I grew up with fish, rabbits, and a dog. But after my rabbit and dog died. I haven't had another because I find that I still compare the new potential pet with the old and find them lacking. Which isn't fair because each animal is unique, but on some basic level I still want my old pet back. So I switched to cats. For me, it's was harder to compare cats because I was used to my grandma's menagerie of cats and knew they were always different. Even after my cat Midnight died, I don't find myself comparing the next cat to him the way I do with my dog and rabbit. Though I think I'm at the part where I keep finding traits of previous cats that I feel that I need some separation before I start comparing.
I think it's easier to switch from mammal to mammal than it is to switch from mammal to reptile. When my brother got his first lizards, I got my first experience buying live crickets and then trying to feed the crickets to the lizards. That was interesting and certainly different than opening a can or bag and pouring it in a bowl. I would definitely do research before switching pets though because even though dogs and cats are both mammals, they are completely different.
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