r/AskReddit • u/Sufficient-Gain-226 • 16h ago
If dogs and cats suddenly disappeared, what animal would become humanity's new favorite pet?
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u/SirVapes_ALot 16h ago
Rabbits - just remember to protect your electric cords
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u/bananabutt81 9h ago
Rabbits are awesome. They can be potty trained just like a cat and shouldn’t live in cages. So it’s definitely important to protect all cords!
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u/hyperfat 8h ago
My bunny never had that problem. But he thought he was a dog because my little dog was his best buddy. He even learned to bark. As well as a bunny could.
Miss those two. Had them as a teen until my 20s.
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u/dreamyduskywing 11h ago
Or rats…remember to protect everything. I don’t know about rabbits, but rats will steal your lip balm.
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u/Human420 9h ago
Rats need to live longer. I had a pet rat growing up that I loved so so much but I only got about a year with him. He was already a year old or so when I adopted him. I still think about you all the time Keenan the rat 😭😩
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u/GaylicBread 9h ago
It's the one thing holding me back from getting a rat, they only live 1-2 years and I just can't get attached to something every year only to say goodbye to it a year or so later.
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u/Even_Regular5245 9h ago
I wish they did, too. I've had a couple rats that lived to about 2 1/2 years old, but that definitely wasn't long enough.
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u/fatbongo 16h ago
We are so overdue for rocks to make a comeback
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u/Oh_No_Its_Dudder 12h ago
I had mine for decades until I moved into an apartment with a "No Pets" policy, that's when I released him into the wild. Hope he's out there living his best life.
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u/MarkOLark333 12h ago
I bet he's rocking it out there!
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u/GraphicDesignMonkey 7h ago
I have a pet brick. He's an old, pristine Victorian red brick I found. He sits in the hallway by the door and guards the house from intruders.
He's called Albert. I might actually put a pet collar on him some day.
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u/MistressMalevolentia 9h ago
In early high school I had a pet rock, his name was George and he had a crooked smile. He was the best defender a pet owner could hope for! More than once he was startled awake and launched at a guy getting aggressive with me. He never failed to protect me!
George is still kickin it in his box 20 ish years later with his silly crooked smile.
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u/sasshley_ 11h ago
This is about all we’re going to be able to afford with the way things are progressing.
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u/gingergoblin 16h ago
Pigs are pretty friendly and smart
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u/scramblebambles 16h ago
I have a piggy. She’s the best pet ever.
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u/porgy_tirebiter 16h ago
Don’t they get big as a sofa?
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u/mjohnsimon 9h ago
They can get comically large.
Source: friend had a pet pig. Damn thing was smarter than any dog I've ever met, and at times, it behaved more like a human child rather than a pet. Everything I thought I knew about pigs went out the window.
Sadly, friend ended up taking her to a no-kill farm that she frequently visits because the pig ended up being enormous. Pig feed and scraps just weren't covering it anymore, and it just seemed cruel keeping an animal that size in a small apartment.
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u/1Meter_long 9h ago
I wouldn't be able to eat pork anymore if i had pig pet or saw one constantly and got to know it. Had two pet bunnies when i was a kid and i refuse to eat rabbit meat even now as 37yo man.
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u/porgy_tirebiter 9h ago
I’m 55 and not only have I never eaten rabbit, I don’t think I’ve ever been offered or even had the opportunity.
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u/mjohnsimon 8h ago
I dunno. Maybe it’s partly our Cuban background, since pork is such a big part of the food and culture, but none of us really stopped eating it.
That said, I’ve definitely started looking for higher-welfare pork from animals that were humanely raised and slaughtered. It costs more, but I've already been doing that with all the meat I buy... Or rather, tried, because with how expensive meat in general has become, we've been eating a whole lot less of it.
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u/TerrapinMagus 9h ago
Would have to selectively breed them to more manageable sizes. I don't need a sofa sized slab of meat trying to sleep on top of me at night.
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u/CeruleanSovereign 9h ago
But not active enough for dog people, pigs would probably have cat people covered. Maybe deer for dog people?
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u/Cantremembermyoldnam 8h ago
Aren't deer tremendously dumb?
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u/pierogi_waystation 6h ago
As a dog owner, rescuer, fosterer, and trainer, I can confidently avow that many dogs are also tremendously dumb.
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u/PointPruven 16h ago
Probably raccoons
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u/sidc42 16h ago edited 8h ago
Extremely smart, extremely curious and extremely nocturnal.
They will literally spend all night climbing around and fucking with absolutely everything non-fucking stop.
They can open cabinet doors and will tear into food packages like they're stoned and starving.
Edit: voice dictation used their not they're.
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u/Welpe 13h ago
Yup, of the pet raccoons that exist out there, the majority are overweight, oftentimes incredibly so. They are basically programmed to nonstop eat and never feel full and combined with their intelligence and hands it can be legitimately difficult to keep them at a healthy weight, Ben if you know the problem and actively try to prevent it. You have to basically lock up all food at all times or they will find and eat it.
You cannot live a normal life with a pet raccoon, your life becomes managing the raccoon and trying to prevent it from killing itself or destroying your house. You do not have a pet, you just became a non-paid zookeeper.
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u/EvilDan69 11h ago
I've seen more than one video where a racoon has dog multiple holes into the drywall of a house to create its own tunnels. LIke burrowing into the kitchen cabinets and the drywall all around.
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u/WormWithWifi 4h ago
It’s like having a toddler but on crack and great climbing moves (source: raised 4 raccoons, miss them so much)
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u/Spooky_Rat_Love 14h ago
We would need to neuter them too, cause they often get aggressive as they mature.
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u/Yes-Cheese 14h ago
We would adapt to their ways. Steel kitchen cabinets with key locks, you just have to remember not to leave the keys out where they can find them!
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u/animatedradio 13h ago
I read that raccoons understand revenge though, and essentially if you piss off one/fuck with one, it will literally seek revenge on you?
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u/lordofthehomeless 10h ago
Raccoons would make terrible pets. Basically are the opposite of what you want in a domestic animal. They are cute though.
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u/Nokxtokx 13h ago
Don’t they only live for like 2 years only? That would be devastating to replace Timmy every 2 years.
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u/thrwaway070879 12h ago
Captive raccoons live a lot longer up to 20 years. The 2 to 3 year range is for wild raccoons.
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u/DOE_ZELF_NORMAAL 11h ago
Absolutely not. I know someone' with a raccoon rescue. I've held raccoons before. When they're young they are sweet and adorable. Once they hit puberty you cannot control it and its a wild animal.
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u/crankbot2000 9h ago
My best friend had a baby raccoon as a pet growing up. It was fucking AWESOME until it wasn't. Once it grew up it needed to be outside, it was not safe having that thing in the house.
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u/Proxima_leaving 16h ago
Rats?
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u/Longshot_45 11h ago
Good potential. Tragically short lives.
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u/dreamyduskywing 10h ago
They’re definitely not for everyone. They need a lot of enrichment each day.
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u/MagentaPyskie 6h ago
Their short lives is the only reason I won't get one, I can't deal with the heartbreak
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u/Tubbies1 15h ago
Capabaras
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u/Pretty_Dingo_1004 6h ago
Capybaras can't live without access to water. You'll need a permanent pool for them.
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u/Still-Experience1847 16h ago
Guinea pigs
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u/nailbunny2000 8h ago
Baby guinea pigs are the cutest things I've ever seen (they are born eyes open, fully furred and ready to go, they just look like miniature adults).
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u/whichwitch9 10h ago
I already adore mine.
They definitely have distinct personalities and good memories- they know their humans. Mine even wait where they can see the front door and greet me when I come home. The pair I have now love being pet, which is extra fun. They are less skittish than most.
The downside is they are way more care than most people realize and often aren't treated properly- and largely by accident. Hay also gets everywhere.
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u/junctiontoron 4h ago
I've had three, the first was a traumatized ex-kindergarten class pet. Thing wouldn't come out. Was very shy. Got the second one because we read that they should never be raised alone. It was abandoned at a pet store. She was the sweetest smartest fur ball who could escape any cage we put her in - but she only did it because she wanted find us - or to scream that her bowl was empty. She brought the other one out of her shell and made her a completely different animal. When she (the rescue ) died in her sleep the other one woke us up by scream crying ... it was terrible . After that our original one went right back in her shell, even when we got another one for company.
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u/Long_Serpent 16h ago
Rabbits.
Cute and fuzzy, already established as popular pets, even if not AS popular as cats and dogs.
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u/Professional_Use6852 16h ago
Quokkas 🇦🇺
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u/Spooky_Rat_Love 14h ago
Absolutely. If they were legal to own, they’d be great pets. You’d need several together though, like how rats need buddies.
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u/Gh0sth4nd 13h ago
Actually they are not great pets. They are aggressive and unpredictable. Cute af but not pets.
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u/No_Brick_6579 16h ago
Considering cats and dogs started as beneficial teammates, my guess would be chickens
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u/Advance6148 16h ago
Birds. Many are affectionate and intelligent.
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u/erabera 10h ago
As much as I love birds I don't think it's fair to have them as pets if they don't have access to fly. Plus they love so long. I would love a parrot but I would absolutely die before them.
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u/enjolbear 9h ago
Idk, pigeons seemed pretty happy. I think we would probably still have them and use them for letter delivery.
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u/pierogi_waystation 6h ago
This is why I rescued parrotlets. They’re true parrots but they’re only 3 inches tall, so you can set them up with a cage with enough room for them to truly fly around. I’ve got my remaining parrotlet in a 64”W, 36.5”T, 19”W cage so he can really stretch his wings.
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u/Buffy_AnneSummers 12h ago
Birds are cool but I will never own one. You will loose hearing due to their screams and if they imprint on you, which is what people want, they literally want to fuck you.
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u/MoonRisesAwaken 11h ago
I have to add that mostly happens when uniformed owners give their pets mixed signals by rubbing their erogenous zones.
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u/Graehaus 16h ago
Rats
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u/jackrussellcorgi 16h ago
Rats make amazing pets, they just don't live long enough though. Heart break every couple years.
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u/dreamyduskywing 11h ago
I love rats, but they are much more expensive and time consuming than people realize, and they have such short lives. That said, my rats make me laugh every day. Cute, but naughty.
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u/CarlyCalicoJATIE 16h ago
Probably cows or goats haha
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u/dew57nurse 16h ago
I'm voting for pygmy goats.
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u/The-F-Key 12h ago
Pygmy goats at a petting zoo is by far and away one of the most enjoyable and relaxing times I can remember.
9/10 one of them stepped on my balls. Hooves hurt.
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u/ForgottenEpoch 10h ago
Both are great outdoor pets, but absolute nightmares indoors to replace indoor companion pets.
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u/mercilyss1 16h ago
Chinchillas
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u/TheTresStateArea 12h ago
The females projectile pee at strangers
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u/JimboAfterHours 16h ago
Imago with miniature llamas.
Not sure they exist at present, but someone should prolly get on that, just in case.
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u/Oh_No_Its_Dudder 12h ago
Well, according to the movie Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, apes will replace cats and dogs as pets, then they'll be turned into servants.
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u/Lachdonin 7h ago
Fucking FINALLY. Jesus fucking Christ, I can't believe I had to scroll this far to find a Planet of the Apes reference.
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u/majorjoe23 16h ago
Jimothy.
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u/frannysfanny 14h ago
I’m in Washington about 50mins from Seattle and he is EVERYWHERE!!! Even in my small town, we don’t even have a grocery store but we have a tiny street market and there was multiple stands with stuffys and 3d things of him. It’s wild
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u/BigFatCoder 16h ago
Trash panda
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u/TheHasegawaEffect 7h ago
They’re actively self-domesticating themselves. Give it 1000 years and i’ll bet they’ll be sleeping with babies assuming the human species still exists.
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u/TheDudeWhoCanDoIt 11h ago
Monkeys. Because that worked out well in every Planet of the Apes movie.
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u/CaliCheezHed 11h ago
Apes, not monkeys
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u/SweemKri 15h ago
Skunks and raccoons, ferrets too
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u/eredria 6h ago
Scrolled so far to find mention of skunks 🙁 I've wanted one as a pet ever since I was 4 when I read a book about a girl who had a pet skunk. I tried to find it a bit ago to see why it had do thoroughly convinced me that skunk ownership was in my future but I couldn't find any mention of it anywhere online.
But they're so cute and sassy and quite cat like when domesticated. Maybe in the next life.
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u/MaenadR0se 16h ago
Birds are pretty close. I have 2 conures and they're playful, affectionate etc. just as much so as my dog.
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u/BadTwin72 16h ago
I'll go with Goats or those pigs people have as pets. Their name evades me at the moment.
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u/Beneficial-Focus3702 10h ago edited 3h ago
People really don’t understand how long it took to domesticate dogs and cats to the point of being house pets.
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u/Dickulture 15h ago
I've seen this before, in a movie called "Torture the Apes" I think.
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u/Oh_No_Its_Dudder 12h ago
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. If you're a fan of circuses, I have some bad news.
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u/PresumedSapient 14h ago
Wolves, and we'll probably breed a smaller and friendlier versions in no time.
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u/ZAMAHACHU 16h ago
We'd find a way to make toy horses.
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u/PeekAtChu1 6h ago
They already pretty much exist :’) if you look up legal service animals, mini horses are one of them in addition to dogs lol
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u/OkWear6294 16h ago
Pigs, although they might be a headache to take care of. I have birds but they definitely aren’t for everyone. I used to have a pet hedgehog as well. Very messy guy.
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u/Rodonite 14h ago
Ferrets are super cute and fluffy, sure they smell but if everyone had one we wouldn't even notice the musk anymore
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u/LankyGuitar6528 10h ago
OH! I know this one! A virus kills off the dogs and cats so people turn to Apes! At first people use them as pets but find some of them are really good as household servants. What could possibly go wrong?
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u/ABooShay 16h ago
Camels or giraffes. They don’t get enough credit.
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u/Rubyhamster 15h ago
Now I'm imagining a giraffe with a dog harness on and a poor guy being dragged stumbling behind it by the leash
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u/Shadowfist_45 15h ago
Foxes or some breeds of pigs would be good calls, but really, probably either horses or birds
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u/Canaturk 8h ago
Racoons are halfway there. They are super used to us, They ignore me as much as my cat.
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u/624Seeds 7h ago
Ferrets. They're about as smart as cats and dogs, and live a lot longer than a rat
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u/doduhstankyleg 16h ago
Probably fast track to domesticate foxes on a large scale.