Eternal Sunshine Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I adore all animals. I currently don't have any pets but I grew up with cats and dogs and bunnies. I love them all. I miss having a pet so much that I stop and pet random dogs when I walk in the park. I also pick up cats that I see around the neighborhood and hold them and hug them like babies Their owners generally smile at me and don't seem to mind. I wonder if a guy doesn't like animals - does this point out to large incompatibility? I generally meet guys that don't care much for animals. I wonder if this is a gender related trait...
Els Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 Well, I don't think people are split between animal lovers and those who dislike them, in a binary fashion. It's more of a continuous spectrum, so it would probably depend on how far along the line he is. If he absolutely hates animals, I could see how there would be incompatibility, but if he is simply ambivalent about them and does not particularly feel the need to have them, possibly not.
motive2002 Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I'm not much into pets, but have compassion for animals. Those ASPCA TV commercials get me choked up. I can be flexible on pets to an extent, but I cannot tolerate people that hurt or neglect their little fuzzy companions. Some people should not be pet owners in my opinion.
zlatnapolja Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I adore all animals. I currently don't have any pets but I grew up with cats and dogs and bunnies. I love them all. I miss having a pet so much that I stop and pet random dogs when I walk in the park. I also pick up cats that I see around the neighborhood and hold them and hug them like babies Their owners generally smile at me and don't seem to mind. I wonder if a guy doesn't like animals - does this point out to large incompatibility? I generally meet guys that don't care much for animals. I wonder if this is a gender related trait... I think there's a difference between loving animals and loving animals. for instance I love watching pinguins acting funny, and I think koala bears are adorable and tigers and lions are beautiful creatures, but I dont enjoy holding a dog. I dont find it to be hygenic, besides i;m allergic to them. However I do enjoy watching them play around being happy. I dont think you'll find a lot of guys that want to hug animals like they're babies, that doesnt mean theres anything wrong with these guys. However it is important that they treat animals with respect! If they dont, thats a big red flag!
zlatnapolja Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 :o.......................... Hehehehehe, now thats cute! Keep on hugging them;)
Rinas Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 Loving animals is important to me, or at least treating them properly. It's a deal breaker when a guy claims to hate animals, or mistreat them. Also - ES your current pic is adorable!
Rinas Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 In both instances the guy is most likely a douche pile and should be avoided. How can someone hate an animal? Especially a cute doggy?.... I don't want to be around those types. My grandmother isn't a fan of animals at all, however she will feed them if they're starving or in need of anything. I could deal with that, as long as they share compassion for animals. Anyone to mistreat animals is a walking red flag. Id avoid them too.
SmileFace Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I also pick up cats that I see around the neighborhood and hold them and hug them like babies ...
cerridwen Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 YES!! :lmao::lmao: Strong re-entry, SF! Good to have you back!
thatone Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I adore all animals. I currently don't have any pets but I grew up with cats and dogs and bunnies. I love them all. I miss having a pet so much that I stop and pet random dogs when I walk in the park. I also pick up cats that I see around the neighborhood and hold them and hug them like babies Their owners generally smile at me and don't seem to mind. I wonder if a guy doesn't like animals - does this point out to large incompatibility? I generally meet guys that don't care much for animals. I wonder if this is a gender related trait... i think it is gender related to an extent. i don't want an animal around because i don't want to be obligated to take care one. men are supposed to be content with being alone if they have to be, so don't always equate pets with companionship like women do. i have family and friends with multiple pets, but don't really have a desire to have them myself. i don't dislike or mistreat animals, in fact my mother's dog loves me, i always roll around in the yard and play with her when i go visit (in addition to bringing a burger, which always goes over well). but i don't want to own one. too much maintenance, restricts my ability to travel because i have to find people to take care of the pets, don't like damage to my house and it's so hot here in the summer that dogs have to be inside for a few months, etc.
nandesuka Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I don't believe animal loving is gender related issue. I think it is a compatibility issue though. For me, if the girl hates dogs, that's one of my major dealbreakers (me being a dog person). I also find if I don't get along with someone, they tend to be cat people or non-animal lovers (no offense to you cat people here).
sm1tten Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 My ex was way more of an animal lover than I am - specifically about cats, which is interesting both because you don't see a lot of guys who are into cats, and he was really unable/unwilling to connect with people. I like most pets, except I am not fond of birds, and dating me doesn't require that you love cats just because I have one. The only person I've ever dated who didn't like cats - dogs only - we moved in together and we adopted my cat. For all his "hatred" of cats, he sure grew to love spending time with his buddy. When we broke up, he got his own cat - a smaller version of mine. ETA: It would be a dealbreaker if the person went too far into the animal-loving category. Like treating your pet better than your partner.
zengirl Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I adore all animals. I currently don't have any pets but I grew up with cats and dogs and bunnies. I love them all. I miss having a pet so much that I stop and pet random dogs when I walk in the park. I also pick up cats that I see around the neighborhood and hold them and hug them like babies Their owners generally smile at me and don't seem to mind. I wonder if a guy doesn't like animals - does this point out to large incompatibility? I generally meet guys that don't care much for animals. I wonder if this is a gender related trait... It's not gender-related. I've dated some guys that didn't have animals at the moment, but almost every BF I've had has had a pet at some point and/or wanted/wants one and loved animals. I understand the line of thinking that men who love animals can be more nurturing, though I think the world explodes with exceptions there, and I wouldn't put much stock in it. My stepfather's the best guy I know, and he doesn't care for pets. If a guy doesn't like animals OR kids, I'm skeptical. Anyone who really HATED animals (like to the point where they couldn't understand why anyone would have a pet or were down with animal cruelty or something) maybe is an issue. But I really don't put too much stock on reading character this way. Re: compatibility. . . I suppose it depends. It sounds like you'd want to have animals. If that's important to you, certainly, don't date anyone who would NEVER live in a house with animals. But lots of people don't feel the need to have pets and yet will tolerate them if a partner does; also a friend of mine (female) who REALLY hates pets --- like to the extreme point where she thought they were stupid and smelly and horrible (she is a social worker who's one of the sweetest people I know, BTW) --- inherited a dog through her boyfriend/now fiance. She still doesn't like the dog, but she is cool with him living in the house and being part of the family because she loves her fiance. My best friend's husband hated cats when they met, but she had one, and he grew to love it; they now have three cats. They are officially crazy cat people. And there are also people who are allergic, which is a whole 'nother kettle of fish. I'd say don't date anyone you don't want to date for any reason. If you REALLY care if your partner loves pets, hold out for a guy who loves pets. However, if you really care, why would you be asking strangers on the internet? You'd just care so much you'd know the answer. But I don't really think this is as huge a schism as people sometimes act like it is.
thatone Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 i don't know whether men see it as a stigma, but i always preferred cats to dogs too. cats are evil, vindictive, scheming little monsters, and they don't care what anyone thinks about them. i can respect that. plus they tend to earn their keep, i have a couple of strays that hang around my neighborhood and they're always after mice and bats and squirrels that get under my house, so i don't bother them. the one badass out of the two is especially funny to me, i saw him sleeping in my flowerbed out by the pool a few weeks back and knocked on the window to remind him who's boss, and the little bastard casually got up, stretched, strolled over past my back patio as slowly as he could, raised his tail and sprayed the post on my back stairs right in front of me. how can ya not admire a creature as cocky as that?
Author Eternal Sunshine Posted July 31, 2011 Author Posted July 31, 2011 LOL On a more serious note, I kind of really feel that way about cats. I don't discriminate - I love dogs too. Even birds and koala bears and kangaroos I pretty much only dislike reptiles and insects but I can even find some reptiles cute.
Cee Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 There are so many adorable animals that aren't furry. I think love birds are so cute paired up on their perch. Also, as a child, I kept lizards and fish. Thought they were so cute.
TaurusTerp Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I believe that if a man in the relationship does not care to have pets, but if he is serious about YOU and loves you, then I believe some compromise on his part is in order. It's the same if he likes to race motorcycles and you hate it, you'll have to compromise if you are serious about him. Not really the same thing at all, dude. I doubt your partner would ever ask you to babysit their motorcycle. It's not a gender thing. Plenty of women I know dont like animals simply because it's a creature thats incapable of taking care of itself and requires a lot of upkeep. I like animals, but can easily do without them in my life. I've always found that people with rabid obsessions with their animals tend to be emotionally unstable and are simply using animals to replace some void in their lives.
Citizen Erased Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 LOL On a more serious note, I kind of really feel that way about cats. I don't discriminate - I love dogs too. Even birds and koala bears and kangaroos I pretty much only dislike reptiles and insects but I can even find some reptiles cute. You don't go around WA calling Koalas "Koala Bears" do you? That's pretty much a hanging offence in NSW.
dave234 Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 He should be willing to have pets with you if he is serious about you. If not, I would highly consider dumping him.
Author Eternal Sunshine Posted July 31, 2011 Author Posted July 31, 2011 You don't go around WA calling Koalas "Koala Bears" do you? That's pretty much a hanging offence in NSW. Hehe thanks for pointing this out. Because I grew up in Europe, I still don't know these things. And yes, I call them koala bears in real life - I am now really embarrassed
Star Gazer Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 Some background reading on this very subject: http://www.loveshack.org/forums/t257771/
LittleTiger Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) Some background reading on this very subject: http://www.loveshack.org/forums/t257771/ I was just trying to remember who started that thread so I could quote it. ES, I think it all depends on how important animals are to you. My guy is a real life version of Dr Dolittle! When it comes to animals he has a very special gift. He loves them and they all just 'take to him' which, in my book, speaks volumes. When I first met him my friends asked me what was the one thing about him that made him so outstanding - I said the way he is with animals. There's no gender bias - you just have to decide for yourself if a guy's love of, or tolerance for animals is within a range that you're happy with. Edited July 31, 2011 by LittleTiger
HeavenOrHell Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 If it's very important to you then yes it would mean you're not compatible. I'm an animal lover and also vegan, it's a big part of who I am and my morals, and I won't date non veggies as we'd just be too incompatible, I'd be trying to get him to stop eating meat/change his views which isn't an ideal r/ship A love of animals isn't gender related, my partner loves animals and my ex even more so. I adore all animals. I currently don't have any pets but I grew up with cats and dogs and bunnies. I love them all. I miss having a pet so much that I stop and pet random dogs when I walk in the park. I also pick up cats that I see around the neighborhood and hold them and hug them like babies Their owners generally smile at me and don't seem to mind. I wonder if a guy doesn't like animals - does this point out to large incompatibility? I generally meet guys that don't care much for animals. I wonder if this is a gender related trait...
EasyHeart Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 I LOVE ANIMALS!!! My favorites are cows, lambs, pigs (truly magical animals!), bison, chicken, turkey, salmon, sardines, halibut, and sometimes elk and deer. I couldn't live without them.
rafallus Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) Anyone to mistreat animals is a walking red flag. Id avoid them too. When I had a cat, one of the girls I was seeing slapped it on the head. I wasn't exactly thrilled. Today, she is married with a guy she supposedly got pressured to marry, so I guess it was karma. Edited July 31, 2011 by rafallus
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