LOL. My rule of thumb is if it poops and eats it is a pet. I don't have any fish but they require a lot of care As well.
"Pet", def'n: a domestic or tamed animal or bird kept for companionship or pleasure and treated with care and affection. I'm not all too sure if fish would fall under that, since they aren't exactly "domestic" or "tamed", but I did consider my fish pets, as they always seem to have a personality to them. Every Betta I had had his own distinct personality that made him stand out from the others in some way or other. So technically they're not really pets, but they are to me
I do consider fish to be pets. I have had many different kinds over the years, and the ones that had the biggest and best personalities were bettas. I had one that would actually bring it's mouth up out of the water to take a piece of food out of my finger tips. One would lay on his side on a leaf and appear to be sleeping. It was so cute. I only have goldfish in my aquarium now because they are so easy to care for. But when I walk by the tank, they all come to the front looking for food. And when I feed them they gather at the top waiting for me to drop the flakes in.
We have beta fish all the time, but I don't consider fish as pet. They are just for decoration or soothing to see. I like to have them but there is no connection like between a dog and a human kind of relationship!
I would definitely class the fish that you would keep indoors in aquariums as pets, you get to spend time with them everyday and care for them, give them names even. When i kept an aquarium my fish had distinct personalities, some breeds were bold while others were shy, some were sociable while some were more solitary. I think aquarium fish can give a lot of pleasure and are therapeutic to watch. I wouldn't class outdoor fish that are kept in a pond as pets though, as you don't spend a lot of time with them and therefore don't have the same relationship with them as you do with indoor fish. You cannot distinguish any individuality with outdoor fish either.
I recall having goldfish when I was young. We would go to the school carnival and bring home at least 3 or 4 goldfish that were usually on their way out. The next morning you might find 2 of the 4 still alive. It was always amazing if one of the fish actually survived for a month or so. I get it, they were inexpensive prizes for the duck game most likely diseased at that. I remember being excited about winning one but not so excited when my mother flushed it down the toilet! I do think that people can come attached to their fish. When my mother loss my father a few years ago my nephew brought down his beta fish to keep her company. I thought it was a little strange but she became attached to the fish, caring for it, changing it's water, feeding it. She would even buy little fish things for it's glass bowl for him to hide in! I would go visit and she would always point out the fish and tell me that she thought he followed her when she walked within his sight! This past year I went to visit and the fish didn't look so well. The fish was going on 4 years old and it had a white spot near his top fin. I told her that I didn't think the fish was doing so well and she would tell me that he was fine. "I talk to him everyday" she told me. Later on I was there for another visit and she was changing the water in the fish bowl. She had the fish in a small bowl and it was floating on it's side. I said "Mom, I think your fish is dead!" She poked at the fish to see if it would move and in doing so she actually moved the fish on her own and said "no, he's moving." I said "Mother, the fish didn't move, you moved the fish, he is gone!" At that moment she realized that yes indeed the fish had died and she didn't really say anything more of it. I asked if she would like for me to take care of it so she didn't have to deal with it and she told me no, that she could deal with it. When I got ready to leave I walked out the door and had to come back in for something I forgot and she had tears in her eyes. I said "Mom, we can get you another fish." She explained to me that it may have been just a fish but the fish was someone to have conversation with when she felt lonely. She said that she really didn't want another fish, that she would get over it, and maybe get a cat instead. I agreed with her, something she could hold, or pet, that might be the better choice. So, in asking if a fish can be a pet, I would have to say yes!
I have once kept fish, I did consider them to ne pets, must I must say that they are a different category of pets, now this is my own opinion, because I could not get that attached to them, in the same manner that I could get attached to my dog, I wonder if it is beacause they always have to be in the fish tank , in water, creating a barrier between me and them.
Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. Fish do not show love and appreciation in the ways dogs and cats do, so they can definitely be considered different "type" of pets by some. But, they still are pets!
