Overprotective of pets

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For as long as I can remember I have never been able to enjoy my pet's company the way I see most NT's enjoy theirs, I'm always worried they'll get sick, or hurt or something.
I wake up throughout the night to adjust the temperature in my room, because I'm scared my cockatiel will get ill if it's too cold. It's not as though I set an alarm, either, it's my subconscious that seems to be worrying about it, that makes me wake up.

I also change his newspaper about 4 times a day, since I'm worried he'll get sick from his faeces, I change his water a lot, in fact I don't know how often I do that since it's just second nature now.
I also have a kitchen timer that I have with me on my computer desk when I've given him fresh vegetables, when the timer goes off I go and take the vegetables out of his cage before they become contaminated and make him sick.

A few months ago I was pretty much forced out of my house, because the new owner couldn't get insurance while I was there, the animals were able to stay until I found somewhere to live, but I had to leave them there and was only allowed access to them during the day.

I know most NT have no problem leaving their pets alone, but I was up all night, and worried myself to the point of vomiting. Nowadays I refuse to go out unless there is someone here that I trust, otherwise all I think about is house fires and earthquakes etc.

No one is EVER allowed to walk my dog, or even pet my dog. I know that's irrational, but it just makes me ill if I see someone stroking an animal that could be unpredictable. My worst fear is that he would bite someone, then have to get destroyed. He has never bitten me or anyone before in his life, except for play bites of course, but the image is stuck in my head, since I know large animals can be unpredictable.

Is anyone else like this with their animals?

Yes I'm over protective of my dog. When he had to have surgery I had a 3day meltdown

I'm over protective of my dog a bit. I love her to bits. I hate leaving her in another room in the house on her own, makes me feel really guilty. I always give her 1-2 treats every day and give her lots of attention.

Personally, I think birds should be kept in a cage huge enough to spread their wings in. When I say huge, I mean like a greenhouse. I know that's not practical for bird owners, but just the thought if them being caged like a prisoner seems unfair. (Why are they being punished? What's the use of wings then?) That said, the level of love and attenton paid to one's pet is still appreciated and welcomed.

Yes I am. Two of my dogs had to have surgery this year, and I was very upset before, during, and after.

I haven't spent the night somewhere else in years because I don't really trust anyone else with my pets.If something happened to one of them I would most likely blame the person watching them and I know I would blame myself.They are my family and I do worry about them a lot but they also help me to survive.

I definitely agree. My cockatiel's cage door is open pretty much all day, every day. He doesn't really fly around much, though, just sits on my shoulder and chews all my stuff, haha.
Some days he prefers his cage, since it's in a nice sunny spot.

I get upset when people enter my reptile room, especially when my parent's friends bring over their kids. As they do enjoy trying to open up the aquariums/reptariums, moving lamps, and handling them.

Yes, I was pretty overprotective of my dog and now cat. When I first got my dog he was 3 months old and I was nervous to even let him run around inside the fenced backyard. I kept him on a leash even in the yard for the first couple of weeks. Now with the cat, we have a screened in patio but he's not allowed out there unsupervised. I'll take him outside the patio for a walk on his leash sometimes.

I'm overprotective of my rabbit. He's a house rabbit and is used to the best I can afford to give him. I haven't been on holiday since getting him as I know other people think it's OK to keep a rabbit outside in a cage, but that's not how my rabbit lives. So there's no one really that I can ask to look after him in the way he's used to being looked after.

It was the same when I had my cat (he passed away in 2010). And that was actually really bad as he hated being away from me. During his last year he got very sick but I couldn't leave him at the vet as he freaked out too much. He wouldn't let the vet get near him (he tried to attack the vet) except when I was there, which made it hard as he needed treatment which meant he needed to stay overnight at the vets.

I have been told I have attachment issues... and sadly it seems I pass them on to my pets (good thing I don't have kids!).

I'm over-pampering of my cats. They're spoiled rotten and that's how I want them. So spoiled that Prince whines despondently for me to come help him when he's not able to catch a fly, LOL

I'm very protective of my pets. My mom says that's why my cat is a spoiled little brat. I've always pampered her. I don't like scolding or yelling at them because it makes me feel terrible. My dog was just neutered, and I'm quite psychotic.lolI check his incision every day, and he's not allowed to go into the pool. I don't fill it up so he can't get wet. The vet said he wasn't allowed to for two week. I feel so terrible because it's hot outside and he loves to splash in the water so much. I'm also much better at them taking their meds than I am about mine. While I may forget mine a couple of times, I never forget theirs. I always want them to have the very best, too. I buy them as many things as my parents will let me, and always the best I can afford.

That's not exactly true.

Firstly, most large dog breeds have extremely gentle temperaments (they've been bred this way). They actually recommend getting a large breed if you have young children, because they are very tolerant and kind and are extremely reluctant to bite people. I'd be more afraid of being bitten by a Chihuahua than a Great Dane, personally.

Secondly, dogs give clear signals before they're going to bite, and if you know dog body language, you can see when a dog is likely to bite. This link describes what body language dogs give when they're feeling certain moods. They don't bite randomly. If your dog is giving off a mix of friendly and submissive body language, he is not going to bite.

Now, many people don't know how to read dog body language. But if you, as the owner, can read your own dog, you can tell when it's safe for others to pet your dog and when it isn't. When someone asks if they can pet your dog, look over at your dog's body language to see if they seem to be in the mood for petting. Excited and/or friendly behavior, especially when mixed with submissive signals, means it's safe for others to pet your dog. (I still remember this one dog who, when I asked his owner if I could pet him, he immediately came running towards me, showing very friendly/excited body language. I knew immediately that the dog at least consented to being petted!)

I have a question for you. Do you think maybe, once your current pets have lived out their natural lives, it might be good for you to not get any more pets? If you don't have pets, you can't feel anxious about their welfare.

Personally, I love having pets, and while I'm pretty sad if anything happens to them, I don't tend to worry about them much. My cat goes outside regularly, and while I know it's possible she could get hit by a car, injured by another animal, etc, I trust in her judgment to keep herself safe. She's a pretty smart cat, she knows about avoiding cars and she's good at figuring out who she could or couldn't take in a fight. (In fact, if all the humans of our family died, as long as she managed to get outside, she'd survive just fine. She'd be sad, but she could easily take care of herself. She's even a good mouser.)

I did get anxious about my rats because a few times I came to their cage to find one of them had suddenly died. But never to the extreme you're talking about, it's just that if I went more than half a day between checking on them I'd get anxious, and when I was heading to the cage I'd always get this little nervous thought that one of them might have died.

I'm constantly worrying about the welfare of my dog. Whether I'm in bed, in work, or anywhere.

He's away with my parents this week, in their caravan. Worryingly.

I love big dogs. I hope my puppy gets very tall. He has some Weimaraner in him, so I guess there's hope. I want him to learn to walk on a leash well. Once, I had to take a St. Bernard out to go to the bathroom, and he was just in so much of a hurry that when he started to walk really fast, I couldn't tug at the leash or anything to make him stop. He just pulled me running behind him.lolOnce he found a spot and urinated, though, he was more than happy to let me lead him and follow me back inside. Like he just turned and said 'I'm ready. Where do we go?'.

I have always, and will always, be overprotective of my cats. They are always my best friends and being overprotective and worrying about them is a result of seeing them as significant in my life. I treat my cats with the same care and love that they treat me. Thats more than I can say for most humans.