Wow. Hot topic! When I saw the title of this thread I never expected the responses.
Hi. My name is Keli and I use the terms furbaby and doggo. To me furbaby refers to the fact that your pets are like babies - they depend fully on us for care - but they have fur. Obviously they are animals but people get a Housesitter in part because said animal can’t actually survive on their own. If someone calls them dog or cat or furbaby makes no difference to me at all.
And doggo? Not sure. I could say dog but doggo is cute. We have always had multiple terms of endearment for every animal we’ve had. And for those we sit, they get them too. Maybe I should stop referring to my husband as my hubby. Nope. It’s how I talk.
I find the word “hubby” very annoying. But I’d never judge anyone or avoid anyone because they use that term, it is purely personal taste/prerefence. The same with fur baby, doggy, doggo, kittie, fur face, whatever else.
‘Furbabies’ is definitely a put off for us. It’s clear that some people treat their pets like surrogate babies, but they shouldn’t shout about it. It’s not healthy! I think it is demeaning for an adult animal to be called ‘baby’. Furry-friends is OK. Of course there are certainly some sensible, sane people just using cutesy language, but we don’t have a lot of info to go on really and it makes sense to avoid things that MAY suggest spoiled pets or (excessively) strange people. Expecting pets to sleep in our bed is an even bigger red flag!
I’m reassured that most responders here also dislike the term.
TLDR: Using the description “furbabies” is not a red flag to me. I agree with another reply that this likely differs greatly with cultural norms and personal lifestyle choices.
I use “furbaby” occasionally and can share my perspective if it’s helpful. Although I’m admittingly biased, I don’t feel like I have an abnormal relationship with my cats and would hope someone would not be put off by that description. As someone who often jokes (but is mostly serious) that I like animals more than people, I will often use affectionate names and give human attributes to animals like describing my cat who “gets off from being withholding” (IYKYK)
I also don’t have human children of my own, and while I know you cannot or should not compare a pet to an actual baby, for those without kids, pets are the primary living thing other than plants that are dependent on you, inherently innocent, and need protecting. Therefore, it can very easily feel and be the case that they are your “children.” All whilst understanding the fundamental difference between the biological and practical distinction between human babies and “furbabies.”
Hope that helps shed light on the use of that phrase in my experience, living in the US and having my pets be the most precious life I’m fully responsible for other than my own.
Kinda like the idea of my old pets going over a rainbow bridge - maybe cause I know I’ll be heading a bit further south myself
Saw a review the other day where someone called the cat ‘..an easygoing lad’ - like they were five minutes away from sharing a pint. Cheeky little geezer
The UK really is a different breed. Can’t help but love it .
My dog is definitely a fur bebé, lol and I don’t mind if people call him a doggo, doggie or furball. I don’t mind being called his human parent. As @Kelitino mentioned, these are animals that fully depend on us humans to look after them. I totally understand the dynamic between humans and animals at a farm though. I think we can all respect everyone’s preferences without judgement.
I don’t have children (humans). So my dog is the little being I take care of and brings childless dog lady me boundless joy every day. 🏻
Our dog walker and neighbor in Chicago called mine “noodle” and “angel pie”, and both names stuck! my dog has many weird and cutesy nicknames from so many people.
After reading some of these responses, I feel like adding Furbabies to my listing to keep away sitters that care that much about what people call their pets. Seems like they have an aversion to a caring relationship between pet and person. Which to me makes it seem like they would be cold to my pet.
Might be a good idea! I don’t think they would necessarily be cold to your pet, but if you have such an aversion to simple words, to me it speaks of a judgemental and rigid attitude and I would feel uncomfortable about such people. They might be great with pets though!
I never thought much about “furbaby” before using THS, but the more I see high-maintenance listings using the term, the more I realize it’s definitely a red flag word. I just saw a listing with 11 cats and a fish tank using the term “furbabies” which tells me everything I need to know about that sit
@boyrrito Same, usually a no thank you from me too, unless it’s a bearded dragon or one of them Sphynx cats
But yeah, excessive baby talk -so much you’d need a dictionary - usually screams high maintenance…and not necessarily of the pet. Your inbox is full before even arriving. Helicopter fur mummy approaching
I use the word “feline overlords” in my host listing.
I use the word “furbabies” in my sitter profile. I don’t believe anyone “owns” a cat. I’m not convinced anyone owns a dog either.
We sometimes refer to one of our cats as a “good puppy.” Sitters have also referred him as a dog. I think he might be a reincarnated drooling lab.
I have no problem being declined by someone who doesn’t approve of my language choices. In fact, as a host, I’d really prefer not to have to talk to someone who disappoves of me. I’m likely to sense it on the chat, and not only will we both be wasting our time, but it’s likely to ruin my day.
Marion, this thread seems to have meandered from original intent. No offense was intended. A pet owner or pet parent can clearly use whatever names or endearments that they so choose. All good.
But as a housesitter, we seek to gain insight into the real-life expectations of caring for pet(s) while the owner is away. Pet care varies a whole lot. We really do relish looking after pets. But we subjectively assess that some pet care responsibilities are beyond our appetite as housesitters.
After learning experiences, we have determined pet sleeping in human bed; elevated separation anxiety from either/both of pet/parent; aggressive pet protective behaviour on walks; atypical frequency of pet care (e.g. ‘go potty’ highly frequently) are undesirable for us. Other housesitters may have no issue with such responsibilities. We make no judgement of pet owners. But where we come across a term of atypical endearment then we ask specific due diligence questions to better understand pet responsibilities and to assess fit. If we decline then it’s not because of language choices but of pet care responsibilities.
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🏻