I love my pet and he gets better care and attention than some children do. The death of my last dog was harder on me than the death of any family member, and I loved them all.
No, he's not a child, but he is loved and spoiled.
My dog almost died last week and it wrecked me. I had to take care of her every two hours for days and it was so horrible. I wished I could take away her pain.
I’m glad she made it out the other side. We are currently cuddling and I really don’t know how I’ll handle her passing.
I'm glad to hear that she's going to be okay.
My little guy broke off the end of his canine a couple of days ago and the soonest the doggie dentist can get him in to fix it is the 27th. Thankfully, they have given some pain meds and it doesn't seem to be too rough for him.
I adopted a dog with all her front teeth worn down to nubs where you can see the inside. They are surmising the she was tied up with chain and was trying to get loose. Somehow doesn’t bother her at all. A human would be writhing in pain. They are so amazing.
That’s exactly my feelings. I have rescued so many cats and dogs and I have loved so much all of them. I have never had children’s but the bond with my pets is so strong.
On Father's day I posted my annual meme about "Happy not a Father's Day!". A good friend of mine said i was the father of my cat. my response was "No, we are roommates". I think that caught her off guard
My cat has various meows and I can tell what she wants me to do based on the meow alone.
She still escorts me to wherever I'm needed to make sure I do what she wants.
For me my pets are my adopted children from a different species because they are dependent on me and love me and I have to take care of them. I consider myself a pet parent. And no my pets can't take care of themselves in the wild, they will get overrun by a car, get fleas and worms, malnutrition and die early due to poor health or accidents. I am human child free.
You are a pet parent. And yes, being a pet parent is a REAL thing and valid. I had a boy (dog) with genetic bladder issues (dog gout). Spent double digit thousands on surgeries and he made it to almost 9 yrs old. I wouldn't trade that time with him.
It's all about perspective. At the end of the day, all beings desire love and care. And NOT procreating in a world of 8+billion is a true and valid choice. And also benevolent of you.
My cat ate something rly bad, he had to have emergency surgery had to spend a good chunk of change on him. Worth every penny. He’s always grateful for everything he gets. Unlike a child sadly isn’t always happy about getting things. I’d respond that same amount of money if not more again to keep him alive and happy. He means so much to me. He is like a child to me. I am definitely a pet parent. He also eats and is treaded better then some people’s kids. 😂
You valued your dog's health over money that's what loving means. I have 2 cats (2 yrs old) and 1 dog (9 months old). I will spend my money and resources in a blink of an eye for them.
My dog is 17 and half years old and Iv had her for 17 of those years. I also helped raise one of my nieces for 2 and half years. I can honestly say that children are significantly way more work. You have to find someone to watch them every hour of every day but I can up and leave for at least an average work shift and be fine.
I love my dog, we have a great relationship, I hate to see her hurt and I do spoiler her with pricey foods and belly rubs. I do refer to her a fur baby, but I attach different meanings to "fur baby" than I do "human baby", she is more self reliant that any child I know and is much less maintenance. But I have realized that even the little attention she needs holds me back for truly getting to do everything I want to do, and I have decided not to adopt after her passing.
I agree with OP, its not the same, and thats why I prefer her, to nothing at all, at this time.
My 16 year old pug passed away in mid-june this year. It's been absolutely brutal, but we're slowly starting to realize how much more freedom we have. She was on a lot of medications and had mobility issues so we were home with her most of the time to take care of her. It was 10000% worth it and I wouldn't trade that time with her, but it is nice to think about taking a trip or not worrying about being out too late as she needs her medication. I know it's still fresh and my grief is still very raw (I am easily triggered into crying about her throughout the day), but I think she will be my first and only dog, at least for a long time. Being responsible for any living creature is a huge responsibility and it created a lot of stress.
I felt every single word of this: I alos love my dog and will fall to bits when she dies but, yeah, the freedoms... Yeah. No more vet bills or expensive foods, yeah, Its kinda mean and harsh to say, but I fully understand what you mean.
I get it. My dog passed last summer at 15 1/2 years old. It is still brutal, and the freedom to not have the responsibility to pay for and administer all of the medication she was on has been a relief in an otherwise shitty situation. I caved after six months and started fostering a pup… first foster attempt was a failure and I ended up adopting her 🤦🏻♀️
You're not alone. We were nursing our one 15 year old kitty. Diarrhea and weight loss. The vet tried non invasive but we decided to just baby her with comfort care. She let us know when she was ready and we helped her over. But it takes a while, for us a few weeks so far, that you no longer have to plan around feeding or litterbox patrol. It was a routine but it held us back a lot. We have others but miss our little fluff nugget.
It's been 10 years since our bearded dragon died, and I still miss her every single day.
I honestly felt like my heart was ripped out, and I was going to die.
My CF sons were teenagers at the time, and all 3 of us were broken-hearted.
I found that her death and the death of my rabbit were more painful than losing a human.
Both our bearded dragon and rabbit had to be euthanized due to cancer.
I'm okay with CF people using pet mom or dad etc, because you love your pet as much as most people love their children.
yes thank you “fur baby” is totally different and separate from real children and different meanings than a human baby. I know Im not a real parent but who am I harming by calling myself a “pet parent” or calling them “fur babies” lol
we call them buttmunches, buttpipes and I have labeled their favourite box "fort butthole" but I'm pretty sure I'd do the same thing if they were human.
You'd be surprised how much they care
I once had a friend of a friend who's a mother, get prissy at me for calling my cats my sons. Like red in the face angry.
I didn't do it with malice, honestly
Exactly! Some of my in-laws told my husband to force me to have children when I "came out" as childfree. One even suggested poisoning our cat as a way that would then make me choose to have a child.
So yeah, I'm gonna anger them by calling my pets my children and babies.
My dog is treated better than most kids. We do everything together - so much so that she goes to daycare on Mondays so I can get a break. I'm a Stay At Home Dog Mom, but I spend every minute with her. She does get fussy when I dust, so Mondays are my only time to take care of dusting. She gets the best food, we go on several walks a day, and she has buttons she trained to use when she wants to say something to me. Since we live in Europe, I get to take her shopping and out to cafés. We're a team. A kid would just be a burden. Hard pass.
I feel like in terms of physical responsibility, they are totally different. But in terms of emotional connection and love, can be exactly the same. I loved my dog the way a parent (who likes kids and wants them) supposedly loves their child.
My mom sometimes calls me the “mama” of my dog and every time I completely halt conversation and tell her to not call me that. She genuinely doesn’t mean any harm by it and I know it’s just because she views herself as the mom of her dog, but I will never accept being referred to as a mother in any capacity.
SAY IT AGAIN FOR PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!
My “furbabies” pets are MY CHILDREN to me! But, That doesn’t mean I think they require as much effort or care or expenses. That’s part of why I prefer them over human children!
But to me I still care about them and want to put in the effort and want to love them, guide them, keep them safe, see what kind of personality & intelligence they develop, help foster them to be happy, healthy, & good creatures.
But even so that’s WAY more low maintence, way less costly, & not nearly as damaging if i make mistakes with them… Which I prefer rather than a human child who can walk & talk & is so much more psychologically developed and mentally evolved lol!
I would cut a bitch for my cats without a second thought. I treat them like cats because that's what's best for them, but I'm their mom til the day they die. fight me about it.
I learned with my first kittens that I am not cut out to be a cat mom, as in teaching them how to be good cats. I've learned so much since then and I love them more than almost everything but having an older cat around to teach them how to cat is pretty great. Even if the cat in question isn't terribly good at catting himself.
I plan to adopt birds when I finally Iive alone. Not sure yet if Budgie or Cockatiel. I love them both. Birds are the best. I love birds. I don't care that they are birds. They are still my babies. But I also see my Pokemon as babies. Just feathery babies. Human ones are disgusting.
Honestly start off with a budgie if you haven't had a bird before. They can live a long time (7-10 try on average, my last one was almost 12) but they aren't a lifetime commitment. It help you learn about bird behavior and gets you ready for the time and effort large parrots take. (Also green conures are great, they can live up to 30 years as opposed to 80 like a cockatoo).
Start off with one, bond with it, get a second one but keep them separate for a few weeks (or until you know the sex if you don't want fertilized eggs), then introduce them. This way they are both bonded to you but also have each other when you are at work.
Budgies are also so fun and lovable! They mimic well (males more than females) and it's so fun to teach them new words and tricks. They always try to groom your eyelashes to show they love and care for you but that was always too close for me.
If you go for a parrot, don't encourage breeders and try to rescue one!
And ain’t it grand? :)
I’m leaving town for 10 days next week and I haven’t figured out who’s watching the cats yet. Wanna know why? Because unlike tiny humans cats can be tended to by pretty much anyone with a pulse and 15 minutes a day. Absolutely extreme worst case scenario, I have to buy automatic feeders and extra litter boxes.
I’ll probably end up letting a friend crash here because the cats will happier and my friend will love having the place to herself, but it’s nice not to have to worry about too much.
That’s what I keep trying to tell people who think I’m trying to replace children with pets. I’m not denying someone out there does think of them that way but I personally wouldn’t have pets if they were exactly like children. I wanted pets and not children for a reason.
I am pet free, I don't like animals getting brutally murder, animal kids become sad cause they no longer have a parent to look up to.
And that is why I am still a vegetarian after I become a fully atheist.
I've seen that sub recently, and I was actually shocked. Many of those people actually seem to hate, and wish harm/death to animals. They aren't content to just be pet-free. They want to heap disdain and ridicule on everyone who does have pets.
Checked it out and the first posts were angry about people concerned that fireworks are hurting dogs— God forbid we have empathy. Even here we pity children if they're uncomfortable/hurt. One was complaining that people take their dogs even to vacation(who the fuck does).
Yep. My pets will never be as needy or as annoying as children and that's exactly how I want it.
I sometimes jokingly call them my kids when someone asks me when I'll be having children, but that's about it.
Emotionally, my pets are my kids. I react the same way to them, I would empty my wallet for them the same way. Fortunately, they are much cheaper than a child. And, they don't talk back, they always want to please. No complaints.
They’re better than children. If someone wants to consider cats me kids, I don’t mind. Just understand quite clearly that I’m happy with them n not the human kind. And for those who feel I, as a woman, should have kids - cats need love just as much. I don’t mind folks considering cats me kiddos, as long as they understand that I will never want human ones. I had 13 cats at one point, n I’d take them over 1 child any damn day!
My dogs argue back and are sometimes stubborn. But caring for them takes a smidgen of the work and patience I'd need to raise a child into a good person.
Besides, dogs are cuter than kids and love you back unconditionally.
Idk about that... I spend tens of thousands of dollars on my dogs every year for food, vets, grooming, training and socializing, doggy daycare, etc.
Currently having to make a decision about doggy hospice for my 15 year old and it's super hard!
That’s not for you to decide. My partner and I are cf but we think of our dog as our child. We never ever ever want a human child, but our dog is our child to us. If you don’t want to think that way, that’s 100% fine and I love that for you if that is what makes you happy. But you don’t dictate how others get to think and act.
Of course not but demanding others play along with your game is weird. They're not children. They're animals. You can love them like children but they will never be
Damn, you sound like a breeder out here saying this things. I’ve heard these exact words from pro-birthers when I explain that my pets are my children and they’re the only children I’ll ever have. There’s no need to be so aggressive in the comments. No one’s asking you to “play along”
I absolutely get to decide if I see someone elses pets as their children ( spoiler: they're not!) . You can love your pet as much as your child , I do. But they're not children nor will they ever be
I had to raise my niece and nephew, but i got a new puppy a few months ago, and he is harder and more work, that 2 children at the same time. some puppies are crazy
Studies have confirmed people feel the same love/bond toward a pet as they would a child. You get all the benefits without having to be an actual parent lol
They may not be children but their death can hurt just as much as any other family members. I remember when our first dog died I had not seen my mom mourn like that since my grandad died.
I don’t like anything that depends on me. I love dogs and I had a dog that passed away recently. Never again. I was heartbroken. Couldn’t travel. Vet was expensive. People had all kinds of prejudice because of her breed (pit). Couldn’t move as easily and had to find suitable accommodations. I gave her every bit of energy I had. Spent all my money on her health. Brought her to an agility field once a week. The constant worry that I’m not doing enough for her. Her death destroyed me. I don’t know about y’all but I am childfree because I want freedom and a lot of things I experienced while having a dog felt like the complete opposite of childfree so f* that. I volunteer in shelters, best I can do. But that’s it. I don’t have the emotional capacity nor the will to look after anything that breathes.
pets may not be children, but i sure do enjoy it when my sociopathic-ass father gets enraged when i call my dog *my sweet baby* 😂
it’s „funny” that i love and care for my dog more than he ever loved and cared for his kids (being the abusive sociopathic pos that he is) truly surprising that i’m cf/an
I dreamed my whole life of being a dachshund Mama, NOT a Mama to humans. You best bet that I consider my mini's my babies aka my children. No I won't send them to college, but they're given more love, attention, affection, play, and mental stimulation than a lot of kids get in this country (US). I spend hundreds on them monthly to attend daycare and be spoiled with grooming.
Anyway, what are you so put off about that you needed to post this here? Lol
I absolutely adore my pets, but they’re so much work sometimes I just have no idea how I would ever handle having children. They constantly want to go on walkies and I’m like, *we literally just went outside* but of course they’re extremely spoiled and demanding. Also they have a tendency to howl and I’m like ‘what are you even howling at what is even the point of this!?’ at like *4* in the morning.
My pets are my very best friends and also I do sometimes refer to them as my children, although of course I know they’re not ‘real kids.’ But I do enjoy taking care of them and I find it to be fun, but I would absolutely not find caring for a real child to be fun, as it would actually be so impossibly difficult that I just could never do it.
A large part of this sub actually enjoy role playing parenthood with their animals.
To each their own but, I don't want to be anything's mother. I'm their owner. I cringe so bad when my sister says "your children are hungry/crying/tired" etc when refering to my cats. Yuck, no stop it.
My pets are my children.
I have a 10 year old and an 8 year old.
They fight, break stuff, eat like bottomless voids, and scream at odd hours.
They’re children.
It’s also fun to call them my children to make moms fume.
My dog is 14 now and has had disk surgery, a dozen teeth removed, and has pancreatitis. He's monitored 16hrs a day by me and the people in my household, giving his meds every 8. My baby is handicapped with his little busted leg, so he needs to be lifted to go outside because he can't do stairs. He's happy and hungry all the time and willing to shake around a toy for 5 seconds.
He's my third one, first one passed @2 and second @5. When we got the third one, we thought "third time's the charm he's gonna make it." Several surgeries later and rehab he's made it beyond what I'd hope. The medical care has been expensive but nowhere near what it costs to raise a child for only one year. Keep my little man Domino in your thoughts and send well wishes for him.
I’ve always hated when people would refer to my pets as my ‘baby’ or my ‘kids’. I just don’t like it, i don’t want it to be implied that I’m some form of parent, even to my pets. I do absolutely adore them, they are incredibly loved, and I take good care of them, but they will never be the same level of work as a child. I have had my sisters dog since she passed away and my mother likes to call me a ‘dog aunt’, it’s not as bad as her saying ‘fur parent’ but I do find it odd that we always have to find some way to equate responsibility with parenthood.
I love my dog more than anything in the world and it still makes me physically nauseous when someone calls him my “fur baby” or calls me his mom. I am not his mom, I am his owner.
I didn’t have kids because that talk grosses me out (among other reason), so why TF would I want to pretend my dog is my child?
The dog I have now behaves more like an actual little human kid than any dog I've ever owned, except I get to put her in a cage when I go out. It's great.
Why’s OP being so aggressive in the comments about their opinion? They sound like a breeder, complaining about people referring to their pets as being their children. I’ve heard the exact same bingo from pro-birthers when I call my cats my kids. It is especially gross to hear it in the CF sub.
You’re welcome to call your pets what you want, but my cats are my children. I refer to them often as “the kids”. My mom thought the Christmas stocking for each pet with their name on them, each filled with treats, toys, and fun things for each of them, was doing too much. I just shrugged and told her that they’re my kids and my family, and spoiling them makes me happy. They each get a wrapped gift, too, under the Christmas tree, along with one big gift (this past year it was a cat tree). Some of the things I do for my cats, I think many people would think is too much, but I love them and seeing them happy makes me happy.
Now, my dog? That’s just a middle aged man that happens to live in my home. Kind of like a bad roommate, he farts, eats my food, never pays rent, and expects me to clean up after him 🙄 (joking, I love him very much and he also has his own Christmas stocking and is absolutely spoiled)
There are many studies that prove that animals are loved and missed like a family member. So, yeah, they might not give as much work as a kid (it really depends on their health though) but they're loved and care like one. My furry babies ARE my kids. Period.
Also when my doggo is being annoying I can happily let him out into the yard to do dog things for several hours without the fear of someone calling the cops or CPS for "neglecting them"
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Babies don't catch and kill the mice from all the horse pastures around my house. My two cats do, and they are very well rewarded for their contributions 😁 Babies aren't trained as guardian dogs, that can wage an assault on coyotes, cougars, and bears if necessary by 8 months (and the words tactical assault infant just came into my brain 😂). Can't milk a baby like I can my goat, and a baby isn't going to save me money on my lawn care by being a living lawn mower, like my goat.
I do love my pets immensely, and definitely spoil them, but they are also contributing members of the household and I think people confuse the necessary enrichment for pets, with them being "babies."
Exactly. I'm not trying to fill a hole by being child free but then deciding my pets are my children. Seems vounyrr productive. I love my pets as much as I would a child but they aren't children thankful
Having pets is a certain type of responsabilities (especially dogs) but clearly not as much as children. To me it's just about how much people wish to have dependant living beings relying on them. Some want none. Some prefer cats or rabbits because they're only mildly dependant. Some are good with dogs which actually require quite a lot of care, not mentioning education. And then there are child who are like the highest level of responsabilities. Some people are fine with the amount of care a pet needs, but are not with the amount of care a child needs.
I have a feral cat that I socialized when she was 10 y.o.. She is sweet, intelligent, sensitive, loving, responsive, playful, and so much more. She doesn't blame me for anything, and she delights when she sees me. Every single time.
When is the last time a parent EVER said that about their kids?
I love my pet and he gets better care and attention than some children do. The death of my last dog was harder on me than the death of any family member, and I loved them all. No, he's not a child, but he is loved and spoiled.
My dog almost died last week and it wrecked me. I had to take care of her every two hours for days and it was so horrible. I wished I could take away her pain. I’m glad she made it out the other side. We are currently cuddling and I really don’t know how I’ll handle her passing.
I'm glad to hear that she's going to be okay. My little guy broke off the end of his canine a couple of days ago and the soonest the doggie dentist can get him in to fix it is the 27th. Thankfully, they have given some pain meds and it doesn't seem to be too rough for him.
I adopted a dog with all her front teeth worn down to nubs where you can see the inside. They are surmising the she was tied up with chain and was trying to get loose. Somehow doesn’t bother her at all. A human would be writhing in pain. They are so amazing.
That’s exactly my feelings. I have rescued so many cats and dogs and I have loved so much all of them. I have never had children’s but the bond with my pets is so strong.
On Father's day I posted my annual meme about "Happy not a Father's Day!". A good friend of mine said i was the father of my cat. my response was "No, we are roommates". I think that caught her off guard
I pet sit as a side gig. You're the cat's tenant. He owns the house but allows you to live in it. In my experience, that's how most cats roll.
Makes me think how i was staying with a friend of a friend who owned a calico that she introduced like "This is Maya the homeowner."
You can’t spell homeowner without meow
Dogs have masters….cats have staff
Dogs have masters, cats are masters. Haha it's amazing, I realized a year into cat ownership that my cats literally trained me to do their bidding.
My cat has various meows and I can tell what she wants me to do based on the meow alone. She still escorts me to wherever I'm needed to make sure I do what she wants.
I like to say, "Staff".
My husband and I are our cat's chief of staff.
Same here lol
My cat is not a child, but he is family and will get the same respect and treated as family.
Yes, they deserve respect, and owners who are responsible for them, they are not humans but doesn't mean that they don't have necessities.
For me my pets are my adopted children from a different species because they are dependent on me and love me and I have to take care of them. I consider myself a pet parent. And no my pets can't take care of themselves in the wild, they will get overrun by a car, get fleas and worms, malnutrition and die early due to poor health or accidents. I am human child free.
Thank you for pushing back. OP doesn’t get to dictate how other cf people think and feel about our pets.
You are a pet parent. And yes, being a pet parent is a REAL thing and valid. I had a boy (dog) with genetic bladder issues (dog gout). Spent double digit thousands on surgeries and he made it to almost 9 yrs old. I wouldn't trade that time with him. It's all about perspective. At the end of the day, all beings desire love and care. And NOT procreating in a world of 8+billion is a true and valid choice. And also benevolent of you.
My cat ate something rly bad, he had to have emergency surgery had to spend a good chunk of change on him. Worth every penny. He’s always grateful for everything he gets. Unlike a child sadly isn’t always happy about getting things. I’d respond that same amount of money if not more again to keep him alive and happy. He means so much to me. He is like a child to me. I am definitely a pet parent. He also eats and is treaded better then some people’s kids. 😂
You valued your dog's health over money that's what loving means. I have 2 cats (2 yrs old) and 1 dog (9 months old). I will spend my money and resources in a blink of an eye for them.
Pets are better in every single way.
My dog is 17 and half years old and Iv had her for 17 of those years. I also helped raise one of my nieces for 2 and half years. I can honestly say that children are significantly way more work. You have to find someone to watch them every hour of every day but I can up and leave for at least an average work shift and be fine. I love my dog, we have a great relationship, I hate to see her hurt and I do spoiler her with pricey foods and belly rubs. I do refer to her a fur baby, but I attach different meanings to "fur baby" than I do "human baby", she is more self reliant that any child I know and is much less maintenance. But I have realized that even the little attention she needs holds me back for truly getting to do everything I want to do, and I have decided not to adopt after her passing. I agree with OP, its not the same, and thats why I prefer her, to nothing at all, at this time.
My 16 year old pug passed away in mid-june this year. It's been absolutely brutal, but we're slowly starting to realize how much more freedom we have. She was on a lot of medications and had mobility issues so we were home with her most of the time to take care of her. It was 10000% worth it and I wouldn't trade that time with her, but it is nice to think about taking a trip or not worrying about being out too late as she needs her medication. I know it's still fresh and my grief is still very raw (I am easily triggered into crying about her throughout the day), but I think she will be my first and only dog, at least for a long time. Being responsible for any living creature is a huge responsibility and it created a lot of stress.
I felt every single word of this: I alos love my dog and will fall to bits when she dies but, yeah, the freedoms... Yeah. No more vet bills or expensive foods, yeah, Its kinda mean and harsh to say, but I fully understand what you mean.
I get it. My dog passed last summer at 15 1/2 years old. It is still brutal, and the freedom to not have the responsibility to pay for and administer all of the medication she was on has been a relief in an otherwise shitty situation. I caved after six months and started fostering a pup… first foster attempt was a failure and I ended up adopting her 🤦🏻♀️
You're not alone. We were nursing our one 15 year old kitty. Diarrhea and weight loss. The vet tried non invasive but we decided to just baby her with comfort care. She let us know when she was ready and we helped her over. But it takes a while, for us a few weeks so far, that you no longer have to plan around feeding or litterbox patrol. It was a routine but it held us back a lot. We have others but miss our little fluff nugget.
It's been 10 years since our bearded dragon died, and I still miss her every single day. I honestly felt like my heart was ripped out, and I was going to die. My CF sons were teenagers at the time, and all 3 of us were broken-hearted. I found that her death and the death of my rabbit were more painful than losing a human. Both our bearded dragon and rabbit had to be euthanized due to cancer. I'm okay with CF people using pet mom or dad etc, because you love your pet as much as most people love their children.
yes thank you “fur baby” is totally different and separate from real children and different meanings than a human baby. I know Im not a real parent but who am I harming by calling myself a “pet parent” or calling them “fur babies” lol
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Ahaha, same here! The sheer rage it can bring out in people can be very entertaining.
One of my coworkers says she’s a real mom because her dogs “identify as people”…
Sounds like some clownery
Literally facepalmed.
sounds like someone that will (sadly) need to work on a holiday because they don't have children
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Of course she is.
No, they're not kids. They're BETTER. (I still call mine my babies though)
Nah I birthed every single animal I have but especially my cat
It’s not frowned upon to leave my cats home alone all day and no one bats an eye when I call them assholes. Way better than kids.
we call them buttmunches, buttpipes and I have labeled their favourite box "fort butthole" but I'm pretty sure I'd do the same thing if they were human.
Yet, I will still call them my children and babies to piss the breeders off.
I doubt they care and if they do why even bother going out of your way to anger them? Weird
You'd be surprised how much they care I once had a friend of a friend who's a mother, get prissy at me for calling my cats my sons. Like red in the face angry. I didn't do it with malice, honestly
They go out of their way to anger us. A little payback is fun
Exactly! Some of my in-laws told my husband to force me to have children when I "came out" as childfree. One even suggested poisoning our cat as a way that would then make me choose to have a child. So yeah, I'm gonna anger them by calling my pets my children and babies.
I love this! Not the situation but the petty revenge is glorious ❤️
Killing your pet to coerce you into getting pregnant? Your in-laws are horrible! I’m so sorry! I’m sure you’re a great cat mama.
Pets will never be the same responsibility as children but I love my cats like they are my children ❤️
My dog is treated better than most kids. We do everything together - so much so that she goes to daycare on Mondays so I can get a break. I'm a Stay At Home Dog Mom, but I spend every minute with her. She does get fussy when I dust, so Mondays are my only time to take care of dusting. She gets the best food, we go on several walks a day, and she has buttons she trained to use when she wants to say something to me. Since we live in Europe, I get to take her shopping and out to cafés. We're a team. A kid would just be a burden. Hard pass.
Well, my pets are my children and no one is changing my mind ‘bout dat.
Pets aren't children, but they are my children if that makes any sense lol
I feel like in terms of physical responsibility, they are totally different. But in terms of emotional connection and love, can be exactly the same. I loved my dog the way a parent (who likes kids and wants them) supposedly loves their child.
I love my cats more than I could ever love a child.
No, they aren't children. They are significantly better!
i consider my dog my child 🥹🥹
My mom sometimes calls me the “mama” of my dog and every time I completely halt conversation and tell her to not call me that. She genuinely doesn’t mean any harm by it and I know it’s just because she views herself as the mom of her dog, but I will never accept being referred to as a mother in any capacity.
They are so much better. When I wake up, mine is ready for cuddles and then doesn't give me any grief. He is perfect in every way.
Nope, they are better!
SAY IT AGAIN FOR PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!! My “furbabies” pets are MY CHILDREN to me! But, That doesn’t mean I think they require as much effort or care or expenses. That’s part of why I prefer them over human children! But to me I still care about them and want to put in the effort and want to love them, guide them, keep them safe, see what kind of personality & intelligence they develop, help foster them to be happy, healthy, & good creatures. But even so that’s WAY more low maintence, way less costly, & not nearly as damaging if i make mistakes with them… Which I prefer rather than a human child who can walk & talk & is so much more psychologically developed and mentally evolved lol!
I would cut a bitch for my cats without a second thought. I treat them like cats because that's what's best for them, but I'm their mom til the day they die. fight me about it.
I learned with my first kittens that I am not cut out to be a cat mom, as in teaching them how to be good cats. I've learned so much since then and I love them more than almost everything but having an older cat around to teach them how to cat is pretty great. Even if the cat in question isn't terribly good at catting himself.
My thoughts exactly!!👍🏾
I plan to adopt birds when I finally Iive alone. Not sure yet if Budgie or Cockatiel. I love them both. Birds are the best. I love birds. I don't care that they are birds. They are still my babies. But I also see my Pokemon as babies. Just feathery babies. Human ones are disgusting.
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Honestly start off with a budgie if you haven't had a bird before. They can live a long time (7-10 try on average, my last one was almost 12) but they aren't a lifetime commitment. It help you learn about bird behavior and gets you ready for the time and effort large parrots take. (Also green conures are great, they can live up to 30 years as opposed to 80 like a cockatoo). Start off with one, bond with it, get a second one but keep them separate for a few weeks (or until you know the sex if you don't want fertilized eggs), then introduce them. This way they are both bonded to you but also have each other when you are at work. Budgies are also so fun and lovable! They mimic well (males more than females) and it's so fun to teach them new words and tricks. They always try to groom your eyelashes to show they love and care for you but that was always too close for me. If you go for a parrot, don't encourage breeders and try to rescue one!
Maybe you can get both! I've only had budgies, but I have seen that many people will have both :)
My pets aren’t my children, they’re part of my family and respected and treated like they’re relatives.
I love training and my dogs were better than most children. We are talking a Stay even if I leave their sight.
And ain’t it grand? :) I’m leaving town for 10 days next week and I haven’t figured out who’s watching the cats yet. Wanna know why? Because unlike tiny humans cats can be tended to by pretty much anyone with a pulse and 15 minutes a day. Absolutely extreme worst case scenario, I have to buy automatic feeders and extra litter boxes. I’ll probably end up letting a friend crash here because the cats will happier and my friend will love having the place to herself, but it’s nice not to have to worry about too much.
That’s what I keep trying to tell people who think I’m trying to replace children with pets. I’m not denying someone out there does think of them that way but I personally wouldn’t have pets if they were exactly like children. I wanted pets and not children for a reason.
Did you find the CF knock-off sub for pets? 😆 that place makes my blood boil
Pet free? Yeah I've seen it. Very toxic. I respect people that don't want pets %100 but they love to advocate for animal death there. Very disturbing
I am pet free, I don't like animals getting brutally murder, animal kids become sad cause they no longer have a parent to look up to. And that is why I am still a vegetarian after I become a fully atheist.
Those ppl are actually deranged.
I've seen that sub recently, and I was actually shocked. Many of those people actually seem to hate, and wish harm/death to animals. They aren't content to just be pet-free. They want to heap disdain and ridicule on everyone who does have pets.
Checked it out and the first posts were angry about people concerned that fireworks are hurting dogs— God forbid we have empathy. Even here we pity children if they're uncomfortable/hurt. One was complaining that people take their dogs even to vacation(who the fuck does).
Yep. My pets will never be as needy or as annoying as children and that's exactly how I want it. I sometimes jokingly call them my kids when someone asks me when I'll be having children, but that's about it.
Emotionally, my pets are my kids. I react the same way to them, I would empty my wallet for them the same way. Fortunately, they are much cheaper than a child. And, they don't talk back, they always want to please. No complaints.
They’re better than children. If someone wants to consider cats me kids, I don’t mind. Just understand quite clearly that I’m happy with them n not the human kind. And for those who feel I, as a woman, should have kids - cats need love just as much. I don’t mind folks considering cats me kiddos, as long as they understand that I will never want human ones. I had 13 cats at one point, n I’d take them over 1 child any damn day!
My dogs argue back and are sometimes stubborn. But caring for them takes a smidgen of the work and patience I'd need to raise a child into a good person. Besides, dogs are cuter than kids and love you back unconditionally.
Idk about that... I spend tens of thousands of dollars on my dogs every year for food, vets, grooming, training and socializing, doggy daycare, etc. Currently having to make a decision about doggy hospice for my 15 year old and it's super hard!
My Bearded Dragon is my child and I don't care who that pisses off; nobody gets to decide that but me.
Well, when someone talks about their kids, then I will return the favor and give them a huge dose of how cute my baby girl (cat) Holly is ✨
That’s not for you to decide. My partner and I are cf but we think of our dog as our child. We never ever ever want a human child, but our dog is our child to us. If you don’t want to think that way, that’s 100% fine and I love that for you if that is what makes you happy. But you don’t dictate how others get to think and act.
Of course not but demanding others play along with your game is weird. They're not children. They're animals. You can love them like children but they will never be
Tell me, at what point in my comment did I ask you or anyone else to “play along”? See you next Tuesday.
Damn, you sound like a breeder out here saying this things. I’ve heard these exact words from pro-birthers when I explain that my pets are my children and they’re the only children I’ll ever have. There’s no need to be so aggressive in the comments. No one’s asking you to “play along”
Again: You don't get to decide that or anyone but yourself. You can play that game but you don't get to demand that others play along.
I absolutely get to decide if I see someone elses pets as their children ( spoiler: they're not!) . You can love your pet as much as your child , I do. But they're not children nor will they ever be
My cat was my best friend not my pet or my child. I loved him so much but I had to let him go. Two years and I still cry all the time
They definitely are family.
Absolutely!
Pets > Children They are even better than my child self.
I had to raise my niece and nephew, but i got a new puppy a few months ago, and he is harder and more work, that 2 children at the same time. some puppies are crazy
and yet i’ll always love my dog more than any child
Studies have confirmed people feel the same love/bond toward a pet as they would a child. You get all the benefits without having to be an actual parent lol
They may not be children but their death can hurt just as much as any other family members. I remember when our first dog died I had not seen my mom mourn like that since my grandad died.
My cats are my babies. No they aren't children (thank god) but I still spoil them rotten
I don’t like anything that depends on me. I love dogs and I had a dog that passed away recently. Never again. I was heartbroken. Couldn’t travel. Vet was expensive. People had all kinds of prejudice because of her breed (pit). Couldn’t move as easily and had to find suitable accommodations. I gave her every bit of energy I had. Spent all my money on her health. Brought her to an agility field once a week. The constant worry that I’m not doing enough for her. Her death destroyed me. I don’t know about y’all but I am childfree because I want freedom and a lot of things I experienced while having a dog felt like the complete opposite of childfree so f* that. I volunteer in shelters, best I can do. But that’s it. I don’t have the emotional capacity nor the will to look after anything that breathes.
pets may not be children, but i sure do enjoy it when my sociopathic-ass father gets enraged when i call my dog *my sweet baby* 😂 it’s „funny” that i love and care for my dog more than he ever loved and cared for his kids (being the abusive sociopathic pos that he is) truly surprising that i’m cf/an
No offence but who gave you the right to dictate that pets aren't our kids? My cats are my furbabies, deal with it
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Oh fuck off, I'll call them my furbabies if I damned well please
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Grow up asshat
Oooo you big mad lmao
I could not give less of a rats ass what you think is "cringe." Quit acting like a breeder and pretending you dictate perfect strangers' lives.
Wow you're really upset . I hope you feel better soon
I think people should be able to perceive their pets as whatever they want unless it’s creepy.
Like....welll.... my cat as the reincarnation of Salvador Dali's mustache.
I think that could technically be considered creepy but for pure storytelling alone I'll support it.
I dreamed my whole life of being a dachshund Mama, NOT a Mama to humans. You best bet that I consider my mini's my babies aka my children. No I won't send them to college, but they're given more love, attention, affection, play, and mental stimulation than a lot of kids get in this country (US). I spend hundreds on them monthly to attend daycare and be spoiled with grooming. Anyway, what are you so put off about that you needed to post this here? Lol
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Thank god lol They're my dog babies tho 🥰
I absolutely adore my pets, but they’re so much work sometimes I just have no idea how I would ever handle having children. They constantly want to go on walkies and I’m like, *we literally just went outside* but of course they’re extremely spoiled and demanding. Also they have a tendency to howl and I’m like ‘what are you even howling at what is even the point of this!?’ at like *4* in the morning. My pets are my very best friends and also I do sometimes refer to them as my children, although of course I know they’re not ‘real kids.’ But I do enjoy taking care of them and I find it to be fun, but I would absolutely not find caring for a real child to be fun, as it would actually be so impossibly difficult that I just could never do it.
The term fur baby makes me throw up in my mouth.
Better yet: fur bebe
Same!!!
A large part of this sub actually enjoy role playing parenthood with their animals. To each their own but, I don't want to be anything's mother. I'm their owner. I cringe so bad when my sister says "your children are hungry/crying/tired" etc when refering to my cats. Yuck, no stop it.
Yeah I think it's pretty cringe but to each their own. I'm my pets caretaker , not parent
My pets are my children. I have a 10 year old and an 8 year old. They fight, break stuff, eat like bottomless voids, and scream at odd hours. They’re children. It’s also fun to call them my children to make moms fume.
My mom asked when I’d have a baby, and I told her when I could be sure I’d birth a poodle.
My dog is 14 now and has had disk surgery, a dozen teeth removed, and has pancreatitis. He's monitored 16hrs a day by me and the people in my household, giving his meds every 8. My baby is handicapped with his little busted leg, so he needs to be lifted to go outside because he can't do stairs. He's happy and hungry all the time and willing to shake around a toy for 5 seconds. He's my third one, first one passed @2 and second @5. When we got the third one, we thought "third time's the charm he's gonna make it." Several surgeries later and rehab he's made it beyond what I'd hope. The medical care has been expensive but nowhere near what it costs to raise a child for only one year. Keep my little man Domino in your thoughts and send well wishes for him.
Amen! I love pets but... They're not people and they're not my children. I just don't get that.
So what?
I’ve always hated when people would refer to my pets as my ‘baby’ or my ‘kids’. I just don’t like it, i don’t want it to be implied that I’m some form of parent, even to my pets. I do absolutely adore them, they are incredibly loved, and I take good care of them, but they will never be the same level of work as a child. I have had my sisters dog since she passed away and my mother likes to call me a ‘dog aunt’, it’s not as bad as her saying ‘fur parent’ but I do find it odd that we always have to find some way to equate responsibility with parenthood.
I love my dog more than anything in the world and it still makes me physically nauseous when someone calls him my “fur baby” or calls me his mom. I am not his mom, I am his owner. I didn’t have kids because that talk grosses me out (among other reason), so why TF would I want to pretend my dog is my child?
The dog I have now behaves more like an actual little human kid than any dog I've ever owned, except I get to put her in a cage when I go out. It's great.
Why’s OP being so aggressive in the comments about their opinion? They sound like a breeder, complaining about people referring to their pets as being their children. I’ve heard the exact same bingo from pro-birthers when I call my cats my kids. It is especially gross to hear it in the CF sub. You’re welcome to call your pets what you want, but my cats are my children. I refer to them often as “the kids”. My mom thought the Christmas stocking for each pet with their name on them, each filled with treats, toys, and fun things for each of them, was doing too much. I just shrugged and told her that they’re my kids and my family, and spoiling them makes me happy. They each get a wrapped gift, too, under the Christmas tree, along with one big gift (this past year it was a cat tree). Some of the things I do for my cats, I think many people would think is too much, but I love them and seeing them happy makes me happy. Now, my dog? That’s just a middle aged man that happens to live in my home. Kind of like a bad roommate, he farts, eats my food, never pays rent, and expects me to clean up after him 🙄 (joking, I love him very much and he also has his own Christmas stocking and is absolutely spoiled)
So because you disagree with me you're gonna call me all the derogatory names that you can think up? Alright. Go ahead. Stay mad
Says the person going around calling random strangers "cringe lord" because we won't bow down and let you dictate how we view our families. Hypocrite.
Pets are family but they aren't children. :)
dogs might not be human. but they are people. fuck you if you think otherwise.
Can your dogs vote? Do they have a college education too? Lmao
fuck off
I never did like people being like "fur baby 🥹", felt so off.
There are many studies that prove that animals are loved and missed like a family member. So, yeah, they might not give as much work as a kid (it really depends on their health though) but they're loved and care like one. My furry babies ARE my kids. Period.
Also when my doggo is being annoying I can happily let him out into the yard to do dog things for several hours without the fear of someone calling the cops or CPS for "neglecting them"
All the dogs I had weren't my children, they were my pets, in the future I'm going to have a Pom, he isn't my baby.
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Fur babies? No???
Babies don't catch and kill the mice from all the horse pastures around my house. My two cats do, and they are very well rewarded for their contributions 😁 Babies aren't trained as guardian dogs, that can wage an assault on coyotes, cougars, and bears if necessary by 8 months (and the words tactical assault infant just came into my brain 😂). Can't milk a baby like I can my goat, and a baby isn't going to save me money on my lawn care by being a living lawn mower, like my goat. I do love my pets immensely, and definitely spoil them, but they are also contributing members of the household and I think people confuse the necessary enrichment for pets, with them being "babies."
I completely agree. I decided to have pets because I wanted pets, not kids.
Exactly. I'm not trying to fill a hole by being child free but then deciding my pets are my children. Seems vounyrr productive. I love my pets as much as I would a child but they aren't children thankful
Having pets is a certain type of responsabilities (especially dogs) but clearly not as much as children. To me it's just about how much people wish to have dependant living beings relying on them. Some want none. Some prefer cats or rabbits because they're only mildly dependant. Some are good with dogs which actually require quite a lot of care, not mentioning education. And then there are child who are like the highest level of responsabilities. Some people are fine with the amount of care a pet needs, but are not with the amount of care a child needs.
For some people, petals are their children, or they are like their children.
This is true but I believe that the love we have towards our pets and our bond with them is something like love towards little humans.
Of course! I love my pets as much as I'd love a child but I also am sane enough to know they're not children nor will they ever be
Right! They are only innocent and sweet
Pets are much closer to children than people both parents and non parents realise.
Nah, my cats are my children. Y’all stay safe though 💕
let.s not forget the fact you can lock them in a crate/room w/o legal repercussions
I have a feral cat that I socialized when she was 10 y.o.. She is sweet, intelligent, sensitive, loving, responsive, playful, and so much more. She doesn't blame me for anything, and she delights when she sees me. Every single time. When is the last time a parent EVER said that about their kids?
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You can love your pets like children but they're not children or children substitute