Some people roll their eyes when they hear “pet parent,” but I see nothing wrong with the term. No, pets are not little people, and dogs and cats do not think and behave like children. That should be respected. But many of us consider pets a part of the family and many women call themselves a dog mom or cat mom. Loving your pet, and taking good care of your pet, is really what’s important. You might recognize yourself in some of these scenarios:
You know you’re a pet mom when…
- After work, you’ve turn down offers to go to dinner at that great new grill with the gang, because your pet has already been home alone for eight hours.
- You sometimes make homemade cat food or bake dog cookies, even though you don’t really like to cook, because you saw a recipe for healthy treats that are supposed to taste better than the store-bought kind.
- You call home while you’re on vacation to check in with the pet sitter and, yes, you ask to say hello to your furry friend.
- You endure getting soaked to the bone, mopping up the bathroom floor with the good towels and pulling gunky hair out of the drain in order to give your pet a bath.
- You’ve bought your pet a toothbrush.
- You make room on the foot of the bed for your pet to sleep, even though your dog ends up sprawled with gangly legs in the middle of the mattress, or your cat drapes himself over your stomach.
- You’ve slept on the floor beside your pet because she was sick.
- You’ve cradled a whimpering puppy during a thunderstorm.
- You’ve sung your pet to sleep.
- You’ve taken the day off of work because your pet is sick.
- You go outside in the rain because your dog needs a walk.
- You’ve ever sat in the veterinarian waiting room and prayed with all your heart.
