#even before kleio i never thought i'd get quite THIS attached to an animal - pet or otherwise lmao

[rudjedet]

It's very mature to know a certain animal isn't right for your household/lifestyle! I'm sure u know a lot of this already, I'm just sharing stuff that helps me choose the right pet for me...

If in the future you do want a pet it is definitely important to think about:

Do I want a pet awake in the daytime or nighttime?

(Daytime: rabbits, some lizards, tortoises, birds, guinea pigs; nighttime: hamsters, cats, some snakes)

How much space can I commit to an animal?

(one tank: rodents, guinea pigs, fish; one room: sometimes rabbits, birds, ferrets; free roaming: other rabbits, cats, dogs, tortoises)

How often am I caring for this animal?

(High maintenance: dogs cats parrots, medium maintenance: parakeets, rabbits, fish, amphibians, chinchillas, low maintenance: hamsters, most reptiles, etc.)

Along with this, definitely think about things like how long you can leave the house for if this animal is there, what risks exist in the home for said animal, what type of financial investment would you be ok with, what kind of smells you would be willing to put up with...

Again I'm sure a lot of this crossed ur mind already whether or not you were thinking of getting a pet! I just like sharing what I know :)

Those are definitely things I consider now (not back then, I was 12 and my sister really wanted rabbits lmao), but it's a good reminder for folk to research what the animal they were thinking of keeping as a pet actually needs, especially because it even differs between breeds of e.g. dogs.

Rabbits do require a very specific treatment and I'd personally classify them as high maintenance, or at least, very specific maintenance that most 12 year olds (who are often the ones who get rabbits) can't give, hence why we weren't the correct household for them. Reptiles, as far as I'm aware and I'm sure some exceptions excluded, do not get attached to their owners the same way cats or dogs do, and most regular households are not entirely capable of providing the proper enclosures for e.g. snakes, which is why I personally cannot justify owning a pet reptile much as though they're probably my favourite part of the animal kingdom. I would also classify them as again specific maintenance for that reason; I’ve seen people with snakes who treat them as some sort of ornament rather than a living creature “because low maintenance” and it wigs me the fuck out tbh.

As said, growing up we only had small pets very briefly, but about five years ago hubs and I adopted an older cat from the shelter. She had a pre-existing condition, but we specifically chose her because cats like that are less likely to get adopted, and in the full knowledge that we had more med bills coming. I'm not sure if you were here for that, but her health issues eventually morphed into what seemed to be a cascade of organ failures, and when her liver went we had to put her to sleep. The last year was tough especially with being pregnant and eventually a newborn, and we didn't handle it as well as we should have. Part of responsible pet ownership is also knowing when to let go of your furry companion, and we kept Kleio on too many meds for a few months too long - but she was my first own cat and I let my emotions get in the way. I still feel bad about it.

I'd love another cat, but I can't care for one right now. I can barely take care of myself lmao so yeah. It'll be a few years!

#i've never really thought of myself as like... an animal lover? but i do know a fair bit about pet ownership #at least where cats dogs and most rodents are concerned #even before kleio i never thought i'd get quite THIS attached to an animal - pet or otherwise lmao #idk man apparently I think animals are really cool now