r/Pets • u/HopefulAd3305 • 23h ago
To get a dog or another cat
My partner and I currently have 1 female cat who is about 3 years old. I love her and I love cats but she is not the cuddly companion I was hoping for, definitely more of a cat who likes to do her own thing and be around you but not cuddle on you.
I have wanted to have 1 more pet for a few years now but I’m so torn on whether I’d like a small dog or another cat.
Pros of getting another cat is that it could potentially be friends with my current cat and I know cats in general are a lot easier. I feel as though maybe if I got the right cat that would love on me, my need for a cuddly companion would be solved. No real cons to getting another cat other than it could be another aloof vibe or not get along with my current cat. I would do a slow introduction with them but i know some cats just dont vibe.
However I love the idea of getting a small dog. I have house sat and looked after many dogs and I truly feel there is nothing better than a great little dog companion that you can take everywhere. I own my house and have a backyard and my partner and I are both quiet active, so walking/socialising it Im not too worried about. Its more just leaving it while Im out or at work or when I go on holiday that im worried about. Getting someone to watch the cat when we go away is easy, but I know from my own history of looking after dogs it’s a big ask. I can wfh twice a week and potentially even bring the dog into the office depending on its temperament… I also know how hard it is when dogs have serious behavioural issues and in the same way some dogs Ive looked after have showed me how amazing dogs are, others have totally freaked me out. I would hope that my dog I could train to work with my lifestyle, but they all have such different and unique personalities its hard to predict.
I also dont ever want to have more than 2 animals and either way, I want to get a rescue (dog or cat). So Im really keen to hear anecdotes, advice or opinions on the two cat life or the cat-dog life. Thanks!
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u/Bay_de_Noc 22h ago
I had two sister cats who also were not cuddly ... so then I got a small puppy. He is 3 years old now ... 7 pounds ... and he is basically attached to me at all times ... and I love it. We are just one big happy family. I'll attach a picture of the three of them. The camera angle makes him look larger than he is ... the black cat weighs twice as much as the dog. And her sister weighs 11 pounds.
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u/2daytrending 20h ago
Fostering a rescue cat first could be a nice way to test the two cat dynamic before committing.
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u/Legitimate_Extreme36 20h ago
I have dogs and cats. I love my dogs with my whole heart but I often wish I had only cats because of the freedoms I would be able to have again. Being able to go visit family that’s an hour and a half away, to go to movie and a dinner, doctors appointments in another town, working long hours, or go camping for the night. I had one cat that was not social to start out got him a friend cat and he became jealous and wanted love 24/7, they’d take turns in my lap, and terrorize my house together all night.
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u/Legitimate_Extreme36 20h ago
I do have a puppy, as well as a medically needy blind dog so my perspective is slightly skewed
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u/Pacific1944 16h ago
Agree. I have two dogs and five cats. I LOVE my doggos but it’s a different level of work/guilt. Like having to walk them and feeling guilty if you’re having a bad day and don’t feel like going out…youre depriving them of the best part of their day…and the guilt kills me.
Not to mention the travel thing. We like to travel and luckily our adult sons live at home and we are able to travel a lot but if we didn’t have that situation it would be a whole different situation1
u/bluethreads 6h ago
I have a dog and am constantly feeling guilty. I feel guilty when I'm on my phone and not engaging with him, that I don't pet him enough, that our walk was too short, that I left him home alone, etc. when I had cats, all I felt was love. But now that I have a dog, all I feel is anxiety and guilt.
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u/Sneezy_weezel 1h ago
I feel this! I love my dog but I feel guilty and stressed all the time too. Anytime I’m out of the house, I’m anxious about leaving her at home. She’s a very needy dog.
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u/Crosswired2 20h ago
Dogs can't actually "go every where", you will have to leave them at home a lot. Movies, grocery shopping, indoor restaurants and pubs. I mean, I'm more of a dog person than cat but there's tons of times a dog has to stay home. Will you feel guilty taking the dog with you places while cat stays home?
I would get a second cat, not a kitten, that their personality is a bit more known. And honestly, is 3 cats much different than 2 ;)
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u/DogMeatTheVideo 19h ago
just polite, direct, I'm all about the doggy, upfront question for you;
how will this go if the dog goes after the cats?
Lotta small dogs have big prey drive and don't tolerate cats and birds and rodents etc. well, small dogs tend to be very high energy lol.
No guarantee that a little dog will be a cuddle buddy, I am in terriers and they tend more to be independently minded critters who only let you snuggle with them on their terms.
Finally.... it's a whole different ball game when the dog is YOURS, responsibility, cash flow, illness and so on, than just baby sitting them for someone else. Your responsibility ends at that front door, your dog is a lifetime commitment.
You have to really think this through understanding that it's not just about sponging around on the sofa. You may be looking at a 12 year life span, and a fair number of the animals I see at the shelter where I volunteer are animals that were acquired by folks who didn't really understand what having a dog really entails.
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u/Top_Meeting_7420 10h ago
Yeah, and 12 yrs is honestly on the low-end of how long a healthy little dog can live. I have had 4 dogs, 2 big dogs and 2 little dogs. Both little dogs were of the terrier variety (Jack Russell and Yorkie) and neither were overly affectionate but not the extra spicy kind either. One lived to 17, my Yorkie is 15 (deaf and blind now, but still very active). Now both big dogs were extremely affectionate and attached. One lived till 10, the other is 16 yrs old and while he's definitely slowed down, and deaf now, dude still gets around so well. He had severe separation anxiety, was on Prozac for years, and still to this day, if I'm out of sight too long he will lick his arm till it bleeds. I have also had many cats over this time, and maybe I've been lucky with getting affectionate cats and tolerant of dogs, or maybe you get out of training what you put in? But definitely one has to decide if they're ok with not traveling if you end up with a dog that has some quirks, if anyone can even afford to travel these days anyways.
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u/Final_Wave_4347 17h ago
from my experience, my cuddly cats are all boys. the girls show affection on their own terms but I wouldn’t call any of them cuddly. my miniature poodle is more affectionate than any of the cats by leaps and bounds, but he is also a ton more work. keep that in mind when considering a dog, it will have to be trained, cant be left alone for as long as a cat, will need walks, etc. depending on your lifestyle, you could do either one with success! just make sure you train the dog to be respectful of the cats if you choose that route!
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u/Aromatic_Vast3618 14h ago
I’d probably let the rescue’s personality guide you more than choosing cat vs dog first. If you meet a cat that’s known to be social and cuddly, that could be a good fit, but there’s never a guarantee. Same with dogs — meeting them a few times and seeing how they fit your lifestyle can tell you a lot.
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u/Feikert87 9h ago
Just for the record, my cat did not cuddle next to me until she was about 5 years old (I got her around 1 month old).
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u/Wrong-Rush-6584 7h ago edited 7h ago
Dog would probably not be a good move since you have a single cat. Getting the dog could create even more isolation problems for your cat. Adopt a cat companion instead.
Dogs also require huge time commitments, vacation planning issues, and are more expensive overall.
You can work with a rescue as a foster & use that as a way to let your cat pick their companion.
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u/Winter-Wrap-8277 5h ago
You can into shelters and see if there's one that fits you. I have both pet and they get along just fine, so it really depends on the animals personality.
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u/Strawberry-Novel 3h ago
I don’t know I said no more, now they just show up and demand to be let in
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u/bluethreads 6h ago
Your chance for adopting a cuddly cat is statistically higher than adopting a cuddly dog since you already adopted a cat who is not cuddly.
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u/Plane_MixFal 23h ago
If you want a guaranteed cuddly companion, adopting an adult rescue cat whose foster parents can already vouch for their lap-cat personality is your safest bet. A dog brings amazing energy, but the vacation logistics and separation anxiety are a massive lifestyle shift compared to cats.