Owner Pet Peeves

[Lady Kakata]

I took a break from Neopets for quite a few years until I recently returned. The first thing I did after logging in was feed the desperately starving Moorlough, play with a few toys with her, and see what is new. I notice that everyone has kitted their Neopets out in various clothing/accessories, something that I thought that the clothes were for originally in Neopets before realising that Pets cannot wear some clothing (i.e. I bought a bejewelled black collar and was annoyed when I couldn't make my pet put it on :angry: )

 

Now when I go around Neopets and see various high-scorers or sellers of extremely expensive things or else just randomly clicking on users bidding on my auctions, I'm irritated to see a ton of people with an absolute wall of trophies and high scores, with Neopets in expensive and rare colours (or rare Neopets in the case of Draiks and Krawks), wearing expensive items and having petpets with p3s or zapped with the Lab Ray ...

 

... And yet their pets are unhappy/crying. Looking at the states they are fully well with no illnesses, they are simply starving or unhappy. I understand that some people join Neopets for the games but how hard is it to give your Pet an omelette every once in a while? Even an Onion Hot Dog only costs 100NP and these owners are game masters so presumably they earn a pretty NP if they are painting pets/buying outfits/scoring very high scores/owning various maps.

 

It's ridiculous to be annoyed about a virtual animal, but it just infuriates me to see them crow on about their achievements and dream pets when I want to say 'Hey, might wanna give your Faerie Draik a sandwich now and again, your Highness :angry: '

 

I don't know, am I being irrational? I stuck with only one Neopet on my account as I didn't really want to juggle around more than one and keep them all happy and fed, one girl is enough for me (although if I get my baby account back I'll take two of the single good name pets and donate two to Adoption if anyone is interested)

[Batman]

I agree fully. But the problem is some people don't care about the pet side of things. I personally neolodge my side accounts and feed my main with free dailies. I don't see why 140 np per pet for 28 days is so crazy. Oh well nothing can be done about it really... I do think it would be awesome if neo added a your pet dies if you don't feed it after so long. It would make people take care of their pets more.

[inkt]

Not irrational in the slightest. I think many people have stopped caring about their pets and are just trying to upgrade their accounts as status symbols. They want to appear better than you with their expensive pets and customizations but they don't honestly give a flying poop about how said pet is doing. Kind of makes me sick. I blame all this Neopet trading. People just want a "higher value" pet to exchange for an even better one. x_x

 

I do think it would be awesome if neo added a your pet dies if you don't feed it after so long. It would make people take care of their pets more.

 

Ugh, I don't! What if you need to go on vacation or something? Not everyone can be on Neopets all the time, and I would be devastated if I lost internet access/etc. and came back to find my beloved pet dead and buried.

[Nimphal]

I see what you mean, I have been wondering about these issues as well. I keep my pets in the neolodge - it costs me 1500 a month per pet (I know it makes no difference in which hotel they are, I just prefer them to be in a better one) which makes less than 5k for 28 days and I don't have to worry about them being hungry if I don't have the time to feed them. I really can't explain why people don't look after that aspect of their pets...

[inkt]

It truly is easy to put your pet in the Neolodge for 28 days for like...150NP or whatever. It's what I do, but then again, I can sympathize with accidentally forgetting to do so every once in a while. :whistle: I wish the better hotels did do something for your pet. Maybe TNT will work on that at some point in the future.

[Lady Kakata]

I agree and yet disagree with the idea of having your NP die ... Yes, it would teach people a hard and fast lesson and would re-enforce the idea that you are here to also look after virtual animals and NP has been pretty clear on the message that animals, virtual OR real life, are NOT disposable and you don't simply abandon them when they become tiresome as most of NP's players back then were really children.

 

It would be sad yet hilarious to see status owners whining that their Maraquan Draik suddenly popped it's clogs and moaning all over the technicolour nightmare that is the Boards, until someone with a bit more maturity points out 'See? If you'd given it the odd free jelly this wouldn't have happened!'

 

But yes, then you think about instances where something in your real life happens that takes either your internet or your free time (or both) and you forget about your account to get real life back in order again. Perhaps there should be a charity that looks after pets for owners who cannot afford to Neolodge them (akin to the Soup Faerie, she'll only feed you if you have less than 3,000NP) since I'm aware that some people just don't have billions of NP kicking around or are just unwilling to part with NP

[Naamah D.]

Finally I meet somebody who feels the same way! I take very good care of my Neopets, just like I would a real life pet. I hate it when a Neopet is hungry or sick and people say "Oh it's just a virtual pet....I'm not going to do anything about it.". I put my pets on my sides in the Neolodge and once my pets on my main get out I'm going to start feeding them real Neopian cuisuine again. I play with them, and just take care of them.

 

Once I told somebody about how I care for them like I would real life pets and they asked "How is that going to become problemmatic in the future?"and I told them that it isn't because while I do know that it's just a game, I still have a responsibility and obligation to take care of my pets.

[Squidmama]

I agree!! Why does it seem like a lot of these high end pet owners not care for their pets? If you can't take care of a virtual pet, it makes me scared for how they treat real ones! _{Or even a child. It makes me feel like they'd be really bad child paget parents}

 

If they gave out a prize for having the happiest best kept pet instead of best "who can slam the most crud on their pet" we'd see a lot less sad pets. D: It breaks my heart when they're teary face. I can't go on the boards without shameface when mine gets sick or something. How can anyone let something so cute look so sad? Its so heartless u_u And I hate the "Its just a game" defense.

 

So is SIMS and Tomagatchi, and if you let them get sad your game gets sucky. I wish there was pently. Like your Neopet could die and turn into a Ghost Neopet and the ghost would be like unable to wear anything :v or they could run away to the pound or the player could be barred from playing any games until they attended to their pet. Just something! I feel like there would be an easy fix. It annoys me how second-hand the pets--the main point of the sight--have become since the neomail. Sure, there were always status people but it felt less everywhere 'cause who was anyone to say anything to like a Fire Krawrk and a rare petpet every once in a while. But now its like everywhere and its like :/

[Lady Kakata]

So is SIMS and Tomagatchi, and if you let them get sad your game gets sucky. I wish there was pently. Like your Neopet could die and turn into a Ghost Neopet and the ghost would be like unable to wear anything :v or they could run away to the pound or the player could be barred from playing any games until they attended to their pet. Just something!

 

In the game Dogz (later Catz as well) your dog could run away if you abused it (either deliberately or by not feeding it) and it truely never came back. It happened with one of my chihuahuas since I was curious as to wither or not this was a real feature, and he was so headstrong and stubborn it didn't take much to annoy him. He sat in the corner and sulked, his back to me with his angry eye watching my mouse pointer (actually a terrifying stance now that I remember it). When I went to another room and came back to see if he would move and let me give him a treat to calm the situation down, he'd disappeared and I never saw him again :(

 

I too apply the same policy online as I do in real life, hence I only have one pet (Moorlough) as I don't think I would have the time and patience to manage more. Of course I wouldn't apply this to flock animals such as birds (I own two birds in real life) but I ensure the highest possible care for them. There is certainly a difference between real-life and fantasy, but if you let the online persona slip you'd better watch you don't start rationalising that your animal will be okay if it skips one meal, misses that vet appointment or you leave it alone for 10+ hours

[Squidmama]

I think one of the problems if that Neopets don't get hungry as fast as they should. I feed a single thing to Squiddles and he's like bloated for two day :I On that note *goes to feed him*

 

OMG that DOES sound scary! The realistic 3d animal is uncanny valley as it is but gosh XD.

 

I agree! I don't understand why people insist that "online" and "offline" is so separate. Its really not :I I have to travel a lot so I leave my petfaces at home but I always make sure they have plenty of food and water and I pay someone to clean their litter and bowls. I really hope its only the younger kids that neglect their pet :/

[Luciana]

I don't take care of my neopets. Most of the time I forget to put them in the neolodge or I just don't feel like it.

However I take wonderful care of my living and breathing real cat that has actual feelings.

I guess since I know my virtual pets don't have feelings and nothing bad happens when you don't feed them I want to ask "why bother?" It's not like feeding them is any fun either.

[Leila]

I take decent care of my pets when I'm active, but it is a lot of maintenance. However, I do see your point about people with active, well-off accounts who still don't bother to keep their pets happy. Sad pets do make...sad.

 

But as it's been said - they are virtual, and will always come after real life responsibilities for me and I'm sure most others.

[Squidmama]

If you don't care for them, then why have them. Of course, living things always come before non--that's common sense, but its takes like less than ten minuetes to take care of them so they're not crying. I dunno, I guess I take a certain amount of pride in making sure everything I have it a'okay. All dusted and fed.

 

I suppose its a lot more work for people who have a lifelyhood that isn't smashing into a keyboard all day to take care of internet buisness XD. I always forget not everyone has the redunkulous amount of free time as I do. But its still the people who have all the trophies and all the everything with the constantly straving pets make me wonder. It really doesn't take that long to pop a jelly in their mouth or visit the healing spring. She usually bloats up the pet :I

[Naamah D.]

There's no right or wrong way to take care of your Neopets or not take care of them. It all depends on how you view the game. I personally view the game as a responsibility. As long as well all know that they're not real and that it is a game, we can love and look after our Neopets anyway we want.....or not at all!

[Jeanie]

I agree with you, how can you spend so much on a pet and then leave it to starve? I think alot of the time people just forget to feed their pets, I keep all of mine in the lodge, except for my active cause I'm working on her gourmet foods. When I see the hungry pets I get a little angry, but then I remember, they are just pixels, just pictures, they are not real, on a human level I could never let my dog starve. That is the reason why I can't leave my pets hungry, not because they aren't real, but because I feel guilty.

[Vocaloid Marshmallow]

You are not being irrational at all.

 

I think all you guys are totally right. When your rich, I mean really rich on Neopets it doesn't mean you shouldn't see your pets ever again and not feed them in that 'ever again' time span. Those rich owners think they've achieved everything by becoming rich and that their pets can survive by themselves.There has to be some kind of thing happening to those owners who don't take care of their pets.

 

I've seen so many owners with 4 pets, all painted with different expensive colors and all of them dying or unhappy. I have 3 pets, I used to have 4 and never really had any difficulty in feeding them everyday. I've never had any hard times in feeding my pets. I sometimes leave them till they become 'not hungry' and then I feed them until they're bloated. I never put them in the Neolodge. I should actually. It'll be much easier for me. Why can't all owners do that if they are not planning to feed their pets again?

 

TNT has to do something about it. Like what Batman said, but not as bad as the pets completely dying but something minor. Like the pets running away and you have to find them or something but you can't find them easily. But that wouldn't be enough for those kind of people.

 

I don't know why you can't put your pets in the Neolodge for 2 months. I mean, if you're on a vacation aren't 2 months good? 28 days are not always enough.

 

When those owners look at their pets, don't they feel guilty? About not feeding their pets?

[Gammarax]

I think you guys might be taking this the wrong way. Some of these pets are kept at dying/famished/hungry so that they can be fed Neggs faster.

 

For those who don't know, Neggs are fed to pets to increase their stats faster than if they had to train them. The pets also have to be able to EAT. Owners keep their pets in the red (hungry zone) because they go back to being hungry faster.

 

Eg. Famished --> Dying is faster than Bloated --> Full Up

 

Just thought you guys should know. :)

[tempdisplay]

Of course! This is the thread I wanted to make xD Is Neopets about the pet's or the owner. It's definitely all about the owner and trying to make our Look-Ups look good right down to giving our pets the best customisation we can.

[Vocaloid Marshmallow]

Of course! This is the thread I wanted to make xD Is Neopets about the pet's or the owner. It's definitely all about the owner and trying to make our Look-Ups look good right down to giving our pets the best customisation we can.

 

And feed our pets. You missed that. We can't just let our pets starve and do everything else for them!

[Luciana]

Oh, I didn't know about that at all, Gammarax! Wish I knew that when I was trying to feed my pet all the gourmet food I owned. :T

 

Squidmama- I think you are required to have at least one pet to do anything else on the site? It's been a while since I've been pet-less so I'm not sure...

I guess people who don't feed their pets just isn't bothered when they see their pets frown? So I'm never really annoyed if I see someones expensive pet frowning. Maybe they want their pet to look sad I dunno. :eh: When I remember to take my neopets in the neolodge I do. But sometimes I am just lazy or forgetful. Maybe that's how it is for other people. :*

[Naamah D.]

Of course! This is the thread I wanted to make xD Is Neopets about the pet's or the owner. It's definitely all about the owner and trying to make our Look-Ups look good right down to giving our pets the best customisation we can.

 

That differs by owner though. Personally, I'm the type of owner who chooses to spoil their pets rotten with plushies and toys and good food, with the exception of the pets on my side accounts because they all go in the lodge but they get plushies and toys as well. I could care less about customisations or lookups. I care about the pets.

[Lady Lyuba]

I personally agree with what the lot of you have said. I HATE HATE HATE players who onle see their pets as status symbols or trophies. This REALLY makes me mad! True, I deck out my pets in all the best attire, true, I have pets painted rare and expensive colours, BUT: EVERY ONE OF THEM IS KEPT FED AND HAPPY. They are ALWAYS smiling. I am proud to be one of those players who playes mainly for their pets. Their happiness comes first, their appearance second, in fact that's WAY down the line!

 

It also wouldn't hurt to make a character out of their pet either, that way they might not see them as nothing other than a trophy. Make him alive in your imagination, know what he's like. Grow attatched to him, and then perhaps you'll be more obligated. The site is called Neopets after all, so the pets should come first, it's about caring for virtual pets, am I right? If these bad owners cannot look after their pets, the number one priority, why should they even play? I believe, "Your Majesty, if you can't feed your Faerie Draik a taco, get out of here!". End of discussion.

[dasavo]

The pets are virtual, they are not real, which is why I understand why some owners don't feed or keep their pets happy. However, I hate seeing my pets look sad. I always feed my pets and make sure they are in good health. However I don't go crazy and buy them expensive food and toys. I give them what they need so that they stay happy, and then I can concentrate on what I really want to do on neopets: collect avatars.

 

It would be cool if neopets died. It would teach responsibility to the users. However the down side is the real life stuff. Maybe if TNT made it so that when the neopets are "starving" they make the neopets look even worst and more sad, to maybe get some sympathy out of the users?

[Vocaloid Marshmallow]

It would be cool if neopets died. It would teach responsibility to the users.

 

What if you had a Pirate Draik(that's the most expensive pet I guess)? The user is obviously very rich and from what I've noticed rich users don't usually feed their pets. So this Pirate Draik is starving. Eventually he'll start dying. He does start dying and he dies completely! Imagine how sad the owner would be, I mean, spending so much on a pet and losing it is just terrible! That's why TNT doesn't make a pet really die.

[Naamah D.]

If a rich player can buy an expensive paint brush for let's say how come they can't buy food or put their pets in the Neolodge? Makes no sense really...