Cat/baby

We were walking home the other day and this cat came up to us and took
an instant liking to Hubby.

She was really snuggling around Hubby's legs and pandering for his attention.

Now Hubby is a sucker for any type of affection, and even though he
normally doesn't like cat, afterwards he was saying "maybe we should
just get a little kitten. They're sweet, aren't they?"

Well, yes. So are puppies. So are most baby, furry things.

But we won't be getting a cute, cuddly pet. Not until they invent
little cats and dogs that:

1. Don't have bodily functions.
2. Don't destroy furniture/garden beds.
3. Don't have an ecological impact on native Australian wildlife.
4. Can cope for long hours/days/weeks of inattention, when necessary.
5. Don't get sick or require vet visits.
6. Don't eat – using up money and precious resources that should be
spent on humans.
7. Don't shed hair or harbour allergens.
8. Don't bark or demonstrate annoying behavioural problems.

Which makes me think why I'd even want a pet in the first place.

For me, the sole purpose of a pet is to have something that is cute,
warm and cuddly.
The fact that they need to be fed and looked after is just an annoyance.
Pets are pretty much just child substitutes.

Now, people have babies also because they are cute, warm and cuddly.

The whole reason parents feel a pull at the cockles of their heart
when they look at their offspring is because babies are tiny and sweet
and as they turn into toddlers, they say and do cute things (which
offset the impact of the screaming and tantrums that go along with
it). Then they grow up and the parents feel that any achievement of
the child is a reflection on their skills as a parent which makes the
entire exercise a huge, expensive, vanity project. Or the kids don't
turn out that perfect which makes the parents feel needed and
important like some sort of symbiotic-dependency relationship. Or else
the kids turn into selfish teenage nightmares, mixing with the wrong
crowd, and the parents wonder what went wrong and the view the whole
thing as a heartbreaking waste of time.

Now don't get me wrong, I like babies. Basically because I think they
are very cute and warm and cuddly.
Young children are a completely different story. If babies came out
acting like two year olds, I doubt anyone would bother to have one.
Those things are horrid.

The whole thing is an evolutionary trick, and the fact that I do plan
to have kids in a few years' time proves that I'm as much a sucker to
it as anyone.

But in the mean time, I really don't see myself getting a pet.
Even if they do snuggle up against my legs in an affectionate way and purr.
I will not be won over by cuteness!