Are you a dog or a cat person? Or are you neither?

Did you have pets growing up?

Do you have pets now?

Do you think it's fundamentally benificial for children to have a pet or two growing up?

I am definitely a dog person. Although I've had both throughout my lifetime, unless the cat is indoor/outdoor... I am just not a fan. Litterboxes and their claws on everything annoy me. I do love a cats personality though, but there isn't anything about a dog that bugs me at all :) I love all animals though anyway. I've had dogs, cats, snakes, fish, birds, goats... is that all? Lol I can't always remember things from early childhood.

But I think kids who grow up without pets are a lot different in a lot of ways than kids who had one. I've grown up with animals, my mother owned a foster group, so we had tons of dogs all the time, then she became the director of our Zoo where I started working when I was old enough, and my husband is one of seven kids, and they never had a single pet. Now that they are all older, they don't understand the importance of actually taking responsibilty for a pet, like taking it to the vet -.- or grooming it -.- or making sure it gets food everyday -.-

I have a two cats and a dog. none of them are mine but we have them. I want to get a caged animal though.

I had cats growing up but I ama dog person myself. Well really both I'm happy with either pet.

I think it is beneficial to have pets at a young age and growing up because there more likely to love or at least like animals and it gives them a friend at a early age witch is also a good thing.

Sorry its out of order but I think I got the point across.

I generally prefer cats, but I'm very allergic to them so I shouldn't really have one (but both me and my bf are cat people so I can totally see us getting one...) I also like *some* dogs (and am MUCH less severely allergic to them), but I don't really want a dog because they're a lot of extra work.
I had a cat growing up, but she was an old cat and kindof hated me. :lol: a few years after she died we got another cat, who loves me when I go back home. She's really sweet and while I didn't fully take care of her (ie clean the litter box) I was the one to give her baths and feed her most of the time. :P I miss her very much (moreso than the rest of my family, lol!)
As for if it's beneficial to have a pet as a kid, I think it can be, especially for kids who are in middle or high school. Elementary kids I think in general, aren't responsible enough, or aren't mature enough to grasp the concept that they are taking care of another life. I had fish as a little girl, but even those I forgot to feed sometimes (or overfed...) without really realizing how I was hurting the fish.

Cats are alright, but I'm very much a dog person. I grew up with dogs, we have dogs now, I work at a 'Doggy Gym'.
I've had 3 Boston Terriers-two female one male (at different times), 1 Bull Mastiff-female, and now we have 1 White Boxer-female and one French Bulldog-female.

I don't think if fundamentally important, but it is nice companionship. I have friends that never had a pet growing up, and while they grew up fine, they do seem to flock towards friends with pets.

Dogs. Definintely dogs.

My mum doesn't really like cats so i've always grown up with dogs and I just love them. Cats freak me out with their clawing and tiny needle teeth. But dogs are just adorable. I worked as a dog groomer for a while and it was the most fun and rewarding job i've ever had.

I think it's nice for children to have pets, it teaches them how to look after animals and even a little responsibility, but it also gives them a kind of friend, especially if they're an only child. The only problem is when the child/children are not taught to look after the animal properly, I remember a friend of mine's mum bought a white alsatian dog for her children to play with, basically just to shut them up, and when I first saw it, it's fur was covered in coloured pen and they were just pulling on the poor thing's fur and basically abusing it.

I love both, so it's hard to choose, but I pick dogs. Some dogs look like cats anyways so it's the ssame but better cuz they're friendlier.

I'm a cat lover!

I have 2 cats at the moment. A Maine Coon and a Bengal. They're both indoor cats.

Growing up I had cats, dogs, hamsters, gerbils, and fish. I also had a sugar glider (flying squirrel)

Cats! I'm definitely a cat person more than a dog person!

It's not that I don't like dogs; it's just that I'm a rather lazy cat-like person myself. :XD

Growing up, I had a cat and a dog. Let me tell you, I spoiled my cat much more than my dog.

I'm neither, I detest animals due to my mother being obsessed with them and raising them to be spoiled little monsters.

Yes I did, horrible memories indeed.. Several trips to the hospital from dog bites, cat scratches, and then a cat going ballistic on my head ripping my scalp open and I had to have stitches for the same area on my scalp several times..... That area never healed so often I have to check to make sure the scabbing is there and not... undergoing 'infection status.'

I do, thankfully the cats are outside but I have a nasty mixed breed dog who bunks in my bedroom with me.. He's a real smart .... who shuts my computer off on me. He also has zero respect for my belongings and is spoiled as crap... I don't like this dog, not one bit. I also have a toy breed running loose in the house, I really have no issues with him other then the fact he doesn't poop where he's supposed to and sometimes it gets out of hand. Then I have a caged shitsu who has this really annoying cry she does in the middle of the morning that makes me just want to.... Better not to go there, I never do anything to her though. Then we have her son who is penned up in another room who NEVER shuts up, the dog literally barked himself to the point of losing his voice.... Finally we have a shorkey who is in her own pen and is usually well behaved but will bark herself like a mad-man if you yell at one of the other dogs.

The outside cats I prefer over all, they get rid of the mice and also do some funny shenanigans outside.... But I'm still not an animal person.

Dog person. I don't hate cats; I've just had the same dog since I was 3. I'm almost 18 and he turned 14 a few days ago but still looks like a baby and acts like one. I also have a 9-month old Italian Greyhound.

@Evil: No offense but it sounds like you have a problem going on there if they're aggressive and locked up. Not good for the people living in the house and not good for the animals to be locked up all the time. I rescued a Chinese crested that was kept in a crate all his life. The guy got "tired" of having him in his basement so he brought him into the pet store where I used to work and asked if anyone wanted him. I said yes and took him home. He was so skinny you could see his hip bones and was afraid of the grass for a while because he was in a crate all the time and never taken outside. He turned out to be the most loving dog once he got over his fear of people and other dogs. It was really sad to me that people keep animals locked up like that. I'm not saying that crate training is bad because it is a good tool to use to keep pups out of trouble and things like that but having them locked up all the time is not healthy.

Anyway, to answer the topic at hand, I'm more of a cat person. I love my kitties! I have five cats and one dog. My dog is a handful but she's like my baby since I do not have kids. My cats are also like my children and even know tricks. It keeps both me and them entertained. Cats are smart, clean, and more fun to snuggle. I also think sometimes that my cats are smarter than most dogs. XD

I love my dog but she is a lot of work. I only like some dogs since dogs tend to annoy me anyway.

I love both cats and dogs. But I dream of having a dog, either medium or big. We live in an apartment which is too small and does not allow cats and dogs though.

As a child I had a hamster I called Pee-wee. She had a litter of babies despite that my mom was told she was not pregnant. I have also had some betta fish in recent years.

I'm a dog person! :') My favourite breed of dog is a Beagle, I've always wanted one. When I move out my Beagle is going to be one of the first things that I buy. I'm going to call him Apollo.

I never had pets growing up because my mum hates animals, but my uncle had a dog and a cat (now just two cats), and my dad has had a dog and two cats for the past five years, so I did have animals in my life, just they weren't mine. D;

I don't have any pets now either, simply because I'm still living at home.

I have two cats now and have always had always had at least one cat growing up. I prefer cats. But I am not apposed to some specific breeds of dogs. Mostly small dogs or dogs that serve specific purposes.

I'm definitely a cat person! I love everything about cat.. Their personality, their cleanliness, their adorableness. I've always had cats growing up, and they're simply so smart and clean compared to most dogs. Also, cats are just so much more dignified. They do things on their terms, and don't pester you to throw balls or play with them.

When my cat was accidentally locked inside the house for two days, he went and peed on the bathroom drain rather than on our expensive persian carpets, and as soon as we got home and let him out, he ran outside and pooped. Now when something similar happened to my grandparents dogs, it went and peed and pooped everywhere in their house, and ruined a lot of their furniture. And it was even fairly well raised.

We had a dog since I was 7 or 8, but now I live alone and I have a cat,
I do love dogs but I'm more a cat person.
I had an internship at an animalshelter, and there I worked with cats, it's
where I started to like cats, now I have one myself and I'm a volunteer
at the animalshelter again ^^

I wish dogs didn't stink so bad. >':

Originally Posted by Mrs. Fluffy Elizabeth

I wish dogs didn't stink so bad. >':

It's called grooming them. :/

Originally Posted by SexualPlacebo

It's called grooming them. :/

All the dogs I ever had had a not so pleasant dog smell on them. ._.

I'm a cat person, some dogs are just mean and I feel intimidated by some of them. I have pets right now, one is a cat named Nova and my other pet is a beta fish. I haven't thought of a name for my beta fish yet since I just got him. Yes, I think it is beneficial for children to have pets while they are growing up; it helps to treat them to be more responsible.

My family used to be dog people until we got our first cat. Now we have two. Lola and Mia. They don't like me, but I still try to let them know I love them. They are the sweetest cats ever.

I am a cat person! for the same reason why i don't want kids, i don't want dogs.... they need lots of play time and attention that cats just don't need.. i love their independence and how argent they are.

For pets growing up I have had a lot... lizards, frogs, bunnies, cats, dogs, fish, ginnea pigs, hamsters, mice, snake...there might be something i forgot, but that should be just about it.

I have a fish named Paul and a cat named Little Foot. I am planning on getting more fish...

Depending on the age yes. Like I am not going to get a kid a hamster when they are three, but maybe when they are six. At three I might give them a fish. I think I teaches them how to love and take care of not only of pets, but humans and themselves...