What made me really think of the question was thinking about a few people I have known, none of them Pet Talkers, just so ya know. One, Julie, had never been permitted a pet as a child, but had always been drawn to cats. She was sure as soon as life circumstances permitted it, she would own a cat. We worked in an office with a dog, and she was perfectly cordial to the dog, but didn't really like it.

Another friend, Bonnie, grew up with a cat, always a cat in the family. When we became friends, she learned to love dogs, through our Saint Bernard, Freckles, and then our Great Dane mix Gracie. Before them, her only experience with dogs was a little terrier neighbor, who tended to bite whenever he could catch someone. She now owns both dog and cat.

And yet I know some people, like my acquaintance Will, who does not own a pet, does not really understand why anyone would, and just doesn't "get" the appeal.