Does having a pet make you feel less alone? I mean, like... if it's 1am and you're feeling down, does offloading your problems to your pet help? 'Cause I'm considering getting one that I can just jibber jabber away to. :3 Nothing too big, just a fish or a hamster or something easy to look after. Any ideas?
Plus, it'd be a nice distraction from other things to just watch it going about it's daily business.
I need advice on pets and their role in your life!
'Love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things.'
I have had pets all my life. I grew up with gerbils and hamster and my nans dog, then I got a dog of my own but due to personal circumstances, I don't have him any more. Now I have my cat and we also have my stepmums dog.
I have always found having pets around has helped me, when i'm upset I talk to my cat or just look at him or just cuddle him and it makes me feel so much better. It's nice to know pets have unconditional love for you and will always be there for you.
I found it really hard when I was at uni and I wasn't allowed to have any pets due to the University Accomodation guidelines and I felt incredibly lonely. Just having my cat around makes me feel like i'm not alone.
I've found there is just something soothing about being around your pet.
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Though, I've only ever had cats, so I'm not sure how much love you'd get from a hamster/etc. but a cat is like a tiny human baby that is covered in lots of fur.
It's always very welcoming when you're lonely.
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Awwh, I think I'd love a dog but my mum would just never let me have one. They just seem so happy and bouncy and loving all the time!
But, depending on what mood I'm in, I'd like to curl up with a cat too. That'd be cute.
Thankyou for the advice, guysss! (:
'Love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things.'
I find my guinea pigs to be extremely demanding when im struggling anyway, and not especially comforting because their personalities are sich that they dont much like me, basically. So think carefully
I mean, i love them, but still.
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Not necessarily. I wanted to kill my three dogs today because I just wanted to lie in bed and of course they wanted walking and feeding and playing with. And you have to do it, you have to put the pets needs before your own and that can be hard.
Even hamsters can be stressful eg if they get ill and die, or of they bite you it won't come to you to be handled or if you've just cleaned them out and they wee everywhere again
it depends on both you and the kind of pet you chose. Some people consider a dog's constant nagging for a walk is a good distraction, but some others would hate it. Some people consider a cat's finicky behavior is funny, but some others--like me--does not. A hamster can be temperamental and nippy but in the name of responsible pet ownership you wouldn't want to give him/her up just after a few days right so you have a ton of things to think about before doing this. Try to care for a pet for a week or two just to see how will it feels like. Trust me, it's not as nice as you think it would be. Plus, pets can make your mental problems worse since they don't live very long (especially hamsters. Only 5 years?!) and if a beloved pet passed away you might found yourself stuck deeper in the hole =\ lots of researches to be done, but YES my dog is the best therapist on Earth. I love him to pieces, but sometimes I hate him to pieces as well! :S
I would say - since you want something easy to take care of, to go with a cat. Specifically, a lap cat. Not a kitten. I have two cats. They are 10 year old lap cats. Obviously, you would want something younger, but I've had mine since they were about 6 months old. Often kittens will be cuddly at first but with age grow to hate touch. So, you would want a cat that's already decidedly cuddly :) Anyway, since my cats are lap cats, almost every night at least one of them sleeps in my bed with me. So, yeah, if I wake up in the middle of the night, they're around to keep you company. Like last night, I woke up at two and one of my cats heard me wake up and crawled up on my lap.
I've always grown up with lots of animals, rabbits, dogs, cats, then I live on a farm now, and I love it, I find it so relaxing to go and sit in the field with my animals or cuddle my cat when I'm stressed, but to echo others, when your having a bad patch, they still need love care and attention, which can be difficult.
I would always find it alot better to have pets myself, but thats because uni is the first time I've ever lived without them, I think if you know how to look after them and are prepared for the responsibility you should go for it :)
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I have two guinea pigs and another one I'm fostering at the moment, and I love them and they love me. I find them really helpful to have around, I really do. They cheer me up and give me something to be responsible for. If you can be responsible for your pet and give them the attention they need, then I say go for it. Pets can be very therapeutic.
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I agree with what everyone else has said really.
I've pretty much grown up around animals. Mice, Rabbits, Cats, Rats, Dogs.
They've all been family pets. I did have my own cat but we lost her to illness recently but as well as our family pets, I have 3 mice of my own. It definitely helps to have something that I'm solely responsible for. Knowing that I have to feed them and check on them and cuddle them and clean their cage every day has really helped me.
As has been said animals like Hamsters can be nippy. 2 of my mice are nippy and really don't like being handled but it gives me another distraction and trying to tame them and get them to come out is another distraction and it gives me something to achieve too.
I think pets in general are good for mental health but as has been said, even when things are really, really bad you still need to make sure they get the love and care they need and deserve.
Rats make good pets as they're clever and inquisitive and are generally always up for a cuddle but I think most rodenty type pets are easy enough to look after.
My mice, after getting them and replacing their cage probably cost me, on average, about £5 a week at the most (excluding if they need vet treatment) so they're not too expensive.
My dog is the single most important thing in my life, not only does it get me out the house and get me some exercise walking him, but taking care of him gives me a sense of purpose. I know that me and him will look out for each other, take care of each other and be best friends for life.
I find my guinea pigs to be extremely demanding when im struggling anyway, and not especially comforting because their personalities are sich that they dont much like me, basically. So think carefully
I mean, i love them, but still.
For small animals they do eat you out of house and home, in fact mines are annoying me right now because they they think they are getting food.
But remember with having any pet you do have to finance for them, even a hamster getting ill going to the vets could set you back £30 for one visit. You also need to think about the amount of care level you can give to a pet as well, for example a hamster is perfectly fine to leave alone for a few days if your not up to it, but animals like guinea-pigs/rabbits need to be seen everyday, and need to be fed a few times a day. You do also have to remember the life span as well, hamsters can live up til they are two, Guinea pigs and rabbits from 5-7.
Pets can also piss you off as well at times, esp if you are trying to sleep and they are being noisy, which could make you in a worse mood if you are having a bad day.
"Its not how long a star shines, what is remembered is the brightness of the light"
I had goldfish throughout Uni, it was a pretty tough time for me but I found the sound of the filter and just knowing I wasn't on my own (as there were other living things there) really helped me.
Atm I'm living in Holland for a month, on my own, working and am looking after someones rabbit. It's a house rabbit and it's really helped me adjust. The only problem with a rabbit/hamster/cat/dog is the level of care - i.e. when they need walking/shots/feeding. Fish kinda look after themselves (feed once a day or week depending on type/who you talk to) but they can sadly die more easily.
Personally, think it's a great idea - just make sure you pick your pet wisely :) Happy to answer any questions if you wanna pm me xXx
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For small animals they do eat you out of house and home, in fact mines are annoying me right now because they they think they are getting food.
But remember with having any pet you do have to finance for them, even a hamster getting ill going to the vets could set you back £30 for one visit. You also need to think about the amount of care level you can give to a pet as well, for example a hamster is perfectly fine to leave alone for a few days if your not up to it, but animals like guinea-pigs/rabbits need to be seen everyday, and need to be fed a few times a day. You do also have to remember the life span as well, hamsters can live up til they are two, Guinea pigs and rabbits from 5-7.
Pets can also piss you off as well at times, esp if you are trying to sleep and they are being noisy, which could make you in a worse mood if you are having a bad day.
This. When my mice get sick, it's £20 per vet visit generally and since you're not really supposed to keep animals such as rats an mice alone, the cost can mount up. If all 3 of mine got sick, it would set my back at least £60 so you have to be prepared for that.
Also, they are SO noisy at night. Just starting to adjust to the noise now but it can take a few weeks/months to get used to having constant noise when you're trying to sleep.
Not trying to put you off at all. I'd be lost without my mice but there is so much to take into consideration before you get any sort of pet
Hamsters are wonderful little creatures. I chat to mine, and they know my voice and come over to see me, and it's like they're listening. I love my little ones, I have one boy and one girl, excluding the dwarf hamster, he's pretty independent and isn't really very sociable lol. I can even give my little boy a kiss on the lips because he's so comfortable with me haha, whereas he wouldn't with my fiancé :)
I love my pet snake. He's very easy to take care of, and won't bother me if I don't bother him. But when I do take him out to play or cuddle he is very friendly, and I think he does enjoy it. I talk to him quite a lot and he listens, so I am happy. :D You just need to make sure you really know what you're getting in to when you get a pet. Do your research!
^^^^Having just got my first reptile (a gecko) I have to say they are pretty good pets. Very easy to care for - nowhere close to as demanding as a dog or cat. Not cheap, and you need to do your research to be sure about temperatures, food, supplements etc, but nice to watch/chat to, and handle if you get them tame.
Although pets can be a LOT of work, expensive, and its painful when they get ill or die....they're awesome :)
I have two dogs and a cat...I've had countless hamsters, a canary and fish too.
Hamsters are fun to watch but don't live for long - breeds that live in groups are potentially stressful if they fight. Syrian hamsters are great fun to handle and can be comical to observe.
Fish are soothing to watch and there's lots of options available to make a really beautiful display with an aquarium...just do lots of research and be prepared to pay out a bit when you're first setting up.
My pets give me structure and meaning on days when all I feel like doing is laying in bed all day =)
Think about adopting instead of going to a pet store.
oh god yes. there are so many perfectly adoptable shelter animals that get put down due to numbers issues. and petstore breeders often buy (intentionally or not) from backyard breaders, who often help feed dogfighting >.>
With rodents, harder to adopt though. They have a shorter lifespan and usually don't get turned into ASPCAs/UK equivelant which I have no idea what it's called there
