Anthropomorphizing our pets

[HelenePA]

I need to stop reading this thread, I hope to god not one parent out there loves their child less than their cat or dog.

 

[maelstrom]

Hey, you have no children, then I have no issue. You can think what you want. I was just concerned for your children if you had them, which you don't, so we're good.

If I ever, by some disgusting twist of fate, end up spawning, I'll let you know, so you can call CPS on me.

 

[HelenePA]

If I ever, by some disgusting twist of fate, end up spawning, I'll let you know, so you can call CPS on me.

I'll call also

 

[flying_babyb]

I talk to my cats, oddly they meow back as though they get it. I call them furbabies. I love my cats. Thing is, I know there not human (they would be better behaved if they were).

 

[catsrule]

Simba is handsome.

 

[katerkat]

I don't doubt that people without (human) children love their pets as though they are their (fur) children.

But, I can honestly say- and maybe this is just me and other people are different- I had my dog for a year before I had my daughter, and I thought I loved her like my kid. I just didn't know to what capacity I was going to love my kid. It's different. It's... instinct. I didn't have to choose to love my dd. I just do. Overwhelmingly. I still love my dog, but it's not the same kind of love. And I'm just being honest about my situation.

That said, I do not in any way mean to demean anyone's love for their pets. If they are your *children*- then treat them as such, and love them with all your hearts. Your kids deserve nothing less.

I agree. I adore my cats. I got them in 2001 and 2002, so a good 3-4 years before Russ showed up. I do call them furbabies and I love them to pieces. (No matter how much I complain about Tycho's peeing issues.) Does my love for them compare with my love for Russ? Of course not. I'm sure most people would say they love their spouse or mother or some other human being more than their pets. (Except LisaZee, but hey, I'd have a tough time deciding between the spouse or the cat in a fire, too. At least I know which cat I'd save first - the dumb one.)

 

[katerkat]

OMG - this is my cat!! The one who likes Russ!!

 

[rparmfamily]

Oh goodness...I have to laugh at how a few Disers are trying to turn this into a "bash childless people" thread, LMAO...

Can I blame Bush and then is this thread complete? Sheez...

And yes, I roll my eyes at people in the mall with their silly dog strollers and pink clothes on the poor thing. Why again are they exempt from the "No Animals allowed except service animals" rule?

 

[talulabelle]

My brother and sister-in-law do this. They take their dog everywhere and if you don't want their dog at your house, they get mad and may not come. My SIL cries saying goodbye to her dog before vactions.

OOOHHH I Hate that! Do we have the same BIL and SIL? My SIL insists on bringing their dog to Christmas dinner at MIL's even though 2 people in the house are allergic to it and 2 kids are scared of it. MIL is on oxygen and has breathing problems. God forbid anyoen say anything to her about it. She says he is their "granddog" and as much a part of the family ans anyone else!!!!!!!!!!!! She puts the dog at teh SAME level as her kid. Correct that, she spends more time with the dog as she takes it to work with her every day, and leaves the kid on the couch watching tv in the basement.

Just because YOU love your dog, does not mean EVERYONE has to love your dog.

 

[talulabelle]

I don't doubt that people without (human) children love their pets as though they are their (fur) children.

But, I can honestly say- and maybe this is just me and other people are different- I had my dog for a year before I had my daughter, and I thought I loved her like my kid. I just didn't know to what capacity I was going to love my kid. It's different. It's... instinct. I didn't have to choose to love my dd. I just do. Overwhelmingly. I still love my dog, but it's not the same kind of love. And I'm just being honest about my situation.

That said, I do not in any way mean to demean anyone's love for their pets. If they are your *children*- then treat them as such, and love them with all your hearts. Your kids deserve nothing less.

Yeah, I agree with this, there really is no comparison. I know they love their animals, and maybe it is the most important thing in their lives, but to compare them with children is kind of gross to me. It is just as gross as if a person substituted an animal for a spouse. (NASTY) but you know what I mean,,,,,it is impossible, it is not the same. They are still animals, not children.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

OOOHHH I Hate that! Do we have the same BIL and SIL? My SIL insists on bringing their dog to Christmas dinner at MIL's even though 2 people in the house are allergic to it and 2 kids are scared of it. MIL is on oxygen and has breathing problems. God forbid anyoen say anything to her about it. She says he is their "granddog" and as much a part of the family ans anyone else!!!!!!!!!!!! She puts the dog at teh SAME level as her kid. Correct that, she spends more time with the dog as she takes it to work with her every day, and leaves the kid on the couch watching tv in the basement.

Just because YOU love your dog, does not mean EVERYONE has to love your dog.

People have some crazy expectations as to how the world should react to their pets. I actually had to leave a debate a few months ago and put a certain poster on ignore because I was prepared to let lose a string of words that would have given me a lifetime ban. She was the type who chose intentional ignorance. You know the kind...they DO know, they MUST know the logic, but they purposely play dumb so they can continue to embrace ideas that make no sense whatsoever.

That discussion went over the edge for me when that poster announced that a dog's right to visit and stay with a sick family member IN THE HOSPITAL far supersedes the rights of patients who have allergies or may be afraid to be near animals. She started making the dumbest comparisons. She goes, "well, people are allergic to aspirins and strawberries but they are allowed in hospitals." The intentional ignorance was more than I felt the need to respond to. I could have made an effort to explain that dog and cat hair are airborne and that an aspirin is not, but she would have found something equally stupid to argue with. So I, for the first time in years, put somebody on ignore. I would have otherwise been banned for saying what was on my mind. No....dogs do not belong in a hospital! For crying out loud!

I can only think of one other person who annoyed me as much as that poster. A woman I know who lives in my neighborhood has a dog and three kids and a nice husband. The husband and kids go on vacation twice a year to Disney, Yellowstone, and other exciting places. The mother has NEVER GONE! Why? Because she can't leave her dog alone. Her kids begged her to leave the dog with neighbors or family, but she doesn't trust other people with her baby. And above all, her baby might feel abandoned and hurt if she leaves him alone.

Well news alert you moron! Your precious children born from your flesh and blood will never have a single picture, not a scrap book page or memory....of their mother on vacation with them. That is a very clear example of how some people put their pets above their children. THAT is unhealthy.

I love my cat. Omg, I really do. He gives me so much pleasure and happiness. I am very, very sick and whenever my disease flairs up, this cat knows it. He meows at me until I sit down and then up on my lap he sits and he cuddles up with me as if to tell me, "take it easy, Elayna, sit down, relax, and let me show you I love you..." And the time I take to relax with my cat almost always makes me feel better and reminds me to take time to relax. He knows me so well. I adore that animal and if anything ever happened to him, I would be beyond devastated. However, I love my daughter more. There would be no contest if my cat and my daughter were in a burning building and I could only save one. I would never get over the loss of my cat, but my daughter would win, hands down.

 

[MushyMushy]

Exactly. Anyone who is childfree is just incapable of love. Human children are the basis of all emotion! I am just a disgusting waste of human flesh because I have not spawned. How dare I love my cat?!

Now you're just being ridiculous.

Nobody said that; not one person. But to even begin to compare a love for a pet to a love for one's child is just silly frivolity.

I love my animals to pieces, but there are priorities in life. They rank right up there, but don't even come close to my "real" children.

 

[talulabelle]

People have some crazy expectations as to how the world should react to their pets. I actually had to leave a debate a few months ago and put a certain poster on ignore because I was prepared to let lose a string of words that would have given me a lifetime ban. She was the type who chose intentional ignorance. You know the kind...they DO know, they MUST know the logic, but they purposely play dumb so they can continue to embrace ideas that make no sense whatsoever.

That discussion went over the edge for me when that poster announced that a dog's right to visit and stay with a sick family member IN THE HOSPITAL far supersedes the rights of patients who have allergies or may be afraid to be near animals. She started making the dumbest comparisons. She goes, "well, people are allergic to aspirins and strawberries but they are allowed in hospitals." The intentional ignorance was more than I felt the need to respond to. I could have made an effort to explain that dog and cat hair are airborne and that an aspirin is not, but she would have found something equally stupid to argue with. So I, for the first time in years, put somebody on ignore. I would have otherwise been banned for saying what was on my mind. No....dogs do not belong in a hospital! For crying out loud!

I can only think of one other person who annoyed me as much as that poster. A woman I know who lives in my neighborhood has a dog and three kids and a nice husband. The husband and kids go on vacation twice a year to Disney, Yellowstone, and other exciting places. The mother has NEVER GONE! Why? Because she can't leave her dog alone. Her kids begged her to leave the dog with neighbors or family, but she doesn't trust other people with her baby. And above all, her baby might feel abandoned and hurt if she leaves him alone.
Well news alert you moron! Your precious children born from your flesh and blood will never have a single picture, not a scrap book page or memory....of their mother on vacation with them. That is a very clear example of how some people put their pets above their children. THAT is unhealthy.

I love my cat. Omg, I really do. He gives me so much pleasure and happiness. I am very, very sick and whenever my disease flairs up, this cat knows it. He meows at me until I sit down and then up on my lap he sits and he cuddles up with me as if to tell me, "take it easy, Elayna, sit down, relax, and let me show you I love you..." And the time I take to relax with my cat almost always makes me feel better and reminds me to take time to relax. He knows me so well. I adore that animal and if anything ever happened to him, I would be beyond devastated. However, I love my daughter more. There would be no contest if my cat and my daughter were in a burning building and I could only save one. I would never get over the loss of my cat, but my daughter would win, hands down.

Ok, that is just more than sick. She abandons her family on vacation but not the dog. My SIL probably would do this except she does trust leaving the dog with her mother, who is ALOT like her. However, my SIL lets her DH take day trips all the time with the son and never goes along. There is always an excuse like she is sick. I don't know if it is more that she doesn't want to leave the dog or her beer though as she is an alchoholic. I have notice her pattern of only going to funtions or places if they serve alcohol. Occasionally she will go to a funtion that doesn't serve alcohol, but in those cases, she takes a cooler for the road and primes herself well. Or she provides the alcohol for the party. Even if it is a 2 year old b-day party- in the middle of the day at a pool that does npt alllow alcohol and I told her not to bring alcohol or I could lose my membership and she brought a cooler anyway. I digress. She is a mess though.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

Exactly. Anyone who is childfree is just incapable of love. Human children are the basis of all emotion! I am just a disgusting waste of human flesh because I have not spawned. How dare I love my cat?!

You know, I really don't think people feel that way at all. I simply think that people are trying to say that there is different kinds of love. Perhaps the love is equal, but it is undeniably different. I love and adore my cat. But he is not my child. The two are so very different! I also love my partner a great deal, but I love her in a different way from my daughter and our pet cat. The amount of love given doesn't have to be compared. I'm quite sure you love your cat as much as I love my kid. But people who have given birth to human children can testify that the love for a child is vastly different than the love for a pet and I believe that is why it makes people uneasy to see people refer to their cats as their kids. It would be just as creepy to refer to my cat as my partner. Eeek! Again, that isn't to say that you can't love your cat as much as we love our kids, it's just a different kind of love. It has just as much value. I'm stoned on my sleeping pill right now so I hope I'm making sense here! I just wish people would not feel bad about who loves what. Love is a great thing. Love your kids, love your partners, love your cats. It's all good and probably all equal....it's just different in each case!

 

[jenm2878]

I just have to wonder, who cares if your neighbor/friend/ sister loves their pet to death? Does it affect your life that people dress up their pets and put them in strollers? Yes, it may be worthy of an eyeroll, but so are alot of things in life.

I had a coworker lecture me at great length about how disgusting DH and I are for letting our cats sleep on our bed, and one of them likes to sleep under the covers. Who cares? We're both clean people who live in a clean house, and unless I told you, you would never know that my little tabby Bear likes to snuggle under the covers. Why does it matter?

ETA: Everyone needs someone to love. Some people don't want to get married or have kids, but they have pets to love. Some people are married and have kids and still want that unconditional pet love. Some people are happy never knowing a pet. We're all different, we should be happy that people are finding someone/some pet to love.

 

[Maleficent13]

So... adopted kids are not really their adoptive parents' children because they don't have the same DNA...

I don't require the same DNA...simply that they be same species.

Seriously, though...I did not intend for this to become some sort of "parents vs. childfree" debate. It never even occurred to me that it would, because I have seen people WITH kids treat their animals as additional children.

 

[Christopher Robin]

So... adopted kids are not really their adoptive parents' children because they don't have the same DNA...

My cat IS my child. If you only want to call humans that you spawned yourself your children, that's your business, but don't go telling me what I can and cannot consider my child.

My claim, which I stand by, is that a cat is not your child. If you can't grasp that simple concept, then I shall slowly back away.

 

[Angelhalo]

That's a great question. Hang on, I have to go ask my cat what he thinks and then I'll get back to you.

Our pets are a part of our family, and I agree with one of the first few posters, in that part of this is because we are 29 and 35 years old and do not have children or want children yet. Therefore our pets became like our children for now, and I see ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with it. They are fed, bathed, groomed, talked too, and taken great care of. This doesn't mean we don't expect them to act like animals. Thats what they are. But, they are also priceless members of our small family.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Thinking about the original topic...I think that it started with cartoons...I mean, obviously Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse had the same emotions as people, right?

A bit facetious, I know. But I wonder if it had a part of the transformation.

 

[Angelhalo]

I just have to wonder, who cares if your neighbor/friend/ sister loves their pet to death? Does it affect your life that people dress up their pets and put them in strollers? Yes, it may be worthy of an eyeroll, but so are alot of things in life.

I had a coworker lecture me at great length about how disgusting DH and I are for letting our cats sleep on our bed, and one of them likes to sleep under the covers. Who cares? We're both clean people who live in a clean house, and unless I told you, you would never know that my little tabby Bear likes to snuggle under the covers. Why does it matter?

ETA: Everyone needs someone to love. Some people don't want to get married or have kids, but they have pets to love. Some people are married and have kids and still want that unconditional pet love. Some people are happy never knowing a pet. We're all different, we should be happy that people are finding someone/some pet to love.

I agree wholeheartedly. I had a coworker once berate me for letting our dog sleep on the bed. What possible difference could or should it make to her? Our dog is bathed and groomed. We walk around the backyard barefoot just like she does, our feet are no cleaner or dirtier than hers.

I don't understand why it should possibly mean so much to her. It's not like I brought my dog to her house and put her on this this lady's bed!

When people have children they focus the majority of their love on them and away from the pet. And that is GREAT as long as the pet is not being neglected. OBVIOUSLY you are going to love your children more than your pets. But, what some people seem to forget is that not all of us have children yet. But, we do have pets, whom right now in our lives, we love just as much as you love your children, because right now, in our lives, they ARE our children. I'm not sure why that is hard to grasp..........