Life stages
Thinking about a pet
Thinking about a dog or cat? Start with the practical questions, then browse names and breeds while you decide.
While you decide
Questions to answer first
Practical ones, about your home, your days and your budget. Print them and work through them together.
- Does your lease or building allow pets, and does it limit their size, breed or number?
- Who looks after them on a normal weekday, and who covers when you travel or work late?
- How many hours would they be home alone on a working day?
- Where would the bed and bowls go?
- CatsWhere would the litter box go, somewhere quiet and easy to reach?
- DogsWho walks them, and when, every day?
- What would the first year cost? List the adoption or purchase fee, vet visits, food, supplies, a license and pet sitting, and set it beside your budget.
- Does your city or county require a pet license, and what does it cost?
- Spend time with the kind of pet you want before deciding: visit a shelter, foster for a few weeks, or look after a friend's dog or cat for a weekend.
- Ask the shelter, rescue or breeder everything they know about the animal you are meeting.