What different pets have you had in your lifetime ?

Cats and dogs, always found us, rather than us found them. They chose us too. And chickens too.

Currently a cat and a tortoise. Previously a dog, pigeons, white doves, a budgie, other cats - and a hamster when I was a child. Also sea monkeys!!!

Aren’t they so lovely, though, all of them a? 💕 💕

Just in the last few months every time I call the cats in a couple of ravens come, too. Right up to the back door. I’m thinking of naming them , Corby and Corbette? I forgot the tropicals and the goldfish, too. The tropicals were a lot of work but the guppies seemed to live forever.

I forgot the tropical fish and the cockatiel. How could I have done that. I loved that bird.

As a child we had a cat.
Our children had a hamster and guinea pigs. We had a toy poodle, two parson Russell terriers and now we have our daughter's cat. He was supposed to be a temporary guest until she could find someone to rehome him (he kept running away from her house). He seems settled here now.

I currently have guinea pigs, fish, a hamster and birds. When I lived in a house I had cats, dogs and rabbits (as well not instead).
Having pets is hard work but you get used to having them as part of your life. Every time, I go out, I pick a few dandelion leaves for them. It just becomes habit.

Over many years I've had dogs, cats, coldwater fish, birds, various rodents. I even had a ''pet'' crane fly about 20 years ago!

At the moment we have 1 female tabby cat that we rescued from the streets November 2022 and 5 coldwater fish!

As a child I had cats, dogs, a hamster, a pale blue budgie, several goldfish (often won at the fair) and a few large white hens at the bottom of the garden, I remember being sent down to collect the large white eggs.

During our married life we had three cats, four dogs, several rabbits & Guinea pigs, mice, lovebirds & goldfish. We had two cats and two dogs at the same time and they would all curl up on the rug together in front of the fire. I just have one wonderful dog now but have many happy memories of all our pets, especially the cats & dogs.

We seemed to collect animals when I was small. I remember my very first kitten coming home from the RSPCA curled up in my school beret on the back seat of the car.
Then we collected a budgie or two from various relatives and a whole shed full of rabbits at one stage.

My Gparents lived in the country with dogs, goats chickens galore and a wonderful flock of guard geese. They had a pony for all their Gchn to share too.

Then we moved so the cat came with us, the rabbits went to a colleague of my Dad's and I was allowed my first dog when I was thirteen. We collected some sticklebacks around then too!

Once I moved to my own home we got a cat and then guinea pigs when our children were small. However we discovered that DD is allergic to both fur and feathers - they bring on asthma attacks - so animals weren't replaced when they died. We haven't had any pets for a long time now.

I did think that when I retired I would get another dog - carefully selected to avoid the asthma trigger of course - but OH says 'no'. I'm bitterly disappointed but a pet in the home has to be a whole-household choice, so there we are. And, no, walking someone else's dog just is not the same at all.

Cats, dogs, rabbits, mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, lemmings, goats, goldfish and a shetland pony.

and Guinea pigs. Forgot the Guinea pigs!

Cats and dogs always plus hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, terrapins and tortoises, stick insects, goldfish, budgies, a duck, ponies.
I never said No to any pet my children wanted, also worked for a vet and brought the strays home. I never want to live without at least a moggy purring on my lap.

Children had hamster, gerbil, budgie, goldfish, which the cat ate, an untrainable dog. Oh and a rabbit.
Am happy to say, done my bit now very happy to be pet free.

Hamsters, a cat, a dog, when I was a child

With my own children - gerbils, rats, Axolotls
Had animals for my GC - rabbits, gerbils, fish,

Always had cats, for 40-odd years. No pets at all now - last cat died a year ago.

Numerous dogs, 1 cat, terrapins, white mice (briefly), horses, a cockatiel, guinea pig, several goldfish.

Cats, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, stick insects, ferrets, cockatiel, African grey parrots, tortoises and dogs! Dog lovers at heart though, we just have one pet now, a Maltipoo .

Crikey, hope I can remember.

A cat, afghan hound and black lab when I was young. Together with sticklebacks and toddler's from the Brook. A group iof we children were adopted by a hand reared lamb that followed us about all summer.

After DH and I got married, we had cats, an afghan, a beagle, a spaniel, 2 basset hounds and 2 miniature Schnauzers. Along with a gerbil, a rabbit, 2 budgies, 2 tortoises and fish in tanks and in ponds.

Now we have 3 cats.

As a child we had dogs, when my children were young we had a cat (disappeared), rabbit, guinea pigs and a hamster. Then my son when he was older kept a tarantula, gecko’s and bearded dragons, nothing since he left home quite a few years ago.

As part of my de cluttering I went through the box that contained everything about my pony who was pts with colic many years ago. She was going to be pts that autumn anyway as we couldn't keep condition on her. I just found myself crying my heart out. I’m still feeling very raw even though I rarely think of her these days.

Always cats 🐱 and later on children had 2 goldfish and a hamster which they looked after. As a teenager Dd suddenly developed a cat allergy so no more cats 🐈

I have had mice, a hand reared blackbird, dogs, cats and goldfish. Curently have two very self opinionated Siamese.
JaffaCake you reminded me that when I was 8 I had a tank of Greater Crested Newts (when they were far more plentiful) in my bedroom. They were escape artists, and when we were having the house rewired, my mother heard a startled shriek from one of the electricians. He had taken up a floorboard and found a newt staring up at him from underneath. When I came back from school the tank was empty, they had gone to a local pond, my mother had had enough.

We always had a cat when I was growing up. As an adult I bought small pets for my children but tbh I appear to be the kiss of death for small creatures.

Anthony and Cleopatra, our goldfish, died horrendously. Yorkshire Water had flushed out the pipes but I didn't know. I put them in a small bowl whilst I cleaned their fish tank. As they swam around in the clean water I noticed that they were changing colour and the water seemed to be thickening. The poor fish were disintegrating in the water. I rushed them to the vet and he put them to sleep by putting anaesthetic in the water.

Goldie the hamster seemed to die of old age but actually had gone into hibernation. I carefully wrapped him in newspaper and put him in the dustbin. The next day there was lots of shredded newspaper in the bin but no hamster.

Romeo and Juliet (both female) were our gerbils. They lived happily at first but one morning we awoke to find that Juliet had been mauled to death and half eaten by Romeo. Romeo had gone insane and become a cannibal. She was vicious beyond her size and would thrown herself at the side of the cage to try to get out/get to us. She lived for about another six months going more and more insane. She would attack me every time I tried to clean out her cage or feed her. I would have to trap her so that I could clean or feed her without getting mauled.

Bluey the budgie had a terrible accident. Bluey was a bit odd. He loved to swing round and round on his perch like a gymnast on a high bar. One day, after I'd cleaned the cage, I must have put the perch lower than usual. Bluey started to swing, smashed into the bottom of the cage and broke his neck.

After that we decided that we wouldn't condemn any more animals and stopped buying pets. But one day, a tiny kitten appeared on our doorstep. Well what could I do? I took him in and advertised. No one claimed him so we named him Spike and kept him. He was a joy to have and didn't die horribly. He was my comfort and ally when things got really bad with my ex. My ex would lay down rules about what the cat could and couldn't do. The main was that he couldn't lay on the sofa or even sit on my knee if I was sitting on the sofa. In the evening my ex would go to his room and settle quite early. The cat and I would hear this. Once we were sure my ex had settled, Spike would jump onto the sofa and cuddle up to me. If it sounded as if my ex was moving about, Spike would immediately jump down and go back to his bed. Then when we were sure it was all clear, Spike would come back to the sofa. Sadly, I had to leave Spike behind when I escaped. Oddly (or not) my ex's attitude to Spike changed when I escaped. He'd obviously been using Spike as another way to control me. Spike lived another 5 years or so before dying of old age.

We had a household of different animals when I was a child. My brothers and I caught newts and frogs from the streams and brought them back to live in tanks. As they were amphibians they all climbed out and ended up in my grans room ,which used to be out dining room. Absolute chaos !
We had a dog,numerous cats and rabbits . Unfortunately ,unbeknownst to us children,we were given them in a rabbit stew . My mum told us they had ran away and only in latter years did I find out I had eaten Fluffy ! Times were hard.
When I had children we had guinea pigs,hamsters,cats and rabbit ,who was not eaten. I miss having an animal in the house now but was so upset when the last cat died I don't want to go through the sadness again.
Fun memories from childhood

Only a tortoise and goldfish when I was a child. Oh, and stick insects, if they count!

Since then, dogs, cats, budgies, and two terrapins inherited from friends who had to leave in a hurry when we were living abroad. One of the dogs and a budgie ditto. And one of the cats was a half dead, terribly emaciated semi-feral kitten found by dds when we were still abroad.

By some miracle she survived, at great expense we flew her home with us - (there was nobody to pass her to, at the time most of our friends were leaving) so she spent 6 months in quarantine - only to get run over 2 months after she came out. 🙁

But as I said to dds, she’d used up all her 9 lives already.