etc. I've done my homework on what to do to make their lives with humans happy and healthy.

Would I do it all over again? Yes, probably. But once they all pass away, I won't get any more.

[PonderLand]

I think it depends on the breed of the dog/cat and if it's a cat will it be a house cat?

Our cat can come and go as he pleases and he's very easy to look after. I've never regretted having him, when he was a kitten it was hard to arrange for one of us to always be at home etc but that stage passes quickly for a kitten and once they're 6 months and neutered/spayed they can go out. Also we got him in winter so didn't mind having to keep all windows/doors closed. We don't go away on holidays so we've only had to ask for someone to feed him once when I was in hospital having my son.

My brother got a very difficult to train breed of dog when he was living in a city centre apartment, I think he got him for Facebook likes to be honest! He gave him to my parents when he went on holiday a few years ago and he's never taken him back since. They still haven't forgiven him for putting the burden on them, they don't have the heart to rehome him as they see him as a part of the family. They do wish he'd never got the dog though.

[dementedpixie]

Its having to allow for them when you go away too. We are going away for a few days (Thursday to Sunday) so have had to organise a cat sitter to come in twice a day to feed the cats and clean out the litter. It is an extra expense and something else you need to think about

[SelmaAndJubjub]

As well as borrowmydoggy, please look that the Cinnamon Trust - a wonderful charity that helps elderly & sick people keep their dogs by matching them with volunteer dog-walkers.

[Arseface]

We've always had rescues and I've bitterly regretted getting all but one - at the beginning!
They are hard work at first, and a puppy is worse, but within weeks they adapt, you adapt and start to bond and it's amazing.
I work and have young children and teens and wouldn't be without a dog in the house.
They bring joy, silliness and affection to all of us, remind me to live in the moment and not stress too much about mess, routines, timetables and rules.
They make me a much better parent.

[Orangebird69]

I've got 5 pet cats but have rescued/fostered many more. They were all street/ferals. All different personalities. Some a proper cuddly lap cats. One looks at me with disdain most days. One winds me up to boiling point on a daily basis. But they're hilarious most of the time. I miss them when I travel and my house would be empty without them. If a lot less hairy with more expensive furniture and ornaments/plants. But you need to bear in mind that pet ownership is costly. Decent food, insurance a must, should be a legal requirement imo, neutering, vaccinations, possibly boarding/pet sitting services etc all cost. Basically it's a huge financial and emotional commitment but totally worth it.

[Thegirlinthefireplace]

Honestly, not regretted my cats but my dog, he's as good a hound as you could ask for but it's a lot of work and such a bind for holidays/weekends away etc.

He's been a god send for my daughter who has communication and anxiety issues so for her sake, no, I don't regret getting him but if my daughter wasn't a factor I wouldn't have a dog.

[sashh]

You can foster from cats protection, you get to experience different cats and if you like one you can adopt. But while fostering you do not pay vets bills, food or microchip.

There was a TV show on recently about different puppies and their first year with their new families - worth a watch.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08zm778

[Lancelottie]

I agree about assessing the cat's personality first.

We currently have a stand-offish young cat who looks gloriously affronted if you try to cuddle her -- she's a rescue kitten, and even as a tiny thing they could tell that she wasn't going to be a lapcat (and also that she didn't like other cats, so would be best NOT homed with a sibling, which is unusual advice from this particular rescue).

She will occasionally walk delicately over your lap on the way to an unoccupied bit of sofa, or purr into your ear from the stairs. Otherwise she's strictly there to be admired from a distance.

Suits me quite well, as one of our previous cats was very loud, chatty and needy, and would stand between me and my computer screen or lie on the mousemat the whole bloody time.

[Lancelottie]

You regret a cat when they go out jaunting once too often, and try unsuccessfully to play with the traffic; or when they bring in a succession of local (preferably small cute and rare) wildlife; or when they get old and senile, and you have to make That Decision.

Couple of house rabbits, maybe?

[gg44]

PLEASE do a trial first! We thought we were ready for a dog, looked after a friend’s dog for a long weekend - we loved it, but realised that we didn’t want every weekend to have to revolve around the dog.

3 years later we still dog sit for various friends but haven’t committed yet to owning. We get best of both worlds that way. If you haven’t had one before it’s surprising how much of a tie it is.

[Twooter]

No, but I suspect a lot of people do, especially these days with the popularity of unhealthy breeds.

[lavenderlily]

Honestly, yes. I regret my cat. And I feel bad saying that.

He is a yowler. Unbelieveably loud ones. I try to have him outside overnight as otherwise he has the whole house awake at 5. I find it so hard to get back to sleep if woken within an hour or so of when i'd be up anyway.

If it's raining or cold I keep him in and it exhausts me.

He is lovely, very cuddly and cute but yes in all honestly, if I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have adopted him.

[dementedpixie]

We got our 2 cats as 8 week old kittens. They are both boys (although were sold to us as girls!). Both neutered just over 4 months. Have never had issues with spraying or doing the toilet where they shouldn't. They seem to still get on and will share sleeping spaces/ lick each other. One is more receptive to clapping/ picking up than the other but the stand-offish one is the one who rubs round your legs to greet you or when you're getting their food for them

[SnugglySnerd]

I don't regret getting my cat. He's lovely and we all adore him. However as he gets older he is costing us a lot in terms of insurance, special food, lots of cat litter as he goes out less. I have to admit we weren't prepared for this and we do miss out of other things because of it.
I'm not sure we'll get another pet until the kids are older and we're not paying for childcare too.
He is currently sitting on my lap purring though so worth it!

[NameChange30]

Now I feel the need to speak up for cats! Ours are lovely. We keep them in at night so they're around in the evening (apart from during the long daylight hours of the summer) and they are often around during the day, they pop in for food and attention, or have a snooze.

Obviously some cats have behavioural issues but you get dogs like that too.

If you do get a cat I think it's really important to observe their behaviour first. We saw ours when they were 5 or 6 weeks old and one of them curled up and went to sleep on DH's lap! So obviously we had to have her She is still very affectionate.

[Paperdolly]

In between dogs...got a cat as not so tying...regretted it. Boring, selfish, ‘intruder’.


Got dog two years later. Intelligent, biddable breed. Fantastic!


A Maine Coon cat is the nearest thing between a cross of a dog and a cat. If I HAD to have another cat it would have to be a Maine Coon.

[joeyp]

We got our cats from a cat rescue, they were six months and I really regret not getting them privately as tiny kittens. They were fine to start with but the boy started to get territorial and spraying everywhere and the female would hiss as she walked past him. It was horrid to live with. The boy cat then decided to leave home and we haven't seen him for nearly two years. Needless to say the girl cat is much happier, happy to sit on your lap and be stroked etc. From our experience I would go for one cat and have it from as young as you can from a family with children.

[LaGattaNera]

no never regretted but as pp say there is a massive difference between puppies and dogs, between dogs and cats and kittens and cats. I have a dog, my 4th now and love the companionship and going out for walks but have had cats previously when I was out working longer hours - I always take on an adult rescue dog or cat would never take on a puppy. I do like cats but some seem to be out alot I have found and I was still lonely!