Cats

[Cori]

 

^ WereJace said it better than I could have. It doesn't matter if an animal is 'free to a good home' if you can't afford to care for it.

Edited March 10, 2012 by Jackal

[Draco Knight]

Sure, the pet is free, okay. What about bedding and food? As the previous owner of two guinea pigs, those two things add up over time to a lot.

 

Initial set up cost should be a big concern, but maintenance cost is just as important when considering a new pet. 'How much will this pet cost initially? How much will it cost to keep this pet?' I spent at least $50 a month on just food and bedding, not including toys or treats. I had a job, of course.

 

What about emergencies? Will parents be incurring vet bills?

 

When asking parents for a pet, and if I had no money, I would offer to pick up extra chores and forgo allowance. Then prove for a few weeks my willingness to back up what I promised with action. This achieved me two ferrets.

 

That being said, I wish i had waited until I was financially able to care for them myself before getting them. Extra chores, no allowance, school, and caring for two ferrets was kind of stressful.

[Dragonshadows]

I already get A+ grades, so that's not the issue. I've tried for 5 years(although its only now that I've really tried hard to work for it) to beg for the cavy(scientific name for guinea pig). I do chores around the house, too. I own a dog and six fish, and have owned other pets in the past( the fish are mine, the dog is a psychotic family pet). I have written an essay about why I should get a guinea pig, and have offered multiple debates. My dad says he doesn't want it because it" stinks and wets in the house, ruining the ceiling". What I had to say to that is the cavy would be in the basement, and that guinea pigs don't actually smell bad, and I would clean its cage out every day if I had to.

 

 

We yelled at each other.

 

 

P.S.- I already calculated the amount a guinea pig would cost over a year, plus the price of the starting supplies, and, of course, the piggie. Also, I'm a GIRL. Just saying.

[satyr76]

^Buying the pet is the least expensive part of owning one.

This.

 

When I got my turtle, I had saved up one hundred dollars. He was only sixty. Then I got the bedding, light, and food to start him off. It costed well over one hundred dollars, and if I hadn't already had the cage, it would've been much more. Then I had to restock the food every week, pay twenty-some dollars on special eye drops when he got sick, etc. Pets cost a lot to keep, even if they're free/inexpensive to obtain.

[Rekha]

Speaking from both the mind of a child and the mind of a parental figure, there are always going to be reasons to say no if someone really doesn't want something. You may find a way to fix one thing.. but then you will find they have something else to complain about. I agree however, Thuban's advice is the most sound and what I would have stated.

 

Start taking the actions to show that you can take care of one, pick up extra chores and do them. Start building the home with your own money. Do you have a job? If not, you need to see about getting a babysitting job or something along those lines so that you can show your parents that you have the drive to take care of this creature.

 

Buying a pet is a life long commitment. Depending on the specific pets life expectancy. You need to be willing to care for that animal till it dies... and then be prepared for the feeling of loss when that does happen.

 

For example, my cat who is sleeping on my foot right now.. is 25 years old in human years... thats like 110 cat years! Crazy right? Well it's tough, but I have to accept that she will pass some time and probably sooner than later.. and its hard.

[Dragonshadows]

Like I already said, I already did my research, and have a dollar amount in the hundreds saved up that will go towards the first few months of care. I already know that pets are expensive to maintain(honestly, where do you think I do my research? I own a dog), so please stop repeating the same thing over and over again. I want war plans( the War Of the Cavia) that will allow me to get a guinea pig, not constructive criticism. You will get a rare dragon or two if you can help me in my quest to find GP enlightenment.

[Dragonboy99]

Dragonshadows if you have a job that gives you at least $50 a month you should be able to have it for a long time if you bath and clean the genie pig everyday.

[7Deadly$ins]

Ultimately, if you've done all that and you're parents still say no, I think you might just have to live with it.

[Fuzzbucket]

Speaking from both the mind of a child and the mind of a parental figure, there are always going to be reasons to say no if someone really doesn't want something. You may find a way to fix one thing.. but then you will find they have something else to complain about. I agree however, Thuban's advice is the most sound and what I would have stated.

 

ER - something to COMPLAIN about ?

 

Dragonshadows - I'm sure you are making the best case you can - but if they really don't want one in the house, you may have to live with that. That doesn't mean they are mean and beastly people looking for something to COMPLAIN about, though, Rekha. Parents are people too, and they/we ! - have to live there too. There were times I refused my children particular pets I couldn't bear to have around.

 

I still think the suggestion of asking if you can look after this one temporarily and at your own expense until your friend can find it a home - assuming you really CAN finance it yourself along with your other pets - may be the chink in the door - but if it doesn't work - maybe be kind to your parents and just let them off the hook. You have a whole lifetime ahead of you to have a home of your own full of cavies.

 

[Kelkelen]

I already get A+ grades, so that's not the issue. I've tried for 5 years(although its only now that I've really tried hard to work for it) to beg for the cavy(scientific name for guinea pig). I do chores around the house, too. I own a dog and six fish, and have owned other pets in the past( the fish are mine, the dog is a psychotic family pet). I have written an essay about why I should get a guinea pig, and have offered multiple debates. My dad says he doesn't want it because it" stinks and wets in the house, ruining the ceiling". What I had to say to that is the cavy would be in the basement, and that guinea pigs don't actually smell bad, and I would clean its cage out every day if I had to. 

 

 

We yelled at each other.

 

 

P.S.- I already calculated the amount a guinea pig would cost over a year, plus the price of the starting supplies, and, of course, the piggie. Also, I'm a GIRL. Just saying.

It sounds like your dad has a specific idea of what he doesn't like about guinea pigs, and you may not be able to change that. The fact is, they *do* have bedding that will get stinky and need to be changed -- you'll have the same issue with any rodent. He may just not be able to stomach the idea of guinea pigs/hamsters/gerbils/mice because they all soil their cages. Everyone has their own preferences, and needs to make compromises, parents and kids as well.

 

It seems to me that there's a better chance an animal will be looked after properly if it's actually in your bedroom, and not out of sight down in the basement. You should be able to keep a cage on a tabletop in a room without a problem -- a table would omit the idea of rotting out the floor/ceiling, for one thing. But I don't see your dad committing to it as a pet, before your ability to care for it, and its ability to not smell up the house, has been proven.

 

Is there any way you could care for one on a trial basis? Being realistic, and accepting that it IS possible that even if you do everything right, your dad may not be okay with it, and you'll have to pass it on to your backup owner -- and there MUST be an actual backup owner who can definitely take the pet if you can't keep it, and your dad will need to know who the backup is ahead of time, and know that their parents agree as well.

 

P.S. If at all possible, don't yell. Staying calm will get you farther in an argument, every time. Even if he yells, see if you can let it drop and just say you'd like to talk about it later when everyone's calm.

 

P.P.S. Do you have a steady source of income? Not just savings, but money you can rely on receiving every month, that isn't coming from your parents?

Edited March 10, 2012 by Kelkelen

[JOTB]

There's no magic bullet or battle plan that will change your parents' mind. You have to take their reasons for concern and show that they are groundless.

 

Also, exactly how much of your dog's care is your responsibility? Is it your job to feed it and make sure it has water? Do you walk it every day? Do you clean up whatever messes it makes, like accidents in the house or picking up poop in the backyard?

Also, you say your dog is psychotic - does it have behavior problems? If your parents are fed up with it doing something undesirable they probably have no interest whatsoever in bringing another animal into the house.

 

If your parents are really dead-set on no pigs, they probably have a good reason for it. Also, depending on how old you are and your future plans you may have to deal with finding someone to take care of it if you go off to college. It is a ton of heartache and a royal pain in the arse if the people you're counting on aren't totally on board.

[Cori]

Getting into fights with your parents won't make them change their minds. They'll just think that you're getting a temper so you'll get what you want. In the end, they own the house and you need to follow their rules, so if your 'battle plan' doesn't work, then there's really nothing you can do about it. Like Kelkelen said, keeping the cage on the table would keep the pig from rotting out the floor/ceiling. There are also plastic trays you can place under the cage for additional protection, in case the bedding gets really soggy--which it shouldn't, if you change it often.

 

Your parents might not just be worried about the smell and the waste, either--guinea pigs are noisy, nocturnal creatures. My friend's guinea pig always woke her up at night, squeaking and digging and playing.

[Syaoransbear]

What are you going to do if it needs veterinary care, possibly costing in the thousands?

 

What are you going to do if you go away for a few days? Who is going to look after it during that time? Who would pay for a sitter?

 

Who will drive you to the pet store to get items for your guinea pig?

 

What are you going to do if you move out and you can't find a place to stay that accepts pet?(I have no idea what your age is)

 

What are you going to do if you go away to college/university in another city/state/country?

 

I think the biggest thing about getting a pet is that it rarely ends up being YOUR pet. When a child gets a pet promising to do everything for it, the VAST majority of parents end up picking up the slack and being the main caretaker for the animal, or they end up taking care of the animal in some other way.

 

I know your friend needs to get rid of her guinea pig, but that's not a good reason to get an animal. If your friend wasn't getting rid of this animal, would you want it so badly and urgently? Would you want it at all?

 

What's wrong with waiting until you are living on your own? At least then you won't have parents constantly asking if you've cleaned/fed/watered/whatever your guinea pig. Your persistence may come off as impatience.

 

Why don't you spend more time training your dog and making it less 'psychotic'? Pets you already have should take priority over pets you want to have. I wouldn't get a new pet unless I was totally satisfied with the behavior and development of my current pets.

[Skulexander]

Betta, Cuban tree frog, White's tree frog, curly tailed lizard, Pacific banana slug, Chinese fire belly newt, four terrestrial juvenile Chinese fire belly newts, paddletail newt, berried marbled crayfish, three Eastern newts, African clawed frog, axolotl, two African dwarf frogs, two budgerigars, and a pacman frog. I think that's it. But I need to get rid of a lot of them so I can focus the time and money I put into them on getting my own place, because my parents are jerks (they really are; I'm not just saying that). The problem is choosing which to let go, because I love them all so much.

[Fuzzbucket]

It seems to me that there's a better chance an animal will be looked after properly if it's actually in your bedroom, and not out of sight down in the basement. You should be able to keep a cage on a tabletop in a room without a problem .

Just FYI - a cage on a table is NOT enough space for a guinea pig unless you have a MONSTER of a table . They need a LOT more space than that. Sure, you can let them out for exercise if they have too little space in their cage - but they'd need to be out a LOT of the time, not to be cruel. And while they are out they do have a charming habit of chewing thing - wallpaper, books, bedding - you have to watch them like a hawk. Don't get me wrong - I like them. But I well remember my daughter's chinchilla... he had a HUGE cage in her room - and she still let him out a lot, as she is wonderful with her pets (and she was 17, and she paid all his expenses herself, including some scary vet bills) - and - well, I'm glad it was HER books he chewed all the corners off.

 

I agree that the basement is not such a hot idea.

[Cori]

Some people keep their guinea pigs in a plastic kiddie pool. You'd just have to make sure the sides were steep enough to keep the pig from climbing out when it's unsupervised.

 

And you'd need a pretty big space in your room for a kiddie pool, even a small one.

Edited March 11, 2012 by Jackal

[Kelkelen]

Just FYI - a cage on a table is NOT enough space for a guinea pig unless you have a MONSTER of a table . They need a LOT more space than that. Sure, you can let them out for exercise if they have too little space in their cage - but they'd need to be out a LOT of the time, not to be cruel. And while they are out they do have a charming habit of chewing thing - wallpaper, books, bedding - you have to watch them like a hawk. Don't get me wrong - I like them. But I well remember my daughter's chinchilla... he had a HUGE cage in her room - and she still let him out a lot, as she is wonderful with her pets (and she was 17, and she paid all his expenses herself, including some scary vet bills) - and - well, I'm glad it was HER books he chewed all the corners off.

 

I agree that the basement is not such a hot idea.

Yeah, I wasn't very clear, there -- definitely picturing a table *devoted to* being the cage-holder, not like... a little cage on one end of an otherwise multi-purpose table. Anyway, I do think most cage and/or aquarium setups for rodents have a solid bottom or a catch tray or something, as there's no logic to letting the wet bedding sit against the floor.

 

And yes, be prepared for unexpected vet bills. My cat was free, his neutering was cheap, but he was very sick, and I probably spent a thousand dollars on him during his first couple years of life. Your family or friends *might* be able to help you in an emergency, but be sure to have maybe $500 or so set aside for unexpected pet disasters.

[Fuzzbucket]

Anyway, I do think most cage and/or aquarium setups for rodents have a solid bottom or a catch tray or something, as there's no logic to letting the wet bedding sit against the floor.

Indeed they do. The pee on the floor bit is one thing they need not be worried about.

[Princess Artemis]

I showed my puppy for the first time today, and he won first place and winner's reserve for puppies 6-9 months. He was the only male puppy competing for first and only one of two for winner's (so he got second place), but still.

[Kelkelen]

I showed my puppy for the first time today, and he won first place and winner's reserve for puppies 6-9 months. He was the only male puppy competing for first and only one of two for winner's (so he got second place), but still.

Well, congratulations!

[sheppardkid]

I've had fish (goldfish, betas, and the little tiny neon-ish ones), birds (finches and parakeets), and a turtle before but I've always been more of a dog person. I've had 3 dogs throughout my entire life. My first was a purebred female English Springer Spaniel who I named Baby Sheba. I picked her out when I was 3 years old and had her until I was 17. She got cancer and we had to put her down.

 

My 2nd dog was a Black lab mix who we named Midnight. He was a stray that my dad found in the park and we just couldn't say no to the cute little guy. Interestingly enough, we got him a few months before we lost Baby Sheba. Sadly, he passed away last year in May (it'll be exactly a year on May 19th) due to heart worm related issues. Somehow they slipped past the treatments and we didn't catch it in time.

 

Now we have our first indoor dog- a little Toy Poodle named Pandora or "Panda" for short. She is a year and a month old now. Another interesting fact, like with Midnight, we got her a few months before Midnight died.

Edited February 25, 2013 by sheppardkid

[DeathCry]

I've had a few fish. They were mostly guppies and molly's since I would love raising their babies to adults, but something usually happens that ends in the death of them >0<

 

At least 4 hamsters that I had in pairs (all females though).

 

Hmm... A few birds, but I never took/take of them so I don't really consider them to be mine. My dad is the bird lover, not me. I've gotten tired of hearing them at 5 every morning so no birds for me when I'm on my own.

[ReesieSweet]

I absolutely adore the Burmese Breed. Unfortunately I dont own one...yet.

Edited March 25, 2012 by ReesieSweet

[Draco Knight]

I love my cat. She's just a random short hair, nothing too special.

 

She's become affectionate in the last year(she's 9), when before she was very much aloof and standoffish. I think it's because my brother's cat died, and she was my cat's main source of companionship.

 

Very recently(the last few weeks) she has become very vocal, and taken to always following me around. I'm a little worried actually, she's got into the habit of sleeping with me and my dog at night. It isn't something that bothers me, but in all her years she has never expressed an interest in sleeping in my bed, ever. Her behavior in the last few weeks has been completely out of character for her.

[fainewebbe]

Very recently(the last few weeks) she has become very vocal, and taken to always following me around. I'm a little worried actually, she's got into the habit of sleeping with me and my dog at night. It isn't something that bothers me, but in all her years she has never expressed an interest in sleeping in my bed, ever. Her behavior in the last few weeks has been completely out of character for her.

 

Aww, I'm sorry about your brother's cat. Cats grieve at loss as we do, and her behavior is probably reflecting that. We take care of a few outdoor strays besides the three indoor cats who are our pets. When one of the strays died, the other one became very clingy when she had not been before. We just made sure to pay extra attention to her and eventually she returned to her usual self.