I LOVE my cat, though she tries my patience sometimes... :) I couldn't imagine life without her. (I just like animals that really bond to me, so it doesn't have anything to do with appearences or "creepiness".)
For me, my pet preferences are:
Cats--Rats--Dogs--other (domestic) mammals--other (domestic) critters
I don't agree with taking animals out of the wild. That is all.