😊❤️🥰 Pet owners/wishers NON POLITICAL POLL

sillysassysillysassy
in General

NO SHADE PLEASE.

I was recently looking at another thread and it sparked some curiosity.

(I wonder if @JohnR1972 would be able to help with real statistics instead of just FORUM POLL NUMBERS. Hmmmmm)

In the meantime….

I’m curious how many people who identify as woman, man, non-binary/gender fluid/gender non-conforming, and wind up being drawn to specific categories of animals for pets.

Let’s see if we can be kind to each other. ♥️

  1. If you own or would like to own a pet what is it/would it be?90 votes
    1. Non-binary/gender fluid/gender non-conforming and I own/want a cat
        3.33%
    2. Non-binary/gender fluid/gender non-conforming and I own/want a dog
        3.33%
    3. Non-binary/gender fluid/gender non-conforming and I own/want any other pet
        0.00%
    4. I am a woman and I own/want a cat
      10.00%
    5. I am a woman and I own/want a dog
      16.67%
    6. I am a woman and I own/want any other kind of pet
        2.22%
    7. I am a man and I own/want a cat
      21.11%
    8. I am a man and I own/want a dog
      26.67%
    9. I am a man and I own/want any other kind of pet
        2.22%
    10. I am an alien, I’m lurking, I don’t align with any of the above statements, or HERE FOR POPCORN
      14.44%
«1

Comments

  • [Deleted User]CharlesGrove (deleted user)
    edited February 2025

    Human, male, asexual.

    No interest in pets, whatsoever.

    I grew up quite poor, so we never had animals, besides chickens.

    I simply didn’t develop the knack.

    Seems like a lot of work for something that doesn’t care about you, bites you, as well as vomits, pees and poops on random stuff.

    Frankly, I have already experienced plenty of that during the end of my marriage.

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne
    edited February 2025

    I feel like all humans, regardless of how they identify sexually, what type of person they are romantically attracted to, have potential to love animas and have pets.
    (Edited wording)

  • Vocalist100Vocalist100

    Human, male, hetero (for the most part though Henry Cavill would be tempting). Always been a cat man. Like dogs as well, but never really been interested having one

  • SerenityMomentsSerenityMoments

    Human, woman, unfortunately no pets I am allergic. Love animals though! Atleast from a far🤭.

  • TheDave90TheDave90
    edited February 2025

    (Presumably) Human, Male..desperately want a Shiba.

  • msmoonmsmoon

    Queer alien here -- I don't believe in domesticating animals as pets/companions in a way that doesn't allow the animal to honor their nature. This is probably because I've met my share of "pet-collectors" along the way, and arguably, I've met quite a many "people-collectors" too.

  • JubalJubal

    I'm intrigued by this thread idea, and it would be very interesting to see the results.

  • IronicMaidenIronicMaiden

    I don't feel capable of taking care of a pet properly. I've lived with people who have cats, and I like cats. I've visited people with dogs, and I like dogs, though that's different than having to get up at 6am to take them for a walk in the snow. No birds - they hurt my ears.

  • TeddyBear4u2024TeddyBear4u2024

    Male. Dog. Golden doodle.

    Was in a LTR, step daughter was begging for a dog. They didn't really bond. I work from home, so doggo stayed with me during the day.

    Relationship ended, doggo went with me.

    As a child, my parents never wanted indoor pets. We had occasional outdoor cats and dogs. As an adult I never really wanted a pet. Didn't want to be tied down. All that to say, Teddy owns the couch and sleeps in the bed with me and I would never in a million years thought I would be that guy, but he has been a great friend and companion.

    I'm still not sure if I would get another pet down the road, I'm not fond of the boarding fees, grooming, etc. But Teddy was meant to be with me this I know.

  • KuddlyKoalaKuddlyKoala
    edited February 2025

    Men or masculine conforming individuals generally favor dogs over cats. Women or feminine conforming individuals generally also favor dogs over cats, but tend to like cats more than men or masculine conforming individuals.

    Because this is derived from social conditioning(as all opinions are), I'd assume gender-fluid, non-binary, or gender non-conforming people(which society generally view as on the feminine side, no matter how they present or what they were assigned as at birth), would have opinions aligning with women.

    Tl;dr: People like dogs better, but women generally are more favorable to cats.

  • pmvinespmvines

    @KuddlyKoala
    Try telling that to Stone Cold Steve Austin

  • [Deleted User]CharlesGrove (deleted user)

    What study are you citing as to pet preferences being social conditioning along gender spectrum?

  • Midnight01Midnight01

    :s

  • pmvinespmvines
    edited February 2025

    Hetero guy and I love both dogs and cats. I've mostly had cats due to their self sufficiency and personalities but I do have a dog as well currently. I feel a cats independence and lack of need for a pack best fits my personality

  • [Deleted User]WriterGF (deleted user)

    We have three cats, a calico who grew up with my daughter and two five year olds we still consider kittens. And anyone who thinks pets don't care for their people has never met these three.

  • msmoonmsmoon

    I think [*not based on anything other than my own people watching expertise] people like dogs "better" because dogs can be tools. Where as cats...welp...cats gonna do whatever cats wanna do and that's just that. [which I think is why those who favor cats do so lol naturally] But with dogs, humans generally get more use out of them. Tools. For protection. Survival. Support. Etc. So are they more likable or just...usable ?

  • pmvinespmvines
    edited February 2025

    @msmoon
    Interesting perspective. I don't completely agree, and I also realize that your opinion is influenced by your belief that people shouldn't really have domestic house pets. But I can see where some people might have underlying needs to have pets in order to control them, or use them for a purpose.

    What are your thoughts on therapy animals ?

  • msmoonmsmoon

    @pmvines I think therapy animals are great. For various reasons. I don't readily have a negative on that. Even with my personal opinion on house pets -- that's just it - my personal opinion. It's just how I operate in my world.

    Unless harm is involved, I don't put my beliefs on others as judgmental limitations. I think it's okay [great even] for people to have [own?] pets. But if suddenly there was a rule that every household had to have a pet, including mine, I'd be quite upset.

  • SoosonSooson

    5 Cats.

    My mom raised cats when I was a kid. At one point we had about 30 cats. We also had cows so they got fresh milk every morning.

  • IronicMaidenIronicMaiden

    @msmoon I used to live somewhere where it seemed like people didn't get dogs because they wanted pets, they got dogs because it was a status symbol. Neglected pets infuriate me. I think that's all I'll say on that.

  • msmoonmsmoon

    @IronLemon neglect, in general, is upsetting. It's a form of harm. Harm is horrid. So understandable.

  • GuyverGordonGuyverGordon
    edited February 2025

    What if I have both dogs and cats? (Male)

  • [Deleted User]amcuddles608 (deleted user)

    Hetero cisgender man. Love, love, LOVE dogs. Dog person all day, every day.

    But I don't know if that really correlates with my masculinity per se. I'm a cuddly person who loves cuddly, friendly dogs. I also don't mind a cuddly, friendly cat, but they seem to be the exception rather than the norm. I co-exist with cats, most of them are just fine but they seem to want to do their own thing.

  • CaramelNotesCaramelNotes
    edited February 2025

    Idk if you care if folks are cis or trans but I am a cis-gender woman and I have a kitten and a pit bull. I couldn't vote because I have both and it only allows you to pick one.

  • AlyLaurenAlyLauren

    I am a cishet woman and I currently have a dog. But Flower is a special dog. She sleeps in later than I do and never wakes me up early. She loves everyone and has a calm, friendly disposition that makes her incredibly easy. Flower finds smiles and laughter reinforcing for training (which sometimes unintentionally trains her to repeat funny behavior). I don't know if I would have as much fun with other dogs. She's very low maintenance and comes to work with me to help disabled children with no formal therapy dog training.

    Before I had her, I was an exotic pet girl. I still have a snake (who is also bizarrely social and friendly and hangs out with kids). I have had so many fish and exotics that I owned an exotic pet store for a while.

    Right now most of my tendency to raise things is in plants instead of aquariums. 😂

    Picture of Flower for everyone's mental health.

  • CuddleHugs01234CuddleHugs01234
    edited February 2025

    I am a woman and I chose other pets, but I also have a cat. Mine are cat, guinea pig, and two finches. 🐱 🐹 🐦 🐦

    @CharlesGrove you are exactly right about the pee. My guinea pig loves to run around in the living room, but unfortunately she lets loose anywhere. The poop is just a pellet, but I’m constantly cleaning up after her. She’s precious though and wouldn’t think of getting rid of her.

  • [Deleted User]amcuddles608 (deleted user)

    @AlyLauren Thank you for sharing! That boosted my mental health for sure. Flower is a cutie.

  • sillysassysillysassy

    This was such an interesting story about human connection with animals and some unexpected happenings!
    Its been fun looking at everyone's response.... Thank you so much for participating. When you have more than one pet, I suppose choosing the one that brought you initial joy or the most relatable.

    There could have been a LOT more questions in the poll of course but its still pretty interesting!!

    Robin Williams once brought laughter back to a grieving gorilla who had been mourning the loss of his friend for six months. This remarkable story began when American ethologists taught a gorilla named Koko to communicate with humans using sign language. Koko was exceptionally intelligent, but he was going through a deeply difficult period, to the point where biologists feared he might be suffering from severe melancholy.
    The researchers wanted to help Koko by finding him a new companion while also studying how he interacted with humans. Since Koko had learned sign language and could communicate with our species, he was the perfect subject to explore whether there were true cognitive boundaries between humans and gorillas. To assist, they reached out to Robin Williams, the renowned comedian, and asked if he would spend time with Koko, interacting with him naturally, as if he were simply a person in need of comfort.
    Williams agreed, though he had reservations. He wasn’t an expert on primates and worried he might be too awkward to connect with the gorilla. However, when he met Koko, Williams had an unexpected revelation. By letting the gorilla approach him at his own pace, Williams realized that interacting with Koko felt like engaging with a curious child. Gradually, Koko grew more interested in his visitor, even becoming fascinated by Williams’ glasses, which he referred to as "strange glass eyes."
    Soon, Koko began communicating with Williams through sign language, suggesting games and asking surprisingly insightful questions that left the actor stunned. Within minutes, the two were joking, tickling each other, playing, and sharing stories from their lives. The researchers were amazed and asked Koko to describe Williams in one word. The gorilla chose the term "friend."
    Williams was deeply moved by the encounter, especially when he learned that he had managed to make a gorilla laugh who was on the brink of depression due to loneliness. Inspired, he decided to visit Koko whenever possible and even filmed public service announcements with him, advocating for species conservation and against animal experimentation.
    The bond between Koko and Williams was so profound that it endured even after the actor’s death in 2014. When Koko learned of Williams’ passing, he asked his instructors if he could cry and spent days in quiet reflection, his lips trembling with grief. The gorilla was inconsolable, knowing he would never see his friend again.
    Koko passed away four years later, in 2018, at the age of 46. Today, he is remembered as one of the most significant primates in the history of scientific research, a testament to the extraordinary connections that can exist between species.

  • CuddleHugs01234CuddleHugs01234

    Too bad Koko couldn’t give Robin a hug when he needed it the most. :(

  • Katelyn_BKatelyn_B
    edited February 2025

    I like animals in general and have had many different kinds of pets beyond cats and dogs growing up. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve adventures and outings on my grandparents' farm with their german shepherd.

    As an adult I have had mostly cats because I used to be away from home a lot for work and couldn't bring a dog with me. I like dogs and cats both, but cats are a better fit for my lifestyle.

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