If you have pets, what is it like?
This is a year old repost, BTW.
I'll start, in a Q&A format.
"What pets do you have?"
I have 3 cats, almost in a large, medium small configuration. (M,F,M respectively.) I've named them Rodolfo, Penelope and Alfredo (PT-BR) (respectively), but rarely if ever, they're actually called by those names, usually we (me and my parents) call them bichaninho, bichanoca e bichanão. (also PT-BR, also the "bi" (pronounced like bee) can often be silent.)
All of them are castrated.
"For how long have you had them?"
Around 8,7 and 2 years respectively.
"what pets did you have?"
I had another "small" cat, we never gave her an actual name, we called her minifufa. She died after 4/5 years of us finding her because her liver practically stopped working. We've buried her at our formerly grandparents' house (because the father went back to his home state 1700 kiliometers away and the mother also died, from cancer.)
We also took care of a cat who accidentally fell into our house because a part of the roof is made of some less resistant stuff I can't really name. She was female and we took care of her for about 2 weeks.
"What are they like?"
Rodolfo is pretty calm and dependent, he often wants to be petted, sometimes late at night. Sometimes I do that, sometimes I hug/squish him.
Penelope if like that, but more because she unfortunately has some terrible breathing. We don't know what's in her lungs and why it got there, so it's not going away. It makes her the most frail :l
Alfredo is the most aloof and often gets into fights with the other 2 cats. He seems to be the most hungry, despite being the smallest cat.
What pets do you have?
I have 2 dogs, both girls, both mutts, both rescues. Stormageddon ("Stormy", "Sterms", "Sterms-ma-germs", "Ms. Geddum", etc.) is a cattledog-husky-brown-dog mix. Stellanor ("Stella", "Stells", "Stel-la-la", etc.) is a hound-terrier-black-and-white mix.
For how long have you had them?
My wife has had Stormy for about 7 1/2 years, since she (the dog) was 6 weeks old. She just barked at her in the shelter and that was that. We started fostering dogs when we moved to Louisiana and almost foster-failed (adopted) multiple times, before we finally did with Stella, about 3 years ago.
What pets did you have?
Growing up, we had a bunch of different dogs and cats, but my Dog was Trojan, who showed up at our door one night as a puppy and was with us ever since. He died .. wow, about 6 years ago now, when I was in college. Maybe even 8 years, wow. He was a really good boy though.
What are they like?
Stormy is an older lady now, so she's a little slower than she used to be, though she still goes on wild tears. She is what we call "the fun police" -- if there are dogs playing around her, she'll start barking, because it's Against the Rules, or something. She's really fluffy and likes to lick my face a lot. She loves people.
Stella is a spitfire -- she always always always has energy, and when we foster now, it's more for her to have a playmate. She is not so sure around new people, but once you're in her "circle," she's the best. She has these little licks where she kind of just pushes her tongue on you that are like, my favorite. And she's a great cuddler, which I love -- I'm a huge cuddler. Stella is definitely more my dog, where Stormy is my wife's. We're one great happy family though.
I used to have a dogs page on my website, but I've gotten rid of it! I'll put it back up and add a link here. Geez, what was I thinking?!
What's having pets like?
I love having pets. I know they're not really like human children, but it turns out the whole alpha-male-theory of dogs is bunk anyway, and they see it more as a family unit -- so I do too. They're something to look forward to coming home to, I know they love me, and they're great to pet and cuddle. They're great and I love them very much.
So did Stormageddeon get her name from her wild tears? How did Stella get her name? My friend's got a dog named Stella and he picked it after an old comedy show he liked by the same name.
Haha, Stormy was named for a character in Dr. Who ep. "Closing Time" -- my wife is a huge Dr. Who fan, and Stormy has a big personality. Even more so when she was a puppy!
Stella is named Stella because we like it. The shelter called her Digit, and we actually thought she was a boy until we picked her up, then went back and forth with Stella or Eleanor (after Eleanor Roosevelt), but finally named her Stellanor to be ridiculous like Stormageddon. I do love the name Stella though!
And yes, we've met a few dogs named Stella -- it's a good name for a dog I think :)
What pets do you have?
I have two dogs: Gambit (F, 9 years old, some kind of mutt) and Loki (M, 7 years old, Australian Shepherd). Gambit's nicknames are Gamby, Gumbo, and Dangus. Loki's nicknames are Lokidog, Puppy, Stinker, and Dingus. They're both named after comic book characters, and both names were chosen by a close friend of mine.
For how long have you had them?
I've had Gambit since she was about 1-1.5 years. I'm not sure of her exact DOB, since she was rescued from the county pound in Georgia. She was the only dog not barking, although she slipped past the attendant who was helping me and ran around the facility, hah! Loki was 7 months when I got him. His previous owners put him on Craigslist, and I have a suspicion that he was bought from a puppy mill situation or maybe a pet store. They were not equipped for a very active herding breed, heh.
What pets did you have?
I had a dog growing up (Denim, F, Australian Cattle Dog) who was my best friend from roughly 11-18 years old. My dad gave her away while I was out of the country (his new wife thought she was "dangerous," and I didn't have the money to pay for the pet deposit at my new apartment just yet). I also had two guinea pigs (Franny & Phoebe, both females) for 8 and 5 years, respectively. They lived long, happy lives with me and my partner at the time. Both passed away from old age.
What are they like?
Gambit is still a firecracker at nine! She loves belly rubs, going on walks, and racing around our large, fenced-in yard. She's a sucker for cuddling, and I've never seen a dog get so excited about mealtime. She loves men more than me (of course), and she's bad about jumping on people. She's also terrified of cardboard boxes for unknown reasons.
I joke that I'm Loki's emotional support human, which really isn't far from the truth. We trained for agility for awhile, but he ended up being too anxious on the actual course for competition, so now we just train silly tricks at home. He's on Prozac (for the anxiety) and allergy medication (apparently Aussies, and especially red merle Aussies are very prone to allergies of all sorts). He's a clinger, still barks at every little noise at the door, but he'll do (almost) anything I ask of him.
When I added Loki to my house, he and Gambit couldn't be in the same room for two years because he was so obnoxious to her. After lots of training, they now hang out all the time and even play with one another inside and in the back yard.
Bonus: What pets would you like to have?
I would love a smaller dog in the future (although my partner says two is the max, and I don't wish for either of mine to go away anytime soon). Someone I can fit in a bicycle basket and bring on plane trips with me under my seat. My family never had small dogs growing up, and after meeting several while helping train other people's dogs, I've really warmed up to them, especially Chihuahuas and Jack Russel Terriers.
Two indoor cats: Babby & Graybie
Babby's a 3 year old lynx point siamese we met at a cat cafe wherein you eat and drink while meeting various cats through the cat adoption team. He's named after an old meme because... well, no reason, it just kinda fit.
He head-butts your face like nobody's business, insists on head-kisses. Drools a lot. Lies around belly up all the time. We call him a "movie cat" 'cause he follows you from room to room, finds a place to lie or sit down, and just stays there until you go to another room.
Graybie is a 2 year old Russian Blue cat we just saw at a pet store (not bred/it's also through the pet adoption center) and we wanted to get Babby some company. He's named Graybie which was short for "Graybeard," as he's got a little patch of white on his chest, but we never call him that and Graybie eventually just stuck. He was a kitten when we got him, and typically it's the older cat that has a hard time getting along with the younger cat, but this was the other way around; Babby insisted on being friends, following a terrified Graybie around doing a chitter-meow (which is apparently cat for "Follow me!" "Friends?"). Graybie eventually warmed up to him and the two have been inseparable ever since.
Both my wife and I have lived with numerous cats throughout our lives, but these are the first two we've owned ourselves.
That picture is so cute!
I have a cat. I have always had cats since I was born; my Mom claims that I was partially raised by an old female. We had 5 in the house once. I can hardly imagine ever not having pets. I have lived with dogs on and off as well, but don't have one now.
My cat is an asshole. He's an obnoxious old male who bites without warning. He was a stray, and is very independent. He takes no insubordination from any other creature; I respect that. In spite of which, he obviously loves his people. He is sincerely affectionate, when he wants to be, and totally loyal.
Pets are like children, like friends, and like alien creatures living with you. All at the same time.
My wife and I have two pets, a dog and a cat.
The cat: Priscilla, mostly called Miss Priss, is a 10 year old tortoiseshell can with some significant Maine Coon ancestry, as she's about 15 pounds. This is lovely, except that her greatest joy in life is to be a shoulder cat, and there's only so long you can walk around with 15 pounds of cat on your shoulder. We trained her to it when she was tiny (she had been the runt of the litter) and have lived to regret it. She'll jump up onto the arm of the couch if we walk past, begging to be tall for a little while, and if she's on my wife's shoulder and I go past she'll try to climb up on to mine to get some extra height. It's super sweet. She's a very sweet indoor cat and we work hard to keep it that way, because she gets in the dumbest accidents if she gets out.
The dog: Anansi, sometimes called Bug (Cuddlebug), Porkchop, or Monster. He's a chihuahua/basenji mix, almost silent, about 15 pounds and it's really hard to tell if he's an idiot or a genius. When it comes to getting food he's absolutely brilliant and dedicated. "Moving furniture to get up on tables" brilliant, and able to climb a bookcase if there's even an inch or two of protruding ledge. In all other cases he's either lazy, dumb or stubborn. I wanted a dog, but he formed such a strong connection to my wife that he'll let me walk him under protest, but otherwise isn't that interested in me except if I have food. Turns out that it's a breed characteristic of chihuahuas for be one-person dogs, and he just focused on the person who wasn't that into getting a dog? He's a great addition to our lives. He keeps us moving and laughing. Half the time we're laughing at his antics, and half the time we're laughing at the lengths we need to go to to keep him out of everything.
😍 I love a good shoulder cat. I'm so jealous.
I have three cats and one dog. All the cats are rescues, but there aren't really any stray/rescue dogs in my area, so I got the dog from a breeder.
My oldest cat is Spud, short for Sputnik. She is 7 years old, a tortoiseshell girl and is by far my most nervous cat. She's the first pet I had as an adult and I got her at a real low point in my life and she helped me out of it. I have kind of a special relationship with her, I don't think she really likes anyone else besides me. Her favourite thing is when I'm making the bed, she likes to play with the sheets.
My second cat is Millicent Vanillicent, or just Milli. Milli is a fat, clumsy, fluffy white-haired cat of unknown age (<5) who is quite possibly the friendliest cat in the world (she is the only cat I've known to enjoy belly rubs). She has silky fur that's almost more like a rabbit's than a cat's. She will harass you until you pet her - using techniques such as repeated meowing, aggressive head-rubbing, and little gentle love nips on your hands. She has no decorum and will do this even to people she has never met before. Her favourite thing is sitting between me and my monitor while I am trying to work (she has a special chair next to the desk just for her).
My third and youngest cat is really my fiancee's cat. She's a short-haired white cat named Maeby, after the character from Arrested Development. She is by far the smartest one of all my pets, but she only uses her gift to be an awful little gremlin. She screams when she disapproves of something and destroys every single plant I bring inside. She hates being picked up and spends most of her time figuring out how to break into the pantry to steal bread and knock over cans. Her favourite thing is to sit on the arm of the couch like a little monorail.
My dog is Josie (for Josie and the Pussycats). She is a 2yo golden retriever with endless energy and what she lacks in cleverness, she makes up for in pure charisma and enthusiasm. I think her favourite thing is whatever thing she is currently looking at, although she goes nuts for baths and chasing leaves.
Growing up I lived in a lot of different households so I kind of "went through" a lot of pets because I stayed with so many families - I have lived with so many animals it would take me forever to list them all. I think I remember them more clearly than the humans I lived with though. I even used to have a cat I would walk on a leash!
I love having pets, and I don't think I'll go without them again if I can help it. Only problem is that everything is covered in hair all the time now, but it's a small price to pay. Honestly three cats is kind of a lot, though!
Pet tax:
Maeby "monorailing", bread-obsessed
Maeby and Spud
Spud, note that the plant in the background has since been ravaged by Maeby
Milli in her favourite spot, in need of a brushing
Josie, more typical Josie