Throughout my life, I have always had a pet. Whether it was a cat, a dog or even a fish, I've never lived without one. Animals were always a big part of my life and I cannot imagine a life without having at least one pet. However, living with pets comes with many quirks, so here are 7 things that only pet owners will understand!
1. Cats knock over anything in their way
Having lived with cats all of my life, I've learned one thing about them. Cats will knock over ANYTHING in their way. My cat Gizmo would just jump on my bureau and push everything out of the way with her fat self. Cats have no remorse when they knock your stuff over and will even do so when you're looking straight at them. So cat owners understand the struggle of having to pick everything off the ground.
2. Random dog barking
Imagine you're sitting on the couch on a quiet Sunday morning. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and you've just made your pot of coffee. As you're sitting down with that cup of coffee in your lap, about to take a sip, your dog just starts barking out of nowhere. You jump from surprise and your coffee falls into your lap. To make matters even more frustrating, you come to find out that your dog was barking at nothing. Oh the joys of living with a dog.
3. Kneading
While this action can be pretty cute, it can also get pretty annoying. My cat Gizmo loves to climb on top of me and knead me constantly, no matter how much I try to push her off. Not to mention the loud and obnoxious purring that comes along with it. While it is mostly just a comfort thing for cats, it gets annoying when you're trying to type or accomplish something. Only pet owners will understand this super cute struggle.
4. Constant shadow
My cats and dogs like to follow me everywhere. My cat Bentley likes to sit in the hallway near the bedroom. Once someone exits a room and makes his/her way to the kitchen, Bentley jumps up and proceeds to follow him/her until they go back to the bedroom. He does this every single night. So if you own a pet, you know that you'll always have a constant shadow. Whether you're in the living room, the kitchen or even the bathroom, pets have no care for personal space. You may of also tripped on them once or twice... but it was only an accident!
5. No room on the camera roll
Imagine you're out with a group of friends you haven't seen in forever, You're all getting ready to snap the cutest selfie with the whole group when this message pops up on your phone: "Camera storage full." This tends to be a constant problem that pet owners deal with. Now, you have to go through all of your photos of your pet and try to find some to delete, but you can't. Should you delete the one of your cat "loafing" or the video of your dog rolling over for the first time? Which one should I delete? All of them are just too cute!
6. Referring to your pet as your "baby"
Some people hate when pet owners refer to their pets as "their babies." However, pets are just like babies, only better! While animals for the most part are independent, you still have to feed them, change their litter box (or walk them) and even clean up after them. So really, there is nothing wrong with calling your pet your "baby."
7. A loving companionship
Anyone who knows a pet knows that animals love unconditionally. Whether you're poor, rich, big or small, your pet will always love you. Your pet will always be there when you get home, too. Pet owners understand the highs and lows of owning an animal, but wouldn't want it any other way.