Pets' Personalities

[Xeros]

Search Bar Approved.

Got the idea for this thread while talking to my cat Barney, who is a very big, and very fat orange tabby.

Spoiler: A little information about Barney. (Completely irrelevant to the discussion).

Barney is a 4-year-old orange tabby, who, as previously stated is very big, and very fat. He also has the greatest disposition I've ever seen in a cat. He never fights, he never growls, he has a big smiley face, and he gives the most adorable squeak when he wants his milk. He purs loud as hell, and you can literally hear him purring from across the room, and it doesn't take much to get him to pur. All the have to do is touch him and "purrrrrr" (couldn't think of how to transfer purring into text). Sometimes it doesn't even take that much, and if you pet his side, he rolls over on his back to let you rub his stomach. He also loves boxes... come to think of it all of my cats do. What is it with cats and boxes, seriously, just look at this pic.

Spoiler: Box cats (not my cats)

Now then, this discussion. When I talk to my cats, I talk for them, back to me, giving them each different personalities. For example, Barney is big, and responds thusly to almost every interaction.

(This was our conversation prior to the thread).

Me: "Hi Mister Barn."
Barney: "I'm bigger than you."
Me: "You're bigger than everyone."
Barney: "I am, including you. I'm bigger than you."
Me: "Is there anyone you aren't bigger than?"
Barney: "Of course there is... me."
Me: "You are so silly."

And then I proceed to pet him for a few minutes before he walks off. The other members of my family, on the other hand, reflect their own personality on the cats, talking as themselves through the cats.

So, as for the discussion...

A. Do you have any pets? What are they?
B. Assuming you talk to your pets (who doesn't?), do you talk for them, or do you just talk to them?
C. Do you give them their own personality, or do you reflect your own?
D. If you give them their own personality, how do they act? If you reflect your own, how do you act when you talk through them?

 

[Icecoldcynic]

I used to have a dog, and he was stupid. He never said anything, I just swore at him when I was angry. Oh and he was deaf so he didn't know. Stupid dog

 

[Xeros]

I used to have a dog, and he was stupid. He never said anything, I just swore at him when I was angry. Oh and he was deaf so he didn't know.

Well this thread is off to a depressing start...

Stupid dog

Did he make you look bad?

[sub][sub]Ooga booga booga![/sub][/sub]

[sub][sub]Sorry, had to.[/sub][/sub]

 

[Dragon_of_red]

A) 2 dogs, both wippits and a metric f***ton of fish.
B) I talk to them a bit, and by a bit i mean all the time.
C) My dogs are really stupid, their personality reflects that.
D) Still just as Stupid.

 

[S.R.S.]

My snake "Monty" is a bit "stand-offish" like, I'd get into staring contests and always lose. I'd walk away but he's still staring at me.

 

[Xeros]

My snake "Monty" is a bit "stand-offish" like, I'd get into staring contests and always lose. I'd walk away but he's still staring at me.

He sounds very competitive.

 

[Fire Daemon]

My pet dog has a personality that has changed as he's grown older. He used to be more adventurous, would escape whenever he wanted to and end up across town, I can only guess at the fun he got up to, so I tend to think of him having a personality similar to adventure movie stars like Indiana Jones, Flash Gordon etc. Maybe a little bit generous, but I think it fits well.

In the last couple of years though he has gotten a lot more lazy and quieter. He still has some energy, but he reminds me of an old military man living off the rest of his life in his country mansion back in the 19th century, or something.

 

[Valksy]

They aren't mine (I just passed the one year anniversary of the day I love my beloved Tabby and still feel the pain) but I do live with 4 cats and each has a distinct and identifiable personality:

Poppy - Alpha. Loves her human "mum" more than anything, keeps the others in line. Lashes her tail and wowls when happy (we think that she got the "Dog" manual.)

Lana - She is a rescue and was terribly mistreated by some bastard in the past. She is very affectionate now and views everyone as a kitten. She is hopelessly in love with Poppy, they snuggle a lot.

Tillybear - Smallest and cheekiest. She loves to bring gifts (socks mostly) and would sooner be in the human pack than the cat pack. Cheeky little begger

Flobee - Also a rescue who was horribly mistreated. Her teeth were rotten in her head so although she was hungry she just couldn't eat. As a result her development was desperately stunted, she is an eternal kitten, still makes little kitten noises and is given a pass by the rest of the pack as they recognise that she is different somehow.

Anyone who says cats are aloof is tossing their cat outside 23 hours a day. Anyone who says that their cat doesn't seem to like them probably hasn't speyed/neutered (this is more likely to cause pack type behaviour rather than territorial aggression/posturing).

 

[Marter]

Do you have any pets? What are they? I have a rabbit, named Spoddy.
Assuming you talk to your pets (who doesn't?), do you talk for them, or do you just talk to them?I just talk to him.
Do you give them their own personality, or do you reflect your own?My rabbit just has a personality. I didn't give it to him, but he's always been very docile.
If you give them their own personality, how do they act? If you reflect your own, how do you act when you talk through them?My rabbit is docile, and very quiet. Unless he's hungry, then he'll start thumping, which reminds me to feed him.

 

[Xeros]

My pet dog has a personality that has changed as he's grown older. He used to be more adventurous, would escape whenever he wanted to and end up across town, I can only guess at the fun he got up to, so I tend to think of him having a personality similar to adventure movie stars like Indiana Jones, Flash Gordon etc. Maybe a little bit generous, but I think it fits well.

In the last couple of years though he has gotten a lot more lazy and quieter. He still has some energy, but he reminds me of an old military man living off the rest of his life in his country mansion back in the 19th century, or something.

Yeah, my cat Pepper used to be quite adventurous. Everyday, she'd go outside and play, and every now and then, she'd leave a pigeon at the front door. She was quite the hunter. Nowadays, she just lounges around the house like the rest of 'em.

They aren't mine (I just passed the one year anniversary of the day I love my beloved Tabby and still feel the pain) but I do live with 4 cats and each has a distinct and identifiable personality:

Poppy - Alpha. Loves her human "mum" more than anything, keeps the others in line. Lashes her tail and wowls when happy (we think that she got the "Dog" manual.)

Lana - She is a rescue and was terribly mistreated by some bastard in the past. She is very affectionate now and views everyone as a kitten. She is hopelessly in love with Poppy, they snuggle a lot.

Tillybear - Smallest and cheekiest. She loves to bring gifts (socks mostly) and would sooner be in the human pack than the cat pack. Cheeky little begger

Flobee - Also a rescue who was horribly mistreated. Her teeth were rotten in her head so although she was hungry she just couldn't eat. As a result her development was desperately stunted, she is an eternal kitten, still makes little kitten noises and is given a pass by the rest of the pack as they recognise that she is different somehow.

Anyone who says cats are aloof is tossing their cat outside 23 hours a day. Anyone who says that their cat doesn't seem to like them probably hasn't speyed/neutered (this is more likely to cause pack type behaviour rather than territorial aggression/posturing).

There's the kind of diverse response I was hoping for, although haven't gotten many responses at all for that matter. Guess it's not as interesting a topic as I thought. Oh well. I suppose the only way to respond is by running down my list of cats.

Pepper - Grumpy, old, black cat. She's more, or less the queen of the cats. She doesn't get along with the other cats because she lived alone with us for quite a few years before we suddenly had 5 cats, so she's a little resentful of suddenly having to share her home. Though when she sleeps, she has no problem snuggling up with them. Guess she's just too tired to care.

Fred - Mid-sized orange tabby. He's pretty much neutral. Not really any special personality traits, aside from him liking to walk in between your feet while your trying to walk. He's cost me more than a few meals. I still love him though.

Bear - Small, and plumpy calico. She's very skittish. The only time she'll let anyone pet her is either through the railing, or when you're in the bathroom. I don't know either.

Tigger - Small, grey alley cat who'm noone really like, but we just can't get rid of him. He's not neutered, he's not declawed, he fights with the cats, and he sprays all over the house. We have every reason in the world to get rid of him, but I guess we just love cats too much.

And Barney was described in the OP.

Oh, and Tillybear sounds awesome.

 

[GrinningManiac]

A. Do you have any pets? What are they?
B. Assuming you talk to your pets (who doesn't?), do you talk for them, or do you just talk to them?
C. Do you give them their own personality, or do you reflect your own?
D. If you give them their own personality, how do they act? If you reflect your own, how do you act when you talk through them?

A. Three guinea pigs and a Bearded Collie (scottish variant on the Old English Sheepdog) called Archie

B. Guinea pigs are awesome, because they make every noise under the rainbow. They purr, squeak, whistle, whine, chunter, oink, chirrup, cherp, cheep, grunt and grumble. Archie has amazing comedic timing, and makes a funny burp sound at the best possible times (it's not a human burp, it's like the noise dogs make in films when there's a problem (a downwards 'Errp...'). For example:

"EUGH! Who made a smell?"
"Wasn't me, I bet it was Archie"
"Yeah, you're right. You farted, didn't you, Archie?"
"Eerp..."

C. Archie is very puppyish despite being 8, but is prone to being a grumpy old man. He's a very silly dog, but he's (thankfully) not hyperactive. The Guinea Pigs are brilliant. My one, Nutmeg, is very inquisitive. I can always imagine her going "Ooh, what's that? Where are we going?" like the personality ball from Portal

D. Archie is like Caboose from Red vs Blue, but less stupid (still niave and blindingly obvious in the things he does, as well as largely unaware of things going on around him)

 

[Erana]

I used to have a dog...
She was smart as a whip. She was snarky and sarcastic, if that makes any sense. Say, if she wanted to be let outside, she would go sit beside the door, look at you, look at the doorknob, and look back at you. Sometimes, if you didn't get it, she would sigh her incredibly exasperated sigh. She did that wonderfully.
"Comeon, girl, time to get up! I have to feed you breakfast!"
*Dog rearranges herself in dog bed, sighs*

We left kibble for her to snack on, but she'd eat canned dogfood for her meals. Once I forgot her dinner, and she grabbed a piece of kibble, walked up to me, placed the piece of kibble at my feet, and waited.
Sometimes she would, "Talk" to us, making a quiet but enthusiastic bark when she wanted to play. We'd respond, she would bark agian, and so-on. If she did this when my mother was on the phone talking to my sister or me at school, she'd tell her, "Tell your sister to come home!" and she'd usually bark with the inflection and syllables of, "Come home."
In our ten years with her, she did nothing bad. The worst was getting in the trash only once as a puppy.
She upped and died the day after thanksgiving with a ruptured tumor causing her to bleed out in her own chest. It wasn't so bad, though; we were all together on vacation, and didn't have to see her suffer. I just feel bad for the person who was sitting our dog; she loved her as much as we did. She works at the vet school and got in trouble for making her colleagues see her first, breaking their standard procedure.

 

[Valksy]

Oh, and Tillybear sounds awesome.

She is, she rides around on shoulders and has more personality than is good for her

 

[child of lileth]

A) Yeah. Cats. Used to have others.
B) Just talk to them.
C) They just have their own, on their own.
D) They act like they are paying attention, because I'm talking at them, and they hear their name.

 

[Tharwen]

I have one dog who constantly acts as if she owns us, and another who just wants to hug everything. Even animals that he should think of as prey are just walking cuddles to him.

I also have a cat who acts all independent and only comes home for his meals, and another who is the biggest attention whore you will ever meet.

Anyway, I just let them act out these personalities.

 

[Xeros]

-snip-

A. Three guinea pigs and a Bearded Collie (scottish variant on the Old English Sheepdog) called Archie

B. Guinea pigs are awesome, because they make every noise under the rainbow. They purr, squeak, whistle, whine, chunter, oink, chirrup, cherp, cheep, grunt and grumble. Archie has amazing comedic timing, and makes a funny burp sound at the best possible times (it's not a human burp, it's like the noise dogs make in films when there's a problem (a downwards 'Errp...'). For example:

"EUGH! Who made a smell?"
"Wasn't me, I bet it was Archie"
"Yeah, you're right. You farted, didn't you, Archie?"
"Eerp..."

C. Archie is very puppyish despite being 8, but is prone to being a grumpy old man. He's a very silly dog, but he's (thankfully) not hyperactive. The Guinea Pigs are brilliant. My one, Nutmeg, is very inquisitive. I can always imagine her going "Ooh, what's that? Where are we going?" like the personality ball from Portal

D. Archie is like Caboose from Red vs Blue, but less stupid (still niave and blindingly obvious in the things he does, as well as largely unaware of things going on around him)

Archie sounds hilarious. Epic timing pets do make for the good times. My friend had a dog who barked almost every time we asked it a question. Back then we assumed that barks were "yes", and silence was "no". We thought he was the smartest dog ever. Looking back, I think he was just messing with us.

Nutmeg sounds cool too, especially when you compare it to GLaDOS's inquisitive eye.

I used to have a dog...
She was smart as a whip. She was snarky and sarcastic, if that makes any sense. Say, if she wanted to be let outside, she would go sit beside the door, look at you, look at the doorknob, and look back at you. Sometimes, if you didn't get it, she would sigh her incredibly exasperated sigh. She did that wonderfully.
"Comeon, girl, time to get up! I have to feed you breakfast!"
*Dog rearranges herself in dog bed, sighs*

We left kibble for her to snack on, but she'd eat canned dogfood for her meals. Once I forgot her dinner, and she grabbed a piece of kibble, walked up to me, placed the piece of kibble at my feet, and waited.
Sometimes she would, "Talk" to us, making a quiet but enthusiastic bark when she wanted to play. We'd respond, she would bark agian, and so-on. If she did this when my mother was on the phone talking to my sister or me at school, she'd tell her, "Tell your sister to come home!" and she'd usually bark with the inflection and syllables of, "Come home."
In our ten years with her, she did nothing bad. The worst was getting in the trash only once as a puppy.
She upped and died the day after thanksgiving with a ruptured tumor causing her to bleed out in her own chest. It wasn't so bad, though; we were all together on vacation, and didn't have to see her suffer. I just feel bad for the person who was sitting our dog; she loved her as much as we did. She works at the vet school and got in trouble for making her colleagues see her first, breaking their standard procedure.

She sounds like she was awesome, especially the sighing bit. My cat Pepper does something similar if she doesn't get her treats. She tries to angrily breathe out of her nose, and makes a small, funny sounding growl. It's very distinctive, so you know what she wants when you hear it. We feed her on top of the fridge, next to the pantry door, and to get the treats, she has to pet my nose through the door. She does most of the time, but if she's in a bad mood, she tries to smack you in the face instead, and she has one mean right hook.

 

[EeveeElectro]

I have a kitten called Ziggy who is a little shit bag. It's like having a child who doesn't listen to you, he keeps scratching me when when I tell him off for it, won't stop eating, wakes me up by scratching the inside of my nose and when I wake, he's staring at me, his eyes scanning my face, unblinking...
I talk to him, but it's like talking to a brick wall.

 

[rosemystica]

I have a bunch of pets right now. I have a dog and a bunch of cats. I talk to all of them. XD

The dog is named Teddy, and he's old (he'll be fifteen in a week or so) and cranky.

The cats: Snip (sort of old--about ten or so--but he's super laid-back), Kitty (young, bratty, attention whore), Kitty's kittens (Hobbes, Ozzy, Sabrina, and Rita--so far, Hobbes and Rita are the only ones displaying distinct personalities. Rita is adventurous and likes to explore whatever you put in front of her, and Hobbes is fat and lazy and mellow and he's my favorite <3).

 

[Rakkana]

I have a goldfish, he talks to me in my dreams. He has a posh British accent. He is clever. I love him.

 

[Doctor VonSexMachine]

Meet Mr. Tibbs. He is huge. And an asshole. He will come 2 feet from you, start meowing and rolling over, demanding you get up and give him attention.

Spoiler: the big asshole

With a human for context:

Meet Chester. He's an idiot. No examples, just a general feeling.

Spoiler: the idiot.