What are the things you need to make a relationship work? And why am I, a pet enthusiast talking about relationships? It’s not like I’m planning on going on a date with a cat, dog or bird (or any other animal for that matter), and then marry it and continue to spend a significant portion of my life attempting to co-exist amicably with it… is it?
I love having my animals and personally I think any pet (cat, dog, rabbit, bird, gecko, spider, frog, horse, pig, cow) can enhance a person’s life. Pets provide
Companionship
Mental health benefits
Physical benefits
Great way to learn/teach responsibility
Acceptance
Fun
That no-strings attached, unconditional love (unless you’re a cat owner, then the love is unconditional so long the food bowl is exactly as they like it, they have the first refusal of all the food, prime bed/sofa spot, and everything is essentially on their terms).
These are great reasons to get a pet, however it is important to know that when you get a pet you are actually entering into a relationship and to make it successful you need to establish trust. Often people see YouTube videos of birds doing funky dances and speaking, cats giving hugs, dog doing tricks and generally animals being adorable and suddenly decide that they absolutely must have that animal in their life! What often gets overlooked is the amount of time, attention, money and space that these animals get from their owners. Happy, healthy animals make the best pets and the trust you can build with them mean that you can interact, train and have the most fun relationship with them.
Time
In my opinion this THE most important consideration and often the most underestimated. Owning a pet is a commitment as from the moment you bring the animal home it is dependent on you and you are responsible for it! Once you bring that baby home, you have it until it can legally go out get a job and buy its own house, regardless of the trouble and money and stress it causes you… sorry… got confused between my pets and my son. Though in reality, having kids and having pets are not all that dissimilar, except that with a pet chosen using careful consideration and research you don’t have to be tied down for 18+ years, your wine and chocolate stash stay safe, and generally won’t be answered back to.
Time considerations:
Research time to choose the most suitable pet/breed for you
Pet life span
Social animals need a lot of attention and can suffer from loneliness
Amount of time you can spend interacting with your pet
Time and effort caring for your pet daily (cleaning, exercising, handling, feeding, etc)
How much time you spend away from home (vacations/work)
Larger animals, cats, dogs, horses can also affect your daily routine
As animals get older or get sick they will need more time dedicated to their care
Additional time it takes to write a blog post or do any activity as your pet is convinced that it is more important and needs your attention more than anything else.
As a side note, if you are getting a pet for a child do be aware that no matter how much your child assures you that they WILL do everything and look after the animal, it WILL in fact become the parents (usually the mother) responsibility. So before agreeing to get a pet make sure that YOU want it and you have the time to give it everything it needs. Thanks to my son I now have experience keeping snails, worms and getting a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly.
All pets require A LOT of time and attention, in particular social animals and especially if you want them to be able to do fun, quirky social media type things. If you are unable to provide the time you can compensate to a degree with SPACE and MONEY by purchasing a second companion for your pet (rodents and smaller birds should be bought as a pair. Rabbits, cats and dogs and larger birds companions can be introduced later). If you get a pet that is social you need to ensure that you have time to interact with it. Because of the risk of social neglect, in Switzerland you will be required to buy certain animals in pairs (minimum), in the UK this is usually recommended rather than imposed. You can also buy a larger enclosure and lots of toys, or pay to have someone come and help out (feel free to contact me) but ensure you have the space and the funds. Space and money can not fully substitute for the time any pet needs and you may need to reconsider the type of pet you get.
Space
Before you decide what type of animal you want to get you have to be realistic about how much space you have. Even a gold fish needs to have a certain amount of space to survive. Ideally for animals that need an enclosure you should get the largest enclosure that you can afford and fit into your living space. It is important to keep these pets in an area that is easily accessible and seen regularly. This helps owner and pet bond as well as making it easier to keep an eye on the health of your pet and monitor for any problems with the enclosure (broken equipment, empty food or water, uneaten treats etc).
If space is limited it is important that you provide the minimum recommended space for your animal. Your pet store should be able to provide advice and the Internet can provide a great resource for finding this information. If your enclosure is on the small side you need to take the TIME to ensure your animal has additional time playing with you, and an area that is safe for them to explore. Again this is a great opportunity to bond with your animal as well as provide them with mental stimulation and fun for everyone!
One thing I have discovered living here is Switzerland is that for smaller companions that are social such as budgies, rats, gerbils etc you will be required to buy them as a pair and will be asked if you have an enclosure large enough. Even for buying fish, you will often be asked how big your tank is and what other fish you have. If the vendor thinks that your tank is too small, or that the other species of fish you have won’t socialize well then they will not sell you the fish.
Money
Dollar and a cat
Financially buying a pet is kind of like buying a car in that you have a large initial outlay, but then you still have maintenance costs.
Costs to consider are
Cost of the animal
Cost of enclosure
Cost of equipment
Veterinary bills (vaccinations, check ups, dental, sickness, injury)
Some one to look after them while you are away / pet boarding
Food
Bedding
Enrichment/furniture
Travel enclosure
Pet insurance
For larger pets, pet insurance is a necessity (take it from someone who owns a cat who is determined to use every single one of his nine lives!) and it is best to do your research and get a policy with good coverage and get it while your pet is young. Veterinary services are expensive regardless of where you live and if your pet becomes sick or injured a good insurance policy can save you a fortune and prevent having to make any heart breaking decisions. In the UK our pet insurance meant that when our ‘money pit’ cat was hit by a car we were able to get him the treatment he needed and instead of the agonizing discussion about euthanasia because of limited finances (I was 8 months pregnant at the time, and Tolstoy is still with us finding new and exciting ways to cost us money and keep our wonderful vet in business). If you don’t have insurance ensure you develop a good relationship with your vet who may be able arrange a payment plan for more complex treatment. Here in Switzerland your vet can possibly recommend a vet in France or Germany where the costs are lower (which is why having a pet passport is important)
This all sounds like a lot and possibly quite daunting, however the majority of it is common sense. A rule of thumb is the large the animal, the most time, space and money it will require. Of course there are exceptions to this but no matter the size or type of animal you decide to get or already have, any animal can fulfill our need to be give and to feel love and become a valuable companion. I often prefer the company of my animals to my family, and the demands that they place on me to keep them happy and healthy are more than compensated for by the joy of having them around. I have made a lot of generalizations but will be posting more species specific information in the future as pet profiles. In the meantime, enjoy your furred, feathered and scaled family members.