It’s a question most pet owners ask themselves at one time or another. The answer is not often simple.
It depends, most importantly, on the pet (or pets) you already have.
Some considerations are, however, universal. These are questions that must be answered before you consider bringing another pet into your household. If your children are small or you are caring for an elderly family member in your home, these questions are best discussed first by the parents.
Can we afford another pet? As the old saying goes, “There’s no such thing as a free pet.” That’s certainly true. Unfortunately, many pets that are given away for freehave not been valued in their original homes. They may come with many issues—physical and emotional—with which you may not be equipped to deal.
Don’t expect perfection from a very expensive pet, either! Dogs advertised in the newspaper, for example, may possess very big price tags but very little real reason to pay so much for them. Don’t be fooled by the “registered” designer dog—plenty of fake registries exist whose only interest is making money off ignorant consumers. Ethical breeders do not advertise in the newspaper.
Every pet is a living being and, as such, comes with no guarantees.
Let’s say you already have the basics for the pet you already own.
For a dog:
- A fenced yard—securely fenced (six feet or higher), preferably not accessible from the street, visible from inside, with an easy in-and-out from your home
- A crate and/or safe confinement area inside
- Inside dog-friendly areas—places in your home where a dog is welcome to hang out with your family without your having to worry about paw prints on the rug or dog fur on the furniture
- Equipment—bowls, leashes, collars, grooming tools, poop scooper, toys, and food
- Veterinary care
√ The pet you already have is up to date on all necessary veterinary care.
√ You have either veterinary insurance or money set aside in case of emergencies that require expensive care
- Education
√ You’ve attended training classes with your dog, you’ve had cats all your life, you hit the books to research how to raise your rabbit, and so on.
√ You know the basics of how to care for the pet you already own, and you know where to find out more.
- Identification
√ Your existing pet is microchipped and the microchip information is on file in a national registry.
√ Your pet has a license, rabies tag, and microchip tag hanging on its regular collar.
√ You have current good photographs of your pet, to use for identification in case the pet is missing or stolen.
For a cat:
- Safe confinement
√ You may have an indoor-only cat that does not go outside.
√ You may have a cat that is both inside and outside.
√ You may have a cat door so that your cat has access at all times, but you can secure that cat door shut when necessary.
√ Whatever your current cat’s set-up is, you are sure it’s functional and safe for the cat.
- Cats also require equipment, although maybe not as much as dogs!
√ Cat trees, scratching posts, and cat toys enrich the cat’s environment.
- Cats can need expensive veterinary care, too. They run a greater risk of injuries outside, where they can also contract diseases that must be treated for the rest of their lives. Even inside-only cats are not always healthy. Finding healthy food often isn’t easy. Preventing hairballs and digestive upsets is another issue.
Healthy cats may not be as expensive to keep as healthy dogs, primarily because of average size, but an unhealthy cat can break the bank. Never assume that once a cat has had its basic shots, it’s good for life. Cats, like dogs and most other pets, should be seen by a veterinarian on a regular basis, especially as they age.
For other critters:
- Safe confinement is your watchword, whether you have a guinea pig or a fish—and maintaining a safe environment goes far beyond buying a cage or an aquarium. Ongoing maintenance is critical.
- Consider also the lifespan of the pet: some turtles and birds live longer than humans.
√ Do you need a plan for when you are no longer able to care for the pet?
√ Will the pet be passed on to your children?
- Some small “pocket pets,” on the other hand, live very short lives.
√ Will you and your family be able to cope with the loss of a beloved pet who’s lived only a few years?
√ How can you help the younger family members understand what to expect?
√ How will you deal with the loss when that time comes?
Now make a list of what you will need for the new pet you’re considering.
- Expense
√ Initial adoption fees (sometimes waived or lowered under special circumstances—it can’t hurt to ask)
√ Licensing
√ Initial veterinary care (usually included if you adopt from a shelter or rescue; not included if you adopt from a private individual)
√ Spay or neuter
√ Training classes
√ Additional equipment (if you have a dog and you adopt another dog, you’ll need more of everything!)
√ Additional caging or confinement space
√ Possible additional pet-friendly areas in your home and/or yard
- Time
√ Having two of the same kind of pet doubles the work.
√ Having a new pet of a different kind from your existing pet may even triple the work!
√ It could be years before the two pets, same species or not, are so accustomed to each other that you are able to leave them alone together, unconfined and unsupervised.
√ Regardless of how well-behaved your current pet is, the culture shock of having an added family member may cause unexpected difficulties unless you’re very, very lucky.
√ Plan to spend many hours dealing with both pets together, just as you would with a new human who joined your family.
- Stress—for you and for the pets involved!
√ Change isn’t easy. Any change in a familiar environment can shake up a perfectly stable animal and, if the animal is already temperamental or badly behaved, a new critter in the house is likely to make things worse, not better, at least in the beginning.
√ This stress will be to the adults in the family; no fair putting the responsibility for acclimating a new pet in the household to your children. It’s the parents who must lead the way, model the appropriate behavior, and make the decisions.
√ If your household is happy and stable now, do you want that to change for the worse?
- Support
√ Is adding a new pet to the family something everyone in the family wants?
√ If one parent is all for it and the other parent is against it, I’d suggest you wait. Enjoy the pet you already have. Things change. Don’t make the new pet a bone of contention between the adults in the family, please!
√ If the pet is to “belong to” one particular family member, that person (child or adult) will need all the help he or she can get.
√ If your daughter wants a snake but your son is deathly afraid of them, you may have problems!
When you decide that your family is ready—really ready—to add a new family member, your next consideration will be choosing what that pet will be (dog? cat? pocket pet? reptile? fish?) and how you will go about finding it and acclimating it to your home.
NEXT WEEK: PICKING A NEW PET
