Expired pets....I don't get it!

uck51js9zml2yt · 02-02-2018 07:01PM #1

We had 2 hamsters. I got one of them euthanised last night.
The saddest part was handing over €55 for its death and disposal.

The alternative was stick it in a box outside at night....but I'm not that heartless.

But I just don't get the attachment people have to their pets and the apparent loss they feel at their departure.

Over the years we've had cats and dogs. Some have died naturally, others were brought to the vet in their old age but I just considered them animals and not siblings etc as some do.

What am I missing here? Why the utter despair at the loss of an animal?

I just don't get it!

Koolhanger · 02-02-2018 07:04PM

Then you never will.

Raging_Ninja · 02-02-2018 07:07PM

Depends on the pet. Our dog sniffed out my mother's cancer. We quite literally owed him her life and there was much sadness when he died.

eviltwin · 02-02-2018 07:08PM

My eldest dog died before Christmas, she'd been a part of my family for 15 years. Her death, while expected, was still devestating for all of us. Its nearly three months and I'm still grieving, she's left a massive gap in our home. I know some people won't get it and might find it a bit pathetic but if you know the love some people have for their pets you will understand.

Captain Obvious · 02-02-2018 07:11PM

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

Depends on the pet. Our dog sniffed out my mother's cancer. We quite literally owed him her life and there was much sadness when he died.

How did he tell you about it?

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 02-02-2018 07:12PM

My childhood dog died over two years ago and I still get a little wobbly whenever I see a dog of the same breed out and about.

1) Thankfully it's not a particularly common breed, I don't know how people with labs or pugs or German shepherds cope!

2) Mutts from now on.

Have a hamster at the minute who's getting on a bit and the loss won't be anything like the same but I'll still be sad when the little fella goes. There's also still one of the childhood pets, a cat, trucking on back at my parents' house and I don't like to think about what's coming when he dies. He is a particularly cool cat though.

People love their pets, spend time with them, miss them when they're gone, and express and process that grief. I'm not really sure how to explain "people feel differently about things than you" to an adult tbh.

MilesMorales1 · 02-02-2018 07:14PM

So you lack empathy, basically.

super_furry · 02-02-2018 07:16PM

You don't need to get it, just don't be a dick about people that do and everything will be grand.

Lady Haywire · 02-02-2018 07:20PM

I wouldn't consider my cat a brother but I will be devastated when he eventually has to go. I've shared 6 years of my life with him, he sleeps in my bed, come for walks, miaows for mayonnaise when the fridge is open, climbs any ladder he can see. Small things like that which have made me laugh over the years, plus all the times I've hugged him and buried my face in him when I am upset or angry. I used to live by myself with him and he was always there if I felt lonely too, wandering about the house after me, getting stuck in all sorts of situations like when he fell into the toilet

To most folk he's just a pile of legs and fur that eats and shíts and is a waste of money but he's my waste of money and i love him.
I'm sure some people just don't understand pets but i'll never understand those people.

the_pen_turner · 02-02-2018 07:21PM

I think there are two reasons for this.

1
people have moved away from animals and eating them . all they see is the meat on the table not the animal. loads of people don't know where meat comes from. if you are brought up on a farm or aware of how that works then you have a grater understanding of the circle of life.
2
I will state that I'm a bit like this too
people are too attached to their animals. they let them into their lives too much , they let them into their homes and sit on the couch with them. they watch tv with them. its easy end up with the pet becoming a very important part of the family. in some cases the pet is a better friend or family member that the humans in their lives
when that happens the loss is real.

when these 2 combine you end up with someone who get very emotionally attached to the pet and can be blind to the reality that the loved pet is failing . I know someone like this and she was blind sided by the loss even though the pet was failing for 12 months.

ancapailldorcha · 02-02-2018 07:24PM

Pablo Petite Gymnasium wrote: »

We had 2 hamsters. I got one of them euthanised last night.
The saddest part was handing over €55 for its death and disposal.

The alternative was stick it in a box outside at night....but I'm not that heartless.

But I just don't get the attachment people have to their pets and the apparent loss they feel at their departure.

Over the years we've had cats and dogs. Some have died naturally, others were brought to the vet in their old age but I just considered them animals and not siblings etc as some do.

What am I missing here? Why the utter despair at the loss of an animal?

I just don't get it!

I don't mean to be nasty here but if you can't understand the despair someone would feel at the death of a pet, an animal they probably loved as much as a friend or a family member then I don't think that anything typed here will enlighten you.

r93kaey5p2izun · 02-02-2018 07:24PM

I don't understand how anyone wouldn't grieve the loss of a personality they had spent time with every day, and whose company you had presumably enjoyed.

If you don't miss them and feel the loss of them in your life then presumably you didn't get anything from spending time with them. That's fair enough, but really odd if you choose to have a pet I think.

andekwarhola · 02-02-2018 07:25PM

Hamster wouldn't exactly be comparable to a cat or dog in terms of companionship, to be fair.

discobeaker · 02-02-2018 07:26PM

I will be absolutely heartbroken when my dogs and rabbits pass away. Our king Charles spaniel was got for me to help me out after the death of my dad and I owe the little guy my life cos he helped me overcome my depression. We took him from an abusive home and he sleeps in bed between my wife and I. We treat him like a person,our pets are members of our family and I wouldn't change them for the world

kneemos · 02-02-2018 07:26PM

I think you'd be normal. I'd stick it in a shoebox though.

Grieving over pets is weird.

eviltwin · 02-02-2018 07:26PM

I don't understand why someone who isn't attached to animals would get a pet in the first place.

andekwarhola · 02-02-2018 07:28PM

kneemos wrote: »

Grieving over pets is weird.

Think about all the weird thread material you'd get out of it though.

PokeHerKing · 02-02-2018 07:29PM

Pablo Petite Gymnasium wrote:

What am I missing here?

At a guess I'd say a heart

diomed · 02-02-2018 07:33PM

I'm feeling the loss and the pet has only arrived.
I bought a horse in mid-December.
Keep is almost a grand a month, and in month two I get a vet bill for over €700.

gw80 · 02-02-2018 07:33PM

I have a tortoise here, 15 years and still going strong, the f¥#$er wont die. Id say he gona out live myself.

Capt'n Midnight · 02-02-2018 07:49PM

Captain Obvious wrote: »

How did he tell you about it?

Lab report

seamus · 02-02-2018 07:54PM

You may have some form of antisocial personality disorder (sociopathy/psychopathy).

People with these disorders frequently have difficulty empathising with others or forming basic emotional bonds and attachments.

Indifference at the death of a pet and an inability to understand why anyone would care is pretty textbook.

Fanny Wank · 02-02-2018 07:56PM

"Expired"? As in dead?

The_Valeyard · 02-02-2018 07:58PM

I had the same dog from age seven to age twenty two. So many fond memories, from when we got her, burying the auld lads car keys, digging to escape the garden, fetching rocks from the river to an old dog sleeping by the fire. They become members of the family and part of the household. When they die, it does feel like a horrible loss.

metaoblivia · 02-02-2018 08:04PM

I have two cats, one of whom I raised by hand starting when he was two weeks old. They have distinct personalities, follow me everywhere when I'm home, respond to me, and just generally bring a lot of love into my life. I dread the day when we have to say goodbye and they aren't there to greet me at the door when I come home.

If you have trouble understanding why that is, I don't think there's much I can say to make you understand.

ThinkProgress · 02-02-2018 08:06PM

I have a very strong bond with my dogs... it's different to a bond with a person, but still something great.

They always show me how to enjoy the simple things in life. I love that a favorite food or activity, can make them ecstatically happy... like they just got handed a winning lottery ticket! (everyday)

Dogs just live for the moment, and throw all their energy and enthusiasm into everything they do. There is something magical about how they approach life!

Not entirely sure why some people fail to form that emotional bond... perhaps they are just more detached emotionally?

silverharp · 02-02-2018 08:08PM

I draw the line at people thinking they are their pet's parents, hopefully thats just muricans

neonsofa · 02-02-2018 08:09PM

Aw this thread made me all emotional and i dont even have any pets myself

mad muffin · 02-02-2018 08:14PM

Pablo Petite Gymnasium wrote: »

We had 2 hamsters. I got one of them euthanised last night.
The saddest part was handing over €55 for its death and disposal.

The alternative was stick it in a box outside at night....but I'm not that heartless.

But I just don't get the attachment people have to their pets and the apparent loss they feel at their departure.

Over the years we've had cats and dogs. Some have died naturally, others were brought to the vet in their old age but I just considered them animals and not siblings etc as some do.

What am I missing here? Why the utter despair at the loss of an animal?

I just don't get it!

YOU MONSTER!!!!

uck51js9zml2yt · 02-02-2018 08:14PM

andekwarhola wrote: »

Hamster wouldn't exactly be comparable to a cat or dog in terms of companionship, to be fair.

True, but I brought my cat to be put down a few years ago and can't say I was grieving over its loss.

I had her from a kitten and tamed her(she was feral having lived in a farm) but it was a cat.
Why do people infer human qualities to them? Like it or not. Animals are not people.

Granted I may never "get it".

02-02-2018 08:15PM

Using the word expired to describe a pet that has passed away says it all really.

Expired pets....I don't get it!

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