Pets in London

Having pets in London can be tricky depending on your circumstances. Choosing which animal to have in your house, or whether to have any at all comes down to lots of factors.

Should I have a pet in London?

Housemates

The first thing to ensure is that your landlord (if you have one) is happy for pets to reside in your house. Also, you need to ensure that EVERY member of the household is happy to welcome a pet into the house. Some people have allergies, phobias or a basic dislike of some pets, so it’s important to get to the bottom of how everyone feels about this. Next, you need to set some ground rules about the responsibility and ownership of the animal. If you are renting with flatmates, the chances are that at some point in the future, you’ll part ways and live with other people instead. What happens to the pet then? Who does it technically belong to?

Work commitments

If every member of your house is out during the day, then it would be cruel to have pets left in the house for 8-10 hours of the day. You would have to consider why you would want a pet when you would only be able to spend a few hours with it. Dogs are man’s best friend and this shouldn’t be overlooked when considering getting a dog or puppy. They really do like a lot of company and it would be just cruel to leave them to go to work. Cats are a much better option if you’re going to be out of the house a lot, as they are generally very independent. There are people who are lucky enough, NOT to work from 9am-5pm. Some people work from home and others may work night-shifts, or at least with someone else who does shift work, so there would nearly always be someone at home with your pet. This is a very pet-friendly scenario.

Social life

Work isn’t the only commitment that should prevent you from getting an animal. People in London have exhaustingly busy social lives and not everyone can commit to coming home at a certain time each day to feed a pet, when there are tempting, impromptu after-work drinks to attend instead. If you’re a social butterfly, this would be reason enough not to contemplate owning a dog, but it would be possible to own a cat, so long as you have the amazing invention of an automatic feeder. This one comes highly recommended and you can even record the sound of your own voice to speak to your pet as it arrives at the eating tray.

 Can I afford a pet?

Holidays

You’re young, flights to Europe are dirt cheap and you get 20-30 days of annual leave per year. Great! But what happens to your pet when you’re away? Unless you have a parent or responsible friend or neighbor that you can leave your pets with, then you’ll have to fork out for kennels or a cattery and they’re not cheap at all.

Start-up costs

Pets of any sort usually require some equipment when they arrive in your home. Fish will need a tank, rabbits will need a hutch, cats will need a collar, litter tray,water bowl and dogs will need a collar, basket, water bowl and toys!

Vet bills

All pets will require trips to the vet from time to time. Kittens and puppies require immunization jabs. It’s worth taking out some cheap pet insurance, from a company like Animal Friends, which is currently the only UK pet insurance company to donate all it’s profits to help animal charities worldwide.

Food

Any sort of pet needs feeding – whether it be a goldfish or a Gordon Setter. Although one will be much cheaper to feed than the other, you need to calculate the weekly cost of the pet of your choice and be sure that you’re happy with tagging on it’s grub to your shopping bill.

Sitting services

If you have chosen to get a cat/dog even though you’ll be at work for much of the day, there are cat and dog sitting/walking services available such as Cats, Dogs and Peace of Mind, but these are generally quite expensive and you should expect to spend £200-300 per month on a service for up to 2 cats or small dogs.

Living with pets

As wonderful companions as pets can be, they do come with some disadvantages and chores that you’ll need to take into consideration. If you’re planning on getting dogs or cats, you should be prepared for them to take their tolls on your home and it’s furnishings. They’ll need toilet training and be taught not to jump onto sofas and beds if that bothers you. You’ll find their hair attached to everything, so it’s best to invest in a hoover with a pet hair setting. They’ll probably try and chew or scratch wooden furniture – you might want to try and buy a scratching pole for cats and corrector spray to stop dogs gnawing off your table legs. Some cat owners are tempted to remove their claws. Please DO NOT get this done. It’s absurdly cruel, is excruciatingly painful for the cat and stops them being able to defend themselves against other cats that they may come into contact with.

Indoor cats will need their litter trays changing regularly. Litter trays give off a particularly unpleasant aroma. You may want to invest in a covered litter tray that the cat physically gets inside.

Outdoor access is something you need to think about with dogs and cats. Dogs, particularly large dogs, need walking and need somewhere to go to the toilet. You’ll almost certainly need a garden and be willing to take your dog for walks in the nearby parks.

With cats, you’ll need to decide whether your cat will be an outdoor cat or an indoor cat. If you’re not going to provide a cat with outdoor space to roam, then you’ll need to spend extra time exercising your cat by making it chase things around the home.

Small pets such as rabbits and hamsters or fish are much easier to live with, but they also require some work. Cages and fish tanks will need changing once in a while.

Living with pets is an extremely rewarding experience, but don’t do it until you’re absolutely certain that you’ll be a responsible owner. You don’t need to rush. Enjoy living in London and wait 5 years. Your circumstances could be completely different then.