Hmmmm...when Mark & I started going together, I posed the pet question early on in our relationship. His response? "Umm errr, I kind of like cats, but I never would consider having one." Be still my pounding head! He loved my Azure bird, and he took care of his neighbor's cat (they were so cute together!) and I felt that it would take some persuasion and time. However, I also felt that I had gotten along fine without any pets my entire life, and I really loved Mark, so it was worth it even if he said no. Now we have a dog, a cat, 2 birds, a fish, and we are working on a bunny...and he loves them all just as much as I do. So you could say that I have the best of both worlds.