The Pet Problem

I already miss the weekend.
Something I've noticed about myself is that I get a lot more distracted when I have looming deadlines. I would say that I'm alone in this, but I'm not. It's a fun little thing called procrastination. And it's stupid. You worry about the upcoming thing that's due, and yet you spend even more time away from said thing. It's like when people talk about losing weight. It'll be so hard! So I'd better gain more weight. Or my favorite situation, "Ugh, I'm so bad at this sport/activity/other! I should put it off, because I don't want to subject myself to that again." The logic of that argument is ridiculous, but we all do it.

So that's my current situation. Ugh, I'm slapping myself mentally because I know how stupid it is.

On an unrelated note, let's talk about pets.

When I was younger, my sister and I had two cats. George and Daisy. I had no idea they were named after Curious George and Daisy Duck until years after they were gone, but they supposedly were. George was one of the best cats ever. All of my friends adored him, and he loved everyone else. Daisy was a bitch cat who wouldn't let any of us touch her. Only the neighbors. Even after I'd been so nice.
The whole point is that I happen to like pets, despite having a devil cat (Daisy). However, I'm not sure if I'll ever have a pet again.

I know, I know. Pets are wonderful! There have been studies showing that owning a pet can increase happiness and your lifespan. So why no pet?

Well, obviously now is a terrible time. Then again, I say that and I know plenty of college kids who own pets. One the other hand, that's part of the reason why I know it would be a bad idea to have a pet now.
One of my sister's friends just got a puppy with her fiance. They got it now because they'd like to raise the puppy before they raise a child. That's the big thing: Puppies are a lot of hard work. So are kittens.  A lot of people don't realize that. Heck, when I had a pet, my mom did all of the work (I know, bad kids). You have to feed them, make sure they go to the bathroom in the right places, take them out to exercise, make sure they stay healthy, get a sitter when you're going out... Sound familiar? Like a kid with fur, and we all know kids are a ton of work.

My other big reason for the lack of pet in my life (besides no pets in the building) is money. Things that consume require food. Which requires money. Plus vaccinations. Plus unexpected health issues. Or, expected issues like asthma if you've got a pug, or back problems in wiener dogs. It's a lot of money. And as someone who's saving for other things, those are not things I'd like to spend my money on. Someone I know who says they're broke has a cat, and I'm guessing that doesn't help the money situation.

Pets are fun! They require a ton of work though. I'm not sure if I'll ever get one again, just because you have so many restrictions with them. That's just me. I'm partial to cats, just because they do what they want, but having a medium-sized dog would be a great running buddy/motivator. Never a little dog for running, it's too much for their little legs to handle!
For now, my ipod will keep me company during runs.

Do you own a pet? What are some challenges you face with owning a pet?
Are you more of a cat person or a dog person?