Cats or dogs? Katzen oder Hunde? Gatos o perros? Or something else entirely? Are you sure you’re even a person?

    • Communist@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      All pets?

      I think owning a tarantula, for example, is perfectly ethical, because of the way tarantus live.

        • Communist@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          Certain animals don’t really roam as part of their lifestyle, most tarantulas are ambush predators, if you put a tarantula into a hole and regularly give it food, it doesn’t dream of the outside world where it can roam freely, roaming freely is its worst nightmare because that’s how it gets exposed to predators… tarantulas find a hole where they constantly get food and you can presume based on how they live in the wild that they’ve found the best hole ever.

          They also show clear signs of stress when they are stressed, and they show less of those in captivity than in the wild.

          That’s my argument for tarantulas anyway.

            • Communist@lemmy.ml
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              1 year ago

              Yeah, I think it’s really case by case in the animal kingdom, we have to avoid anthropomorphizing everything.

              • Ms. ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml
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                1 year ago

                It can be case by case for animals of the same type even. One of my cats is legit scared of outside and has no interest in leaving the house for any reason. The other cat is hesitantly curious so sometimes we bring him out on a lead. He never wants to wander further than a few feet though even if we prompt him to explore. They live good lives and feel safe neither really feels the need to roam far as I can tell.

    • Link@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      I’d say it’s unethical to breed them, but not to adopt them if that’s in their best interest.

        • Communist@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          I think this is more of a problem with capitalism, than a problem with breeding being fundamentally wrong, we’re incentivized to breed as poorly as possible, it’s a race to the bottom.

          That being said, I think some animals are bred pretty carefully, definitely not dogs and cats, but certain insect breeding operations are pretty ethical just because being ethical with them is insanely easy.

  • brandon@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    I feel like nature decided this for me when I turned out to be allergic to cats.

  • CptNoobCanoe@feddit.dk
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    1 year ago

    I like both, but I wouldn’t own a dog. It’s just way to high maintenance and complicates going on vacation too much. Our cat has a feeder in the shed, and he can stay at home alone while we’re on vacation with no problem.

      • nachtigall@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        Yep, gotta clean up the mess we left as humanity. We can not abandon them while they need us. Yet breeders should be absolutely illegal.

        • Link@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          Yet breeders should be absolutely illegal.

          I agree. Even individual pet owners (or guardians) breeding with their pet is problematic imo. Certainly when they choose the breeding partners.

          But even if the dogs are free to choose themselves you could argue that you shouldn’t let them breed because it would be better to adopt animals in need rather than create new animals.

          • nachtigall@feddit.de
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            1 year ago

            it would be better to adopt animals in need rather than create new animals.

            ⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆ 100% ⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆

            The other day I had a conversation with someone who also rejects breeding but said that (female) dogs should give birth at least once in their life (because they read, it would lower uterus cancer risk). Almost as if people (even after a pandemic) still did not understand exponential growth.

  • fratermus@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Dog person. I’ve met a few cats I liked, but in general if I wanted to live with a creature that consumed resources and ignored me I’d still be married. :-P

  • Kyle@lemmy.mlB
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    1 year ago

    Totally a dog person but now that people are starting train and socialise their cats, they have proved that cats can be much friendlier and more interactive if you respect them and create an engaging environment for them!

  • Akasazh@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Neither, really. I can see the appeal of both, but would not have one of either myself. I married a lady that came with a cat, though, so technically more of a cat person.

  • bruhSoulz@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    dogs>cats>none. somehow found out foxes are the cutest thing ever tho and i like them more than both

  • LlamaLover@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    I like both. But if I had to pick, it’d be cats.

    The reason is that many people around here don’t handle their dogs well. That results in noise (hysterical barks in some cases) and poo landmines you have to watch out for.

    Well-trained dogs? Appreciate them. Dogs I personally know? Good boys! Random dogs from the neighborhood? No thanks.

    Having owned both, cats and dogs are quite different, and great in their own right. Dogs as a trusty companion, cats as a peculiar room mate.

    • Tretiak@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Cats are the mascot of the Internet. I love dogs too, but they require a lot of maintenance and attention compared to cats. Cats are the most arrogant creatures on Earth, and maybe the only ones that ‘truly’ live out their philosophy of life; of, “I’m better than you, and I know it.”