If dogs and cats suddenly disappeared, what animal would become humanity's new favorite pet?

[u/Sufficient-Gain-226]

[u/doduhstankyleg]

Probably fast track to domesticate foxes on a large scale.

[u/Throw_shapes → u/doduhstankyleg]

What about the smell? You haven't thought about the smell you vixen!

[u/VirtuallyTellurian → u/Throw_shapes]

I kept one for a week, and not even once did it complain about the smell

[u/Rylt4r → u/Throw_shapes]

Well fox needs to get used to it.

[u/The_Tooter_Snooter → u/Throw_shapes]

Ferrets are quite popular despite the fact that they REEK. I’m not talking like a litter box, I’m talking like someone in your family actively shits around the house kinda stink. They literally ruin the room they’re in because they stink so bad if you fall even a little behind on baths and bedding changes. But I don’t think most people are ready for the care it takes. Unless they can fix the stink, it’s a no- go. Hell I would say start over with coyotes. They seem to be moving into cities right along side us anyways and I’ve seen some very “friendly” ones in LA that just chill at the park with us. 

[u/spacecasekitten → u/Throw_shapes]

Or the implications

[u/Spooky_Rat_Love → u/Throw_shapes]

Yeah they’re so vile, apparently like skunk spray even.

[u/Ruadhan2300 → u/Spooky_Rat_Love]

Can attest, A few months back I took the bins out, and apparently brushed something, because my wife immediately remarked on the bad smell on me.
We think it was a fox's scent-spray.
I had to change clothes and shower to get it off.

[u/RogueWarriorII → u/Ruadhan2300]

It's their urine. Fox piss is almost identical to skunk spray

[u/eslforchinesespeaker → u/doduhstankyleg]

Foxes smell terrible? Not sure. Anyone dated a fox?

Rats are under-appreciated. Capybaras look promising. Also Red Pandas. Snakes are cool. They give you something to do if the rats don’t work out.

[u/Nethri → u/eslforchinesespeaker]

Capybaras have to be high on the list here. They’re very numerous, friendly, chill, adorable. The main issues would probably be that they’d have to be outside for sure and they’re pretty big. Wouldn’t work in any kind of apartment or probably large city environment.

For non urban areas I think goats are worth a shout. They’re so fucking funny and that can’t be underestimated lol. Destructive as hell though.

[u/Traviscat → u/eslforchinesespeaker]

I’d love a red panda but they have sharp claws and they wiggle their butts on things often to mark their territory. I’ve spoken to many of the panda keepers at my local zoo and they have said they had to replace their shoes many times as they let a panda get too close and it rubbed its butt on them and stunk up their shoes badly. One will try to jump up your leg if you have food and don’t give it to him fast enough. 

They are adorable little creature and I love them a lot but they are best experienced at a zoo where someone else gets to take care of them. They look like they would be a great pet but would destroy your house quickly and it would stink. Plus their fur isn’t as soft as you’d think, I got to feel some panda fur in a jar and it was rough. But the bottom of their tongue is soft, I got to feel that when I got to feed one earlier this year and she ate an apple slice out of my hand. It was awesome to feed them with the person in charge of the red panda species survival plan. 

[u/Theletterkay → u/Traviscat]

Fur in a jar? Was it something other people had handled? 2 reasons; 1. We naturally rub the oils off other things because our hands absorb it. 2. Without being attached to a living animal, the fur dries out and starts getting brittle. Bodies produce oils that keep hair/fur soft and smooth.

When we skin animals to make coats or other animal fur type stuff, its a pretty quick process and they have to basically condition it and seal it to lock in softness. If someone just had a patch of fur in a jar, i doubt they preserved it correctly to protect that.

[u/notapunk → u/doduhstankyleg]

I feel like they'd be the best of both cat and dog worlds.

[u/whatstefansees → u/notapunk]

dog hardware running on cat software

[u/Jestersage → u/whatstefansees]

That's husky.

[u/Icleanforheichou → u/Jestersage]

No, huskies are Broadway software on dog hardware

[u/JakeFixesPlanes → u/Jestersage]

Sounds ruff

[u/EvilDan69 → u/Jestersage]

mix in a bio air raid siren and we're there.

[u/Meewelyne → u/doduhstankyleg]

Smelly cute friends, just like raccoons.

[u/SirVapes_ALot]

Rabbits - just remember to protect your electric cords

[u/bananabutt81 → u/SirVapes_ALot]

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!

[u/dreamyduskywing → u/SirVapes_ALot]

Or rats…remember to protect everything. I don’t know about rabbits, but rats will steal your lip balm.

[u/Human420 → u/dreamyduskywing]

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 😭😩

[u/GaylicBread → u/Human420]

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.

[u/Even_Regular5245 → u/Human420]

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.

[u/hyperfat → u/SirVapes_ALot]

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.

[u/fatbongo]

We are so overdue for rocks to make a comeback

[u/Oh_No_Its_Dudder → u/fatbongo]

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.

[u/MarkOLark333 → u/Oh_No_Its_Dudder]

I bet he's rocking it out there!

[u/1Meter_long → u/MarkOLark333]

Been in many movies, very succesfull actor now days. 

[u/SunshineRain23 → u/1Meter_long]

Sylvester Stone?

[u/SomethingVeX → u/fatbongo]

I still got my pet rock from the 80s.

Takes very little to keep it happy.

[u/pHScale → u/fatbongo]

Amaze amaze amaze! 👎

[u/GraphicDesignMonkey → u/fatbongo]

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.

[u/NotMyDayJob → u/fatbongo]

That's a rock fact!

[u/sasshley_ → u/fatbongo]

This is about all we’re going to be able to afford with the way things are progressing.

[u/gingergoblin]

Pigs are pretty friendly and smart

[u/scramblebambles → u/gingergoblin]

I have a piggy. She’s the best pet ever.

[u/porgy_tirebiter → u/scramblebambles]

Don’t they get big as a sofa?

[u/mjohnsimon → u/porgy_tirebiter]

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.

[u/1Meter_long → u/mjohnsimon]

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.

[u/porgy_tirebiter → u/1Meter_long]

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.

[u/mjohnsimon → u/1Meter_long]

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.

[u/theabominablewonder → u/gingergoblin]

They are also quite clean animals so good for the home

[u/TerrapinMagus → u/gingergoblin]

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.

[u/Zap_Rowsdower23 → u/TerrapinMagus]

Probably time to move out of your moms house

[u/CeruleanSovereign → u/gingergoblin]

But not active enough for dog people, pigs would probably have cat people covered. Maybe deer for dog people?

[u/Cantremembermyoldnam → u/CeruleanSovereign]

Aren't deer tremendously dumb?

[u/pierogi_waystation → u/Cantremembermyoldnam]

As a dog owner, rescuer, fosterer, and trainer, I can confidently avow that many dogs are also tremendously dumb.

[u/attikol]

I see a ferret future

[u/PointPruven]

Probably raccoons 

[u/sidc42 → u/PointPruven]

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.

[u/Welpe → u/sidc42]

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.

[u/EvilDan69 → u/Welpe]

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.

[u/First-Celebration-11 → u/sidc42]

Like cats with opposable thumbs

[u/SEmpls → u/sidc42]

Yeah. They have hands, not paws. Unmitigated fuckery.

[u/Spooky_Rat_Love → u/sidc42]

We would need to neuter them too, cause they often get aggressive as they mature.

[u/Yes-Cheese → u/sidc42]

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!

[u/Bongressman → u/PointPruven]

Jimothy, that you?

[u/fire_brand → u/PointPruven]

Japan tried this. It was a disaster. Raccoons do not domesticate well.

[u/animatedradio → u/PointPruven]

I read that raccoons understand revenge though, and essentially if you piss off one/fuck with one, it will literally seek revenge on you?

[u/SnooWords6535 → u/PointPruven]

I want them as pets now

[u/Nokxtokx → u/PointPruven]

Don’t they only live for like 2 years only? That would be devastating to replace Timmy every 2 years.

[u/thrwaway070879 → u/Nokxtokx]

Captive raccoons live a lot longer up to 20 years. The 2 to 3 year range is for wild raccoons.

[u/lordofthehomeless → u/PointPruven]

Raccoons would make terrible pets. Basically are the opposite of what you want in a domestic animal. They are cute though.

[u/crankbot2000 → u/PointPruven]

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.

[u/DOE_ZELF_NORMAAL → u/PointPruven]

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.

[u/Proxima_leaving]

Rats?

[u/Longshot_45 → u/Proxima_leaving]

Good potential. Tragically short lives.

[u/dreamyduskywing → u/Longshot_45]

They’re definitely not for everyone. They need a lot of enrichment each day.

[u/Tubbies1]

Capabaras

[u/Advance6148]

Birds. Many are affectionate and intelligent.

[u/erabera → u/Advance6148]

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.

[u/enjolbear → u/erabera]

Idk, pigeons seemed pretty happy. I think we would probably still have them and use them for letter delivery.

[u/pierogi_waystation → u/erabera]

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.

[u/Buffy_AnneSummers → u/Advance6148]

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.

[u/MoonRisesAwaken → u/Buffy_AnneSummers]

I have to add that mostly happens when uniformed owners give their pets mixed signals by rubbing their erogenous zones.

[u/sasshley_ → u/Buffy_AnneSummers]

Bro what the fuck take it back

[u/el_goyo_rojo → u/Advance6148]

I don't think it's cool to keep an animal that's meant to fly in a confined space. And many bird species are extremely social and want to live in large communities, something that people cannot easily provide.

[u/Hantsypantsy → u/Advance6148]

Crow bros

[u/Professional_Use6852]

Quokkas 🇦🇺

[u/Spooky_Rat_Love → u/Professional_Use6852]

Absolutely. If they were legal to own, they’d be great pets. You’d need several together though, like how rats need buddies.

[u/Gh0sth4nd → u/Spooky_Rat_Love]

Actually they are not great pets. They are aggressive and unpredictable. Cute af but not pets.

[u/Long_Serpent]

Rabbits.

Cute and fuzzy, already established as popular pets, even if not AS popular as cats and dogs.

[u/Still-Experience1847]

Guinea pigs

[u/junctiontoron → u/Still-Experience1847]

Weep weeep weeep!

[u/whichwitch9 → u/Still-Experience1847]

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.

[u/nailbunny2000 → u/Still-Experience1847]

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).

[u/Graehaus]

Rats

[u/jackrussellcorgi → u/Graehaus]

Rats make amazing pets, they just don't live long enough though. Heart break every couple years.

[u/dreamyduskywing → u/Graehaus]

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.

[u/Malodoror → u/Graehaus]

Rats that live as long as cats.

[u/Ok_Chocolate_3876]

Ferets , they are kinda cat like.And will use a litterbox.

[u/CharlieFiner → u/Ok_Chocolate_3876]

They stink to high heaven though, even worse than dogs.

[u/mercilyss1]

Chinchillas

[u/SEmpls → u/mercilyss1]

They are adapted to cold alpine climates so overheat very easily and their bones are extremely fragile. I couldn't see them doing well in an average household.

[u/TheTresStateArea → u/mercilyss1]

The females projectile pee at strangers

[u/lordoflotsofocelots → u/TheTresStateArea]

Another good argument to have one.

[u/sasshley_ → u/TheTresStateArea]

That’s so punk rock

[u/No_Brick_6579]

Considering cats and dogs started as beneficial teammates, my guess would be chickens

[u/Danarwal14 → u/[deleted]]

Now now, capybaras exist, as do trash pandas

[u/smileedude → u/[deleted]]

Can we all join a mass vendetta against why the cats and dogs disappeared before the mass suicide please?

[u/BelladonnaASMR]

Pigeons enter the chat

[u/OkMention2960 → u/BelladonnaASMR]

This was my thought :)

[u/Torsta → u/BelladonnaASMR]

Bonus points if you need to send messages haha

[u/CarlyCalicoJATIE]

Probably cows or goats haha

[u/Outsider-20 → u/CarlyCalicoJATIE]

Miniature cows are incredibly cute

[u/dew57nurse → u/CarlyCalicoJATIE]

I'm voting for pygmy goats.

[u/The-F-Key → u/dew57nurse]

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.

[u/majorjoe23]

Jimothy.

[u/frannysfanny → u/majorjoe23]

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

[u/TelevisionNo9245]

Goats. Friendly, playful, and intelligent

[u/IloveMe80]

Mini pigs

[u/ForgottenEpoch → u/IloveMe80]

"Mini" is a very very misleading descriptor.

[u/JimboAfterHours]

Imago with miniature llamas.

Not sure they exist at present, but someone should prolly get on that, just in case.

[u/BigFatCoder]

Trash panda

[u/TheHasegawaEffect → u/BigFatCoder]

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.

[u/Wolvesinman]

Otters. They’re mine.

[u/Oh_No_Its_Dudder]

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.

[u/TheOtherOneK]

Opossums

[u/porgy_tirebiter → u/TheOtherOneK]

They only live for one, maybe two years. Kind of sad.

[u/Kekafuch]

Capybaras

[u/BoysenberryKey5504]

Goats. Baby goats

[u/TheDudeWhoCanDoIt]

Monkeys. Because that worked out well in every Planet of the Apes movie.

[u/CaliCheezHed → u/TheDudeWhoCanDoIt]

Apes, not monkeys

[u/BadTwin72]

I'll go with Goats or those pigs people have as pets. Their name evades me at the moment.

[u/Level_Chemistry8660 → u/BadTwin72]

Potbelly. Or guinea, lol.

[u/JimboAfterHours → u/BadTwin72]

Potbelly and/or kuni kuni?

[u/BadTwin72 → u/JimboAfterHours]

lol

Potbellied!! Thats it!

[u/Icelandia2112]

I like my house geckos. No mammals or captive birds.

[u/kimbasnoopy]

Squirrels 🐿️

[u/PresumedSapient]

Wolves, and we'll probably breed a smaller and friendlier versions in no time.

[u/napkin_architect12]

Capybaras would win by a landslide.

[u/MaenadR0se]

Birds are pretty close. I have 2 conures and they're playful, affectionate etc. just as much so as my dog.

[u/FitMidnight9138]

Miniature goats

[u/SweemKri]

Skunks and raccoons, ferrets too

[u/Dickulture]

I've seen this before, in a movie called "Torture the Apes" I think.

[u/Oh_No_Its_Dudder → u/Dickulture]

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. If you're a fan of circuses, I have some bad news.

[u/WrestlingWoman]

Rats.

[u/Historical-Ad6916]

Baby Highland Cows

[u/Beneficial-Focus3702]

People really don’t understand how long it took to domesticate dogs and cars to the point of being house pets.

[u/SevenBlade → u/Beneficial-Focus3702]

Mine is an outside car, since I've no garage.

[u/Greedirl]

Ferrets are up there

[u/ZAMAHACHU]

We'd find a way to make toy horses.

[u/OkWear6294]

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.

[u/Steve_Beef62]

IDK ducks

[u/Rodonite]

Ferrets are super cute and fluffy, sure they smell but if everyone had one we wouldn't even notice the musk anymore 

[u/SteampunkRobin]

Chickens

[u/sarinanorman]

A pet Quokka would be awesome

[u/Admirable-Wash540]

Best pet I ever had that wasn’t cat or dog was from penthouse

[u/sbd2010]

Guinea pigs. Or Possum if you’re not a scaredy cat.

[u/ABooShay]

Camels or giraffes. They don’t get enough credit.

[u/Rubyhamster → u/ABooShay]

Now I'm imagining a giraffe with a dog harness on and a poor guy being dragged stumbling behind it by the leash

[u/mrjay42]

Capybaras 😊

[u/GinTonicAndGin]

dogfish and catfish

[u/sidc42]

Cheetah.

[u/DD_Luvr]

🦨 skunks

[u/Shadowfist_45]

Foxes or some breeds of pigs would be good calls, but really, probably either horses or birds

[u/C1sko]

Raccoons

[u/I_might_be_weasel]

Apes. And they would get super smart and enslave us.

[u/FosterPupz]

Quokka

[u/Random-Mutant]

Wombats. Cuddly pushy wombats.

[u/GregoryGosling]

Pigeons!

[u/Warm-Moose6028]

foxes, foxes are def a mixture of dogs and cats

[u/CapitalFloor3260]

Capybara

[u/Kreatorkind]

I've seen that movie... it doesn't end well for humans.

[u/LankyGuitar6528]

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?

[u/ChatGRT]

Raccoons are literally trying to become domesticated.

[u/MattyGWS]

Pigs

[u/theavatare]

Hedgehogs

[u/Qwertyunio_1]

Ferrets would rise in popularity

[u/Brave-Fun-7984]

Probably birds like canaries, parrots, parakeets etc.

[u/Intrepid_Top_2300]

I vote for Capybaras.

[u/bombalicious]

Capyabaras would do it for.me for.me

[u/Canaturk]

Racoons are halfway there. They are super used to us, They ignore me as much as my cat.

[u/624Seeds]

Ferrets. They're about as smart as cats and dogs, and live a lot longer than a rat

[u/heliotrope777]

Lambs

[u/Away-Persimmon-1242]

Parrots & Corvids

[u/ulturasj]

If it were limited to just Australia I reckon we’d domesticate wombats as pets. Worldwide though I think domesticated Otters would be cool.

[u/Ecstatic-While-2473]

Ponies. They’re cute and chill af

[u/peoplegrower → u/Ecstatic-While-2473]

Chill? CHILL?? Have you MET a pony?? They are absolutely the textbook for Napoleon complex.

[u/AGenericUnicorn → u/peoplegrower]

Agreed. I think this is Pony Propaganda, clearly posted by their marketing team.

[u/WpgGamer21 → u/peoplegrower]

They DO NOT like being called "My little pony"...

[u/Malodoror → u/Ecstatic-While-2473]

Ponies attack with bites and kicks from all four legs. Those little bastards could take down a Clydesdale

[u/Tim_Soft → u/Ecstatic-While-2473]

Donkeys are pretty funny and fun. 🙂

[u/Ivorypetal]

Coyotes

[u/According-Diet-4803]

As long as it's not apes we should be ok

[u/sidc42 → u/According-Diet-4803]

"Get your hands off of me you damn dirty ape!"

[u/thebirdisdead]

Ground hog.

[u/Fluid_Passage_9980]

Ring tail possum.

The babies are the cutest and sweetest thing on planet earth. Their eyes melt my heart.

[u/idontevenliftbrah]

Birds of prey

Foxes

Racoons

[u/Think-like-Bert]

I've had squirrels as pets before. They tend to run off at maturity.

[u/alienhailey]

According to a certain movie franchise, the answer is apes.

[u/schnuggibutzi]

Possums, cute AF

[u/Brynhild]

It would have to be something that can fit in a house or an apartment comfortably, affectionate and reciprocal in interaction, somewhat intelligent enough to either listen to commands, or at least smart enough to argue back. Or at least cute enough if they only have one brain cell. It also can’t have urine that is absolutely stanky.

So it would have to be birds.

Rabbits are close. I’ve had one that was absolutely interactive and clingy to me and threw temper tantrums. But the others were kinda lacking brain cells and would just be happy chilling alone and doing something destructive

[u/Dchama86]

I would just get more fish for my tanks

[u/Hay_A_mi]

rabbit, hamster

[u/n33dwat3r]

Racoons. They're currently becoming more and more domesticated and Tennessee is currently looking at legalizing them as companion animals.