Animals and pets

Q: Do you have a pet? A: I do — a cat called Mochi, though "have" might be generous since she mostly owns the flat and tolerates me living in it. She's about four now, quite independent, and honestly low-maintenance compared to what I imagine a dog would demand. I like coming home to something that's pleased, in its own understated way, that I exist. Q: Did you have pets as a child? A: We had a dog for most of my childhood, a scruffy mutt my dad picked up from a shelter without really consulting anyone. Looking back, he probably taught me more about responsibility than any chore chart did — feeding him, walking him before school, that sort of thing. I don't think I appreciated at the time how much that shaped how I am with animals now. Q: Are pets common in your country? A: Increasingly, yes, though it's still more of an urban, middle-class thing than something everyone does. Dogs and cats are the obvious ones, but there's also been a noticeable rise in people keeping smaller animals — rabbits, hamsters — probably because flats have gotten smaller and busier lives leave less room for a proper dog. It's changed a lot even in the last decade. Q: Would you like to have one in future? A: I'd like a second cat eventually, mostly so Mochi has company when I'm out for long stretches. A dog is more of a maybe — I like the idea of it, the daily walks and so on, but I'm not convinced my current lifestyle would actually be fair to one. So it's less about wanting more pets and more about being honest with myself about what I can commit to.