r/Pets

I currently own a cat and it’ll be just that for the foreseeable future. I do not have the means, space or time at the moment to commit to a dog or a puppy.

Growing up, I’ve always wanted a dog. We never had them (poor), but I was obsessed with dogs as a child. I would research different breeds online and all my first books were about dogs. When I was in kindergarten I even told my mom that I wished I was born a dog 🤦‍♀️

That said, I also love cats and ever since I adopted my little best friend I can’t imagine not having those cute little assholes around. In a more stable situation in the distant future my dream is having both. However I’m kind of two minds on it?

For one I really wouldn’t want to stress the poor cat with a rambunctious puppy at the very least. Not to mention the very real risk of the predator vs prey dynamic. If I were to get a dog, I would basically have to limit myself to toy companion type breeds to feel remotely comfortable because anything bigger/more deadly would just feel cruel.

I’m probably going to offend some people here when I say that I seriously side eye people who own breeds like pitbulls or greyhounds with cats, knowing they extremely prey driven by nature and how quickly things could go wrong even with just predatory drift and all that. I frequently see posts on dog subs about newly adopted/rescued adult dogs with unknown histories, or a partners “friendly” dog, or whatever suddenly introduced to a house of cats, asking for advice as to why they dog is fixating and how to “train” them to stop and I’m like…??? Is it ignorance or are some people really that callous about an innocent, sweet and intelligent creature’s life under their care?

What are your thoughts on this? Especially for those who have or have had both under one roof at a given time, has it ever worked out and how?

I’m finding that a lot of people are complaining about vet bills as high at $16,000, and it makes me feel so hopeless. I bring in about 3k a month, while my partner brings in just under 2k. We want nothing more than a cat in our home, but we just wouldn’t be able to afford a bill like that if something goes wrong. Even with pet insurance, I’d have to find a way to come up with $3,000 dollars if something extreme happens, and I just won’t be able to.

I can afford a couple hundred dollars on pet visits, I can afford the high quality food, the litter, the toys, the pet insurance, and everything BUT the thousands of dollars that I would need if something ever went wrong, and my animal needed an intense surgery or otherwise. I attend university, so majority of my savings are poured into my schooling, so digging into savings I don’t have isn’t even an option.

I want nothing more than to give one of these shelter cats a home, to have a family with my partner, a little thing to love, but if the time came that I needed to spend thousands and thousands on my animal I genuinely couldn’t afford it. I would want to make the sacrifice, but I can’t pay for something with money that doesn’t exist.

I’m honestly just looking to see what other pet owners think or would do in this situation. My senior cat had a dental cleaning a few years ago, and they told me that they would want him to come back to do a few extractions but I didn’t feel comfortable putting him under anesthesia again so soon, so I waited about eight months to do it. So I bring him back in, in order to do the extractions they also have to do another cleaning (another couple hundred dollars). They put him under anesthesia, they do the cleaning, and before they can do the extractions his heart rate plummets and they have to wake him up because it’s too dangerous to continue. I pay another $600 for this second cleaning but they weren’t able to do the extractions which is the entire reason I was there, so in total I’m out over $1000 for them to not even be able to do the procedure that he needed in the first place. They refer me to a vet that has a cardiologist on staff, and tell me to take him there to have them do the procedure because if anything happens with his heart, they would be better equipped to handle it.
That being said, THAT vet is over an hour drive, and considering that they are a specialty vet I’m assuming the cost is going to be much more than what I already put out. If he doesn’t get the extractions, obviously there is a risk of a dental infection or it leading to kidney disease, etc. but he’s already 10 years old and I’m afraid of putting him (and myself) through all of this — not to mention the cost— when there’s a possibility of him not even making it out of the surgery alive. I don’t know, I’m just curious what other pet owners would do in this situation. I love him very much but I also cannot afford to keep taking off work and dumping thousands of dollars into his medical care when it might not even work.
Would you let him live out the rest of his days and see what happens, or put him through the stress/anesthesia/surgery again?

Alright so as the title says, I’m wondering if Fleas have a preference in people they bite. My cat got fleas and we’ve been dealing with them and my mom gets bit so much more than I do. They really don’t bother me or bite me in almost any capacity. So I was wondering yk if they prefer her blood or something with her more than me or if it’s just coincidence. Oh and the cat is with me most of the time.

So I got my dog 9 years ago and I was around 10 and I tried millions of times to get into the habit of walking her every single day but it just never happened. I would say “I will start small and walk her everyday for a entire week” but after the week I could never continue because it felt like too much and i would be super tired because I would spend 7-8 hours at school and would not come home until around 9-10pm because of hobbies etc. also my parents would come home exhausted from working and never cared enough to take my dog out. I always begged them to make a system where I take the dog out and then the next day my mom did and then the next day my dad did so its like a circular system but they never said sure and would never do it. During covid my dog was out most of the time for like 2-3 years because we would go to forests for walks etc. so there were times she would spend a lot of time outdoors so it was not like she spent her entire life locked up but then would spend most times indoors. When I was living with my parents I would take her out maybe like 4-5 times a month which is obviously not enough but thats all my energy could do. Then when I left my parents house for a year for uni I am 100% sure that they did not take her out properly for months because both my grandma and great grandma got surgery and my parents had to take care of them full time until they went back to their houses. None of these are plausible excuses and I feel so much guilt and pain from this to the point I cry sometimes because I feel like I failed my dog. But actually we moved countries and we take her out everyday so there is a improvement. I take her everywhere to the market, for walks, activities just wherever I can take her. Also my mom started doing morning walks with her and I am so much happier knowing she gets her daily dose of activity. But I still have this terrible guilt in me that I could not do this regularly for 9 years. I feel like I will burn in hell due to heavy religious trauma I have and thats all I can think of.

We have a trip coming up in about a month. We have a 4 year old mini schnauzer that's pretty timid, but friendly. In the past we tried leaving him at a kennel for a few nights, but he didn't look too engaged with other dogs (we monitored for a bit through their cameras), and he was pretty much locked in a crate from 8pm till morning, which I also didn't like. We also tried a pet sitter before, hard to tell how well he was doing, probably not too bad based on photos the sitter sent to us.

For this trip, we have an option of someone stopping by our house few times per day to take him out for walks as well as feeding him and spending some time with him. Has anyone tried something like this? He'll be alone for long stretches of time, but dogs stay alone when owners work as well. And he'll have company 3 times per day. Plus he'd be in a familiar environment.

Is this a viable option? Or should I go with a dog hotel, or pet sitter.

Dog got swollen from one day to another 7 years old what could have been the reason poisoning?

I’m having so many issues finding a camera that will connect to my comcast wifi (i’m guessing it’s a dual band issue). I tried Tapo and it wouldn’t connect at all. Then I tried Arenti and it will connect sometimes then randomly disconnect. Has anyone had luck finding a camera with minimal connection issues? I’d like something relatively inexpensive just to keep an eye on my cat. Thanks!

Good morning / afternoon all - this is my first time on this thread. My boy of 7 years (adopted as a mixed breed, staffordshire terrier / yorkie mix, approx. 37 pounds) needs to undergo extensive dental cleaning. He has severe tartar and plaque build up on the majority of his teeth and was diagnosed with gingivitis a few years back (which we’ve been monitoring, there has been no severe progression).

The catch is the doctor found a low grade heart murmur (Grade 2 I believe) a few years back. The grade of the murmur has not changed, but he needs to have an echocardiogram done prior to the dental cleaning to ensure that it is safe to put him under anesthesia.

Now to my question - the veterinary dental clinic I was recommend by my main veterinarian said the estimate will be anywhere from $4,500-$6,500, which includes the following:

Full dental assessment / meet and greet with dentist
Full echocardiogram work up
Dental cleaning + possible extractions
Recovery time in private room

It is an all day procedure starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending anywhere from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

My question - is the price I was quoted highway robbery, or does it make sense given my pet’s current heart and teeth condition? I’ll pay any amount if it means a healthier life and successful cleaning for my dog, but everything I’m reading online says this is extreme pricing.

For further context we are in the Philadelphia area.

Thank you in advance and apologies for the long post!

Tomorrow is my birthday and I'm interested in adopting a pet. I'm a huge cat lover but unfortunately I'm mildly allergic to them. My eyes become itchy and watery. I go into a sneezing fit. I develop a rash around my mouth and arms from holding and kissing the cats. My throat becomes itchy. I would like to adopt a dog but my landlord is against it. I reside in a studio apartment, therefore I don't have much space. I work part-time and my boss is willing to allow me to take the dog to work. We have an office dog at work. Im considering adopting a fish, a parakeet, or a rabbit.

Just want to take a minute to vent because I recently had a horrible scare with my dog who has pneumonia and hand to spend Friday night in the ICU on oxygen. I’m lucky to be in a position where I can afford the cost (and thankfully have insurance as well) but couldn’t believe that I was required to pay over $5,000 upfront for them to help him.

I had just booked a trip on my credit card (actually ended up canceling because he was supposed to join me and but now needs a month of rest) and had to immediately pay down my balance in the waiting room to charge it. I was thinking “wow it’s a good thing I have the money in my checking account because it takes multiple days to transfer from my hys account and I can’t pay directly from that”. I would’ve paid anything I could for him but what do people that literally don’t have the cash on hand. Even with insurance you have to be able to pay upfront before they reimburse you. I just couldn’t believe that your beloved pets like can be on the line like that and you have to be ready to pay a sum like that instantly.

Has anyone ever been in that situation and been given time to pay? At this point I feel like I need to always have 10K in my checking account just in case.

Not just simple stuff like cooking for them, but something that other people would think you are nuts for doing!!

I used to work in veterinary medicine. I take dental care very seriously. My dog gets daily teeth brushing, a daily dental chew and a daily kelp dental supplement. I use only VOHC approved products.

I'm curious to know what other people do for daily dental care.

If Other, what else do you do?

Remember, as important as it is to keep our teeth healtht, it's important to keep your pets teeth healthy too! 😁

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About a week ago our new’ish (8 month old) dachshund was underneath our reclining couch when my girlfriend went to sit it up. He got pinned between two bars and was choking. In a panic, I tried wrenching the bars apart before we took a chance and used the controller to relieve some of the pressure. I then ran out to my work truck and got a my electric ratchet, disassembled the bottom of the chair, and freed him from it. I took him in the shower with me and cried like a baby while I bathed him because he had poo’d and peed all over himself.

I don’t know if it was him being scared of being choked and mistaking that I was trying to help him or him being afraid of the ratchet but ever since he is terrified of me. He runs from me in the house and barks at me when I’m at home. Sometimes he’ll come up to me at night and lay on me while I sleep but generally he avoids me. It’s breaking my heart because I love this guy more than most things.

I’ve tried giving him treats. I’ve tried cuddling and loving on him. I’ve had my girlfriend hold him while I pet him. Anyone have any suggestions? I’m pretty devastated here.

So my boyfriend has had these two cats for 3 years he’s lived with them alone for those 3 years then recently we moved in together. For about half a year my friend has been taking care of them and he kept one of the cats while we kept the other. This cat has always been very independent and less cuddly than the other and also more pissy(not to the point of hissing at someone or biting. Just grumpy) and we recently moved her back in with us as we finally have everything situated and now live together. Well the first day she obviously was very skittish ,new environment and everything, but the second day she was very social. NOW this is my bf’s cat, I take care of her too but he’s had her longer than I’ve known this girl. Well as of recently she’s been meowing at him everytime he looks her way and then hurries to hide if he tries to walk to her or near her. She’s social with him when I’m around, but if I’m not around she goes straight into hiding. He’s never been mean or abusive to her, or even try yells around her. This is his baby he holds this girl on a throne. She’s just been more around me now and begs for my pets and even gets on my chest. My bfs been very sad about it as he doesn’t know what he’s doing that’s making her scared of him? I told him to give her time she’s in a new environment and to start giving her some treats so she knows he’s connected to positive things and engage during play time. I’m just wondering if anyone has experienced this? I don’t want to take her to the vet yet as she seems perfectly fine other than that?

Hey everyone, looking for advice on transitioning my young kitten (12 weeks) fully onto dry kibble.

Her stomach recently stabilized on Whiskas Tuna Jelly (split into 4 small meals a day), but getting her to eat dry food on her own has been really tricky.

The Situation:

She refuses to eat from bowls/plates: She ignores food placed in a bowl, but she eagerly eats when I hand-feed her or squeeze wet food directly from the pouch.

She only nibbles dry food overnight: I leave dry kibble out overnight, and she only eats about 10–15 pieces while I'm asleep. During the day, she completely ignores plain dry food and holds out for wet pouches.

The "Sneak" Method Works: If I press 5-10 dry kibble pieces directly into the top of her wet food pouch so they get coated in jelly, she eats and crunches them without an issue. But if the kibble is separate or plain, she won't touch it.

My Goal:

I want to transition her completely onto a 100% dry kibble diet.

For anyone who has dealt with a kitten that only wants hand-fed wet pouches, how did you bridge the gap to get them eating standalone dry kibble consistently? Any tips on breaking the pouch-feeding habit and encouraging them to eat crunchy food on their own?

Thanks in advance!

As the title read, I have to give away my sweet babies. I have two mini golden doodles (both 2 Y/O M) who I truly love and adore so so much but I have to give them away for soooo many reasons so here they are:

1. My husband works from home but I on the other hand, work so so soo much sometimes 50+ hours a week at the hospital. He never really wanted pets or is a pet person, he simply just tolerates them because I wanted them so much. I got my fur babies while I was in my senior year of college and wanted them so so badly because I love dogs. Sadly my work schedule has picked up a ton and I'm gone for 12+ hours a day sometimes. I walk them in the morning but honestly my husband does most of the work for them.
2. I haven't trained them properly. Yes it's 100% my fault.
   While they have great temperament (friendly, silly, smiley, literally sooo sweet) but like normal dogs they jump on the furniture, scratch at things, obviously bark at any and everything, and a few more. I did not put in the time or money to board and train them because $$$. i truly thought I could do it myself and that quickly took a backseat.
3. We are moving (no finding a place that allows dogs isn't an option right now for many reasons) so we cant even take them.
   I feel like a terrible per parent which I obviously have been.
   Ive had them both since they were puppies and it breaks my heart to let them go. On one hand I know they can go to someone out there who has more time, love, and attention for their needs. I'm also so sad because I let them down and will miss them forever. I wouldn't ever get another dog because I would hate to put another dog through this because they have feelings too.
   Looking for advice? or places or options that can assure they go to someone amazing. Orr some kind of solution.
   I wish I could tell my babies that I'm sorry for letting them down. Feel free to tear into me about this, I honestly deserve it. Thanks Reddit.
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Is pet insurance worth it for a puppy?

It seems quite expensive for what it does not cover and the boosted the costs because it’s a full blooded beagle?

Apparently they are known for having epilepsy and hip displacer surgery?

Can anyone give me some insight for my newest family member?

I’m trying to debate whether or not to get insurance.

She's acting fine, happened when I was out (out for an hour and 20) looks like she took it from the garbage, first time she's done that)

It’s my cats birthday today but we’re ln vacation and she’s at home ): I feel so bad for my baby):