Did you have pets as a kid? What kind? Did it influence whether you have them now or not?

[Z is for Zangie]

We had all kinds, as I think I have said before. There were always animals or some kind of another. It did make me prefer cats to dogs and I still wish I had somewhere to put an aquarium. Or I could get a bird. Black cats are my favorite ( though, as you know I have two white cats at the moment...lol), and I have had several over my lifetime, I especially like the golden eyed ones.

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[Mike]

Had a pet bird, then a Bassett hound. Didn’t have a pet for some years as I needed the freedom to be able to travel. But there have been cats around for the past 31 years. I’ve actually never sought out a pet, yet these creatures materialize in my life and bond with me. I’m the one who ends up taking the walks, scooping the litter, feeding/watering, and playing with them.

What fascinates me about the pet ownership paradigm is just how frequently the person who ‘wants’ the pet is also not the person doing the work of caring for the pet. Show me a nasty or sullen pet, and it’s guaranteed the owners are nasty and/or neglectful.

[Z is for Zangie]

Had a pet bird, then a Bassett hound. Didn’t have a pet for some years as I needed the freedom to be able to travel. But there have been cats around for the past 31 years. I’ve actually never sought out a pet, yet these creatures materialize in my life and bond with me. I’m the one who ends up taking the walks, scooping the litter, feeding/watering, and playing with them.

What fascinates me about the pet ownership paradigm is just how frequently the person who ‘wants’ the pet is also not the person doing the work of caring for the pet. Show me a nasty or sullen pet, and it’s guaranteed the owners are nasty and/or neglectful.

There's a saying that cats pick you..we had a lot gravitate to us when I was growing up, and most of my cats have come from the local APL, and they do kinda "pick me"...by tapping my arm etc...I also think a lot of cat personality comes from the owners...

[Mike]

One came with my wife when we met, and that one bonded with me quite a bit. But the issue was the next pair, which she got after that first one died (was 21 when she passed!). They were Siamese, half-brothers two weeks apart. And they bonded with me to the degree that they mostly ignored her for all of their 16 years. She used to get angry with me over this, though I did nothing to create that. I don’t chase after them demanding their attention…. I just take care of them.

When they passed a few years ago, I did not want more pets as losing the two Siamese (three days apart!) was utterly heart-wrenching. But she insisted, so she got a pair of Tonkinese brothers from the same litter. And I made sure to NOT spend time with them in the first many months, so they would bond with her. They come and spend loads of time with me anyway… but she is their ‘home’. And that’s good.