1. Own a cat

Butters, age 10, demanding the attention of humans

Miss Smokey, age 10, the most wanton bratlet ever.

I believe it is the childhood dream of many to “own a pet”. After all, it sounds so fun to have a tiny furry friend to play with all day and to also order around like a tiny furry sibling.

However, pets do come with a heavy responsibility – especially if you need to be self-sufficient and have no help.

A couple of lessons after a decade of owning my fur-children include:

1. You need to be very discerning with who you live with and pair up with. Your babies will be by your side for the rest of their lives. Do include them in your future plans
2. I realised that the responsibility of having pets is more than enough for my plate. Thus, I do not wish to have children.
3. Would I adopt cats after they are gone? Maybe. But I would prefer to help out at shelters.

However, I love my cat children and it is a love that runs deep. If you know that you cannot commit to a pet for at least 5 years, please do NOT adopt a kitten, bunny or puppy.

For more of my bucketlist progression, start here.