Are you a cat person, a dog person or something else person?

[Jelle]

So I'm curious about the pet preference among AVENites 🐈🐕

[Siphoner]

Definitely a dog person. I love my fur babies lol

[everywhere and nowhere]

I'm a big cat person when it comes to animals I like most, and strictly a no pet person when it comes to what animals I want to have around. I respect animals, I reject meat consumption, but I just don't want the responsibility of caring for a pet. Plus my allergy... Plus, I guess, my preference for living by myself, my introvertism by all means extends to non-humans.

Or, do plush pets count? In that case, I remain a big cat person. I have 20+ plush tigers and lions (and a few other animals), including my dear Pavlychko (42 years old currently), the reason for my tigermania in person... The second oldest are Peter (tiger, the same model as Pavlychko*) and Elsa (lion), about 39 years old, and the newest is Elbrus, a snow leopard. Although still not a very well made snow leopard, I want one which would be very fluffy and have the megatailedness of snow leopards even exaggerated...

*Pavlychko was bought for Christmas 1982 at the Czech Cultural Centre in Warsaw. At that age, I didn't treat my toys very carefully, and so a few years later, when my father was going on a business trip to Czechoslovakia, my mom tasked him with a secret mission: to find a replacement for Paul. She was going to tell me that Paul had been to the hospital, had a surgery and that's why he looks different... But I saw through their disguise, didn't let them throw Paul away and kept both brothers.

I took a photo - Paul to the left, Peter to the right. (Although it still hides Paul's bad shape - his head tilts so much that the patches on his neck are invisible. But you can still see that some of his fur is bare fabric now...) Obviously the same model and yet obviously impossible to confuse...

P.S. One thing I regret is that I don't remember all of their names, particularly the names of some of the tiniest tigers which were impulse purchases because they were so tiny and cheap... (Typically bought not even in toy stores, but in places such as newsagent's, open air market...) I had made a neat table with the names of all of my plush animals... and the file just broke, really, its contents were reduced to a short string of characters... Even my cousin Jim was unable to restore the file.

[Ceebs]

Gecko person.

 

I really like animals, but my dog and cat allergies make them a nope and my OCD and... executive function issues, haha... make looking after certain types of pets that need a lot of regular attention/care a nope. My gecko is the perfect mix of not being an allergy trigger and lower-maintenance, but also still interactive and not too passive and boring.

[SkyWorld]

I’m finding it very hard to choose. 😖 If asked a year ago, I would’ve said a cat person, even though I still like dogs. I love my cat and he’s a sweetheart. He is my ESA, but to be honest, he doesn’t always do a great job. 😂

 

I do plan to have a dog someday that I want to train the same as a therapy dog to better meet my mental health needs. I already have a breed and name picked out, even though I’ll likely not be able to afford it for years to come (getting the dog, training, vet, supplies)… but it is a nice thought. I want to be mentally and financially prepared. That’ll be another baby in the family.
 

Even though I plan on my cat’s “role” being replaced 😂 he’s not going anywhere and I want him to live a very long and healthy life.

[Philip027]

Not really a pet person.  If there's gotta be someone else around, I prefer it to be another human.

[Guest]

I'm definitely a cat person, though I do love dogs! They're both adorable.  I used to have a foster cat back in 2022, but haven't had any cats (or pets in general) since then. I don't reckon I have the time and energy to take care of a cat/s at the moment, though I plan on adopting a few sometime in the future.

 

[Jelle]

So then there's me, and I'm also strongly a cat person. There have been cats in my family since forever, so I find cats very easy to understand, though not as "obvious" as dogs. We also had rabbits, so bunnies are my second favourite. 

I like big dogs, they're usually calm and smart. Small dogs tend to annoy me, to be honest. I mean, that kind of dogs that barks and whines for no particular reason. It only got worse after I was attacked by someone's dog on the street, a couple of weeks ago.

Big dogs are lovely most of the time. Small dogs are not for me, most of the time.

Gotta add to this, while I wouldn't mind a big dog, I don't have enough space in my house and I'm allergic to dogs. Canine friends are just... not for me. Having one as a pet would collide with my work, it seems. On the other hand, having a dog would be a great reason to have walks.

[Guest]

I've had dogs ever since I was a wee tote, from German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Standard Poodles etc. Though I did have two wee cats when I was young British Short-Haired and Siamese, not opposed to having cats. Just prefer dogs.

[Xaver]

I prefer cats over dogs, but I'm biased as I've never had dogs growing up. If I had a bigger apartment I'd have gotten a cat by now. I love them. Granted I'm a little allergic, so that's a problem. I've thought about getting some other pet, like rats, but I also don't have anyone who could pet-sit if I have to go somewhere and I'm not sure if I have the energy to properly care for them.

[Guest]

I'm an allergy person

[SkyWorld]

2 hours ago, J. van Deijck said:

On the other hand, having a dog would be a great reason to have walks.

Especially for dog parks and would be a good way to meet people in person. They can be good conversation starters.

[Mult]

Primary a dog person but also a bunny person. I seem to have developed an allergy to cats and I assume it's because they lick themselves a lot which spreads the protein that usually triggers allergies. It's a mild allergy which usually just causes me to sneeze.

 

The difference between a dog and a bunny is very significant, but I have really bonded with my sister's bun. It is the cutest thing when he does binkies or flops over or gives kisses. He's a really cuddly bunny although we don't pick him up unless we need to groom him or give him medication. He's pretty good with being picked up, but we want to make sure that he feels free to make decisions so we don't manhandle him unless it's necessary. 

 

Our dog is a good boy who likes small animals since we had our first bunny when he was a puppy. He also really loved my pet rats when they were alive. He's 11 now, so he's at a good stage in his life around the young bunny. He gives the bun space and doesn't get overly excited around him which is very important with dogs. He likes cats too but he's more interested in them which cats don't usually appreciate. He just tries to sniff them which some cats find okay. 

[idkwhatimdoingwithmylife]

BUNNY PERSON HERE! Bunnies are little and fuzzy and silly although they can be quite mischievous sometimes because they are very clever.

But I love my rabbit wholeheartedly. SHE'S A CUTIE PIEEEE!!!

 

also i don't really know how to explain why but in my mind cats are like teenagers and dogs are like toddlers

 

 

[Gloomy]

I’m a cat person. I’ve always had cats, including my two cats now. Except when I was living with my dad in an apartment that didn’t allow pets, although even then I had a betta fish and a hamster during that time. I like having fish and hamsters as pets in theory, but the only problem is I really didn’t like cleaning their tanks and cages. Plus I was afraid of holding my hamster because I thought he was gonna bite me. When I was a kid we had a fish tank with a bunch of fish and I did really like seeing them swim around and interact with each other.
 

I’ve thought about getting a skink or snake, but they might require a little too much maintenance for me. I always wanted a snake when I was a kid, but my mom wouldn’t let me have one because she didn’t want to have to feed rodents to it lol. Plus I’m not sure if my cats would try to attack them. I still had my hamster when I moved out of my dad’s and into my own place, then I got my older cat and he was always eyeing my hamster’s cage so I had to keep the cage way up where my cat couldn’t get it.

 

I also really like rabbits. When I was a kid we also had some rabbits and I loved them. I’ve thought about getting one but I’m not sure how many rental places would allow rabbits.

[daveb]

Definitely a cat person. 😻

[Blue eyes white dragon]

Practical pets it's definitely cats but otherwise it's mice and goats

[Dagomir]

I've never had a pet and, knowing how inconsistent I tend to be, it's probably for the better ...

 

But if we imagine a different me without this defect of character, I'd probably vote for a dog, as long it's not very clingy. So... a cat-like dog?  

[Barbio]

My favorite animal is all of them!

 

I guess I'd be more of a "cat person", just because I've always had at least one cat in the family, ever since I was a baby. I've never had a dog of my own, but I hope to change that one day. I love other people's dogs and being a dog-walker/dog-sitter for others when the opportunity arises!

 

I also had a couple of pet rats a few years ago, and they were my pride and joy. I'd love to have rats again someday, too 🐀

[fragglerock]

I really like both cats and dogs in different ways, and depending on the situation and the breed.

 

But if the logistics weren't an issue I'd say Highland cattle.

[fantastic mx. foxglove]

 C A T S 

[plasticdinosaur]

Honestly, I just want a pet rat.  

[Eutierria]

Awooo 🐕🐩🐶🐾🫶🏽

 

Scared of cats...working on it. 

[iff]

cats

[daveb]

[IanR]

I like cats, but I'm definitely a dog person. A rescue dog person. It's good to have a little buddy who is always happy. Gets me out for walks. Dogs enjoy a ride in the car.

 

Feels right too, something about humans and dogs teaming up 30,000 years ago is cool.

[allhailtheglowcloud]

Cats! 

[Pack rat]

21 hours ago, J. van Deijck said:

We also had rabbits, so bunnies are my second favourite.

Those giant ones that look like they could use a car as a chew toy?

 

 

15 hours ago, Barbio said:

I'd love to have rats again someday, too 🐀

 

13 hours ago, plasticdinosaur said:

Honestly, I just want a pet rat.  

The uprising has begun!😈

 

 

*I think most people saw this post coming*
 

I haven’t voted because I don’t have pets. I used to like dogs, not anymore. Also I wasn’t allowed to have a cat when i was a kid.😭

[Miss Grey]

I like dogs, but cats rule my life. 🤍

[Soul Searcher]

I have always been a cat person. I have had many many cats at home now, over the years, though none currently. 

 

I like petting dogs sometimes but I have never had one as a pet. 

 

Also, my sister bought a turtle a couple weeks ago and while it is fun to look at home and sometimes hold it, I don't have the same levels of attachment with it as I have done with cats .