My little Hamster has died :(

[JSR]

People who say that are twats. A pet is not 'just' anything. If you've invested a lot of time and effort into a pet and it's part of your routine, and you've grown to understand and care for its character, then it's very much part of your life that goes missing when it dies.

People seem to look at their pets very differently. Some only have pets for the company and the routine they provide, without getting emotionally attached. While others look at their pets as friends, and form emotional bonds with them. It can be very hard for some to see what the big deal was, thus making it hard to get sympathy when you might feel like **** after having lost a very dear friend.

I probably won't get pets again. Have had a hamster and a budgie die on me. The budgie was only a year or two old and died of lack of food. My guilt will probably haunt me untill I die.

[kryss]

People who say that are twats.

So true.

[prinnysquad]

People seem to look at their pets very differently. Some only have pets for the company and the routine they provide, without getting emotionally attached.

I personally find these two things very hard to distinguish. One leads to the other in my experience, especially the company.

[Number45]

This thread is depressing, and 100% agreed about people who say it's soppy to get upset over a pet dying. I'm still haunted by the unpleasant manner in which my hamster died when I was younger. :'(

I adore animals, but part of me doesn't want to get pets any more because I don't want to lose them (and to protect my daughters from that horrible feeling as well).

[prinnysquad]

I know what you mean. I've often thought whether or not, if I had kids, I'd keep pets. I too remember the way my first hamster died. Very unpleasant. I've found that it never gets any easier, yet I continue to keep pets. Maybe I'm a masochist. Maybe it's character building. Maybe it isn't. Maybe it teaches respect for animals and mortality. I don't know! But I've always found that the payoff of having pets outweighs the drawbacks. Just!

[Number45]

Yeah, I often find myself drawn for the same reason. The time you spend with pets (particularly growing up with them when you're young) is absolutely amazing - I'd essentially had a dog from the age of 5 right up until I was nearly 30, but haven't had one since.

There are logistical problems with getting a pet as well (chiefly that looking after it would end up mainly being my wife's responsibility, and she has enough on her plate already) though, so I think that settles the balance firmly in the "no" camp.

[Darwock]

My childhood would have been far poorer without our two cats - I was devastated when they died but I'll take that pain if it means I also get all the good memories.