Dating someone with a few pets

[irc333]

I was wondering, have you ever dated a woman that you may consider having too many pets? I sometimes wonder if they can be a distraction.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love animals, but if someone owns around 5 pets...let's say 2 dogs, 2 cats, a rabbit, etc. Could this be an issue when it comes to dating.

 

Like she couldn't stay over at your place or stay up late at night, because she has to let the dogs out to do their business or something like that. Would it be best if she was going to be staying over night, or spending the weekend with her new boyfriend...to perhaps have someone tend to her pets for her?

 

Sometimes they have a tendency to take home strays, too.

[mammasita]

I can see how that would be an issue. I only have 2 dogs one of which isn't very socialized so I have to leave her at home, my bulldog I can take to my BFs house with me (his offer lol). That said, when I stay at his place, I do have to come home to feed/bathroom break my anti social dog.

[Priv]

Not a problem. My cat loves rabbits.

[irc333]

I can see how that would be an issue. I only have 2 dogs one of which isn't very socialized so I have to leave her at home, my bulldog I can take to my BFs house with me (his offer lol). That said, when I stay at his place, I do have to come home to feed/bathroom break my anti social dog.

 

Yeah, I offered one time to bring her pets to my place (its fenced in) if she wanted to stay over and she says, "No, hon, I wouldn't do that to ya" and she giggled. I guess she knows something about the dogs that I don't, but they do HAVE to be on a leash...otherwise we could spend hours looking for him.

[littleplanet]

Ha!

I once knew a "cat lady" who had something like 17 cats.

It was an astonishing experience.

....even without a relationship.

 

I once knew a young couple who lived in a little bungalow in Niagara, who had:

-2 cats (normal)

-1 Iguana lizard (large)

-1 cotton-top marmoset (small)

-2 South American land tortoises (slow)

-16 assorted finches (delightful)

- 1 newt (ignored)

- 1 spider monkey (sassy)

- 2 wooly monkeys (terrible as toddlers)

 

It took months, to convince them that I could animal-sit, so they could walk out on a Friday night and go have themselves a romantic evening together.

One of the woolys was allowed out of the cage overnight.

In order to pass the babysitting test, I had to learn how to diaper a monkey.

(The trick................is in the tail.)

Old Tom & Jerry cartoons provided the clue.

 

They wound up having 3 children. (perfect)

The animals....were just preliminary trial run.

[Anela]

I am a pet person - crazy pet lady. I currently have four cats, two dogs, and a stray kitten who has been following my cats into the house. Ideally, I would be involved with someone who doesn't mind them - someone who did wouldn't last very long.

 

I think it's nice that you offered to let her bring her dogs to your place.

[central]

I tend to avoid women with pets, because they often can't be spontaneous, can't get away for a weekend, have to get home, etc., to care for those pets. If they have a readily available pet sitter or can afford a kennel, it could work, but otherwise it's a complication I prefer to avoid. Of course, there may a woman who's so awesome that it's worth the inconvenience anyway - but I've yet to meet one who didn't also have a reliable pet sitter.

 

I like pets, but as I get older, I want more freedom and less responsibility.

[salparadise]

I like pets, but as I get older, I want more freedom and less responsibility.

 

That's the way I see it too. I've had dogs all my life, and had two cats (for my daughter after my divorce), but now I just don't want to deal with it anymore. If I ever remarry and have an appropriate place I might like to have another dog. No more cats; I'm allergic to cats but that notwithstanding I just don't feel they're worth the trouble of having to keep a litter box clean, etc.

 

I keep hoping that my next girlfriend doesn't have pets, but so many women do that it's really hard to make that a deal-breaker and still find someone interesting to date. One thing I know for certain... women will never put a man ahead of a cat, and I don't like having to defer to a freaking cat. Bonus points for women with goldfish only.

[preraph]

I'm a pet person and it's true that especially if you live alone, they tie you down. It depends on the pets, though. I've had dogs I took with me everywhere. But now I have one too surly to foist on other people or travel with. Animals don't do well to changes in environment, especially cats, though dogs are pretty easy going. So you can't drag cats around with you. Nor rabbits. Having pets is a life and you need someone who also loves animals to fit into that life with you. If you have a pet-friendly roommate, they can feed them or whatever.

 

 

Also, pets in apartments are WAY more maintenance than pets with a dog door into the backyard who can let themselves out, but you have to really reinforce the fence because dogs don't like you leaving for long. My most mild-mannered one who'd never ever tried to run off dug out the only time I spent the night away from home. I have been afraid to do it since then even though I think I have it where it would be hard for them to escape to come looking for me.

 

Pets are forever and men come and go -- at least that's how it's been for me, so I don't give up my pets or take crap about them for anyone.

[writergal]

As long as the person you date isn't an animal hoarder, I think it's fine to date someone who owns multiple pets.

[sweetjasmine]

Yeah, I offered one time to bring her pets to my place (its fenced in) if she wanted to stay over and she says, "No, hon, I wouldn't do that to ya" and she giggled. I guess she knows something about the dogs that I don't,

 

Bringing pets to a new home even for a visit can be stressful for the animals as well as the people. They're much more likely to have accidents. For instance, my coworker's terrier gets so excited that he sh-ts even if he's just been taken out and has already pooped that day. My dog sometimes tries to sneak away and pee somewhere, so I usually keep him on leash if he's in a new place. The other thing I worry about if I need to bring my dog to a home where people don't have pets is that the home is not "dog proof." Thanks to all of this, you end up being paranoid about where the dog is and what it's doing because you'll feel 100% responsible for anything that happens in someone else's home.

 

but they do HAVE to be on a leash...otherwise we could spend hours looking for him.

 

Same with mine. He's a hound who will follow his nose and forget anything else in the world exists. Some other breeds (sighthounds, like greyhounds) are similar.

[lollipopspot]

Don't get me wrong, I love animals, but if someone owns around 5 pets...let's say 2 dogs, 2 cats, a rabbit, etc. Could this be an issue when it comes to dating.

 

Unless they're a hoarder, which is a mental illness, it's not so much about the number of pets per se. A few cats aren't that much harder to take care of than one cat - in fact, it's harder to take care of just one cat because they tend to rely on their person a lot more for attention and affection.

 

A woman who is very compassionate to animals will probably spread some of that compassion onto you too, so you could think of it that way. The people I have met who are very cut off from caring for others in need aren't going to be different when you are in need. If she caretaker her pets very well, she'll probably caretake you well too if you are sick, having a hard time, etc.

[irc333]

Friend of mine dated an ankle biting Chiuahuah lol....Everywhere he went in her house, it'd follow him and start yappin and nippin' at his ankles and she LET it happen.

 

Luckily some pet owners have control over their dogs and to put them in another room or kennel until guests leave.

[newmoon]

i have 3 dogs. it's an issue for both people, i think. for me i have to get home at certain times to take them out, so cut activities short. i can't spend a night over without a lot of pre-planning, i can't just up and go on VC with a boyfriend unless the dogs can come or be boarded, and it does make for some chaos whenever someone comes over, because the dogs are always around and want to be near us, on us. i have yet to date a guy with a dog, but i think someone with pets does understand someone with pets easier. they really do take a lot of time if you're a good owner and your partner has to understand that. some have understood and some haven't. and some pets are easier than others, ie a fish :-)

[Allumere]

I would say dogs are the toughest. I have 4 cats (mainly indoor), 3 horses, and a bird. If everyone is healthy and the weather is good it isn't a problem leaving overnight. It gets tough when you have to medicate on a schedule or weather is bad. To clarify my horses are on another property..I board but it is self-care so I still do all the work with 2 trips a day for care/feeding (most of the time) and a lot of grass cutting. The advantage is if I have to travel for work or be gone during bad weather I can generally get another person to help out. Of course I have pet sitters on speed dial if need-be. My ex had a couple of cats and a dog. Loved the dog but he controlled everything from what time we woke up to what time we had to come home. If he came to visit me ( we lived 90 minutes apart) he would have to bring the dog (and the poor lil dude got really car sick. And when he traveled the dog went to a kennel and it cost him a fortune.

[todreaminblue]

I have had animals since i moved out fo home as a teen (my dad didnt let me have animals other than a very spoilt siamese cat)

 

 

strays follow me and my family home....they turn up on our door and like people i dotn turn them away but try and find them homes......or return them home to where they should be....i had this situation just two days ago where a very forlorn and sad girl turned up on my door booted out of home with a fat lip and scratches all over her........the sad girl was human.......and i often have sad animals turn up too.....i never deny a baed to either...luckily the girl had a dad willing to travel and come get her ....she had been beaten up....by her mum..she is a true friend to all my daughters and a beautiful heart...broke my heart to see her so lost...ill be praying for her and putting her on a roll for many to pray for her she deserves so many prayers and blessings....for her heart alone......such a beautiful girl.....so you never quite know do you what might be the case for lost pets or people......

 

people who take in lost pets or people .....are people i get on with......as far as dating goes i can be spontaneous but all i have to do is ask someone to take over babysitting and caring for my pets and peoples.......i never have a shortage of people to ask because i seem to know people just like me...the guy i date.....if he is like me....he will understand and share the smiles and good times along with the torn up socks chewed refrigerator seals...and other miscellaneous gifts i am given from being a friend to animals and people......i have even minded snakes and i really am scared of snakes.......i am snake phobic.......deb

[44tt]

I would say it's cool if it's a cat or a dog but anything more than that i can't do it

[preraph]

Allumere makes a good point. Aged pets require you really be there a lot for them, not only for medications (I never work farther from home than I can drive at lunchtine) or because they get old and incontinent and also blind, deaf, or just insecure when you're gone. My old indoor/outdoor cat (20) freaked out the last time I was gone for two nights and she never had before. A friend's old rabbit was so stressed from her being gone overnight that she thinks it accelerated it dying right after she got home. Same thing happened with a friend's dog that she boarded to go out of town. So yes, when they get old, they can be too fragile and you must just be there and take care of them.

[FitChick]

I dated someone who owned three dogs, two cats, two peacocks, two swans, three chickens. The animals weren't a problem but he was.

[D.Mc.]

I look at like this: if you can take PROPER care of a pet, than you must have at least some nurturing inside you that would translate into people relationships too. A pet owner is a good bet to be able to care for someone other than themselves.

 

I have always had 2 cats in my life at any given time & when I was in my 20's I would always be going out on a Friday night & coming home on a Sunday morning (yes, those were the days) with the use of a water dispenser and a food dispenser. For 2 cats a 2 day litterbox load (with fresh litter to start out) is not too bad, more than that & they will not use it. I got my friend to feed them & change the litter when I took a cruise. Dogs are way more work though.

 

If anyone's interested, the book "The Feline Mystique" is a good read about why cats & women tend to go together & what a cat loving woman can offer in other aspects of her life, including personal relationships.

[irc333]

Yeah, I figured cats took not much of an issue with an owner being gone a good amount of time, but dogs to tend to miss their owners after a while.

 

 

I look at like this: if you can take PROPER care of a pet, than you must have at least some nurturing inside you that would translate into people relationships too. A pet owner is a good bet to be able to care for someone other than themselves.

 

I have always had 2 cats in my life at any given time & when I was in my 20's I would always be going out on a Friday night & coming home on a Sunday morning (yes, those were the days) with the use of a water dispenser and a food dispenser. For 2 cats a 2 day litterbox load (with fresh litter to start out) is not too bad, more than that & they will not use it. I got my friend to feed them & change the litter when I took a cruise. Dogs are way more work though.

 

If anyone's interested, the book "The Feline Mystique" is a good read about why cats & women tend to go together & what a cat loving woman can offer in other aspects of her life, including personal relationships.

[LuvsTrucks2]

As an owner of two feline fur babies, it doesn't present too much of a problem with dating, of course, I haven't really run into the problem with my dates being allergic or anything like that. As other posters have said, being spontaneous can be a bit of a bummer, cats are more independent and self sufficient than dogs but the guys I have dated knew ahead of time that if we wanted to get away, I had to have some notice in order to prepare the pet sitter and to make sure her schedule could accommodate my plans, the sooner the better.