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50 “Shameless” Pets That Stole Their Owners’ Partners And Didn’t Even Feel Sorry About It
Jealousy is a heck of a thing. You see them cozying up to your partner, grabbing their attention, getting tons of cuddles, and making them smile far wider than you ever made them. When it comes to pets, you just can’t compete—they’ll shamelessly steal your significant other’s heart and act all cute and smug about it!
Don’t believe us? Well, our team here at Bored Panda has all the proof you’ll ever need. We’ve collected some of the best photos that prove how unabashedly pets (from dorky doggos to cute cattos) monopolize the attention that our loved ones should be lavishing us with!
Get ready to have your mood improved and to go ‘aww’ so hard, you’ll consider adopting a new pet. Don’t forget to upvote the pics that you loved the most as you scroll down. You’ll find our previous wholesome post about those cute but dastardly pets stealing our significant others right over here.
Bored Panda was interested to learn more about animal empathy, consciousness, and their world of emotions, so we reached out to the PDSA, the UK's leading vet charity. PDSA vet Lynne James told us that animals lead lives that can be as rich and complex as our own. Read on for the full interview.
This post may include affiliate links.
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"Anyone who has ever owned a pet will recognize their ability to understand their owner’s moods. Who hasn’t sat down in misery and found their dog has hopped up next to them nudging their arm, wanting to be there for them, or their cat has jumped up on the seat next to them in a comforting way? This doesn’t happen by accident," PDSA vet James told Bored Panda.
According to the vet, research has found that many animals experience consciousness and emotions comparable to human beings. "They pick up on moods, emotions, and pheromones produced by people and other animals. By responding to these and acting accordingly, they are reacting with empathy, but this will definitely apply to some pets more than others."
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This Is How My Cat Waits For My Boyfriend To Come Home
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Vet James pointed out that mammals feel a wide range of emotions, from love, happiness, and excitement to fear, distress, and others. "It’s incredibly important that we respect and nurture our pets so that they can enjoy a happy life with us. Our pets have individual needs; some pets may be very sociable while others less so. As a pet owner, it’s your responsibility to provide for your pet’s five welfare needs, including their need for love and attention, and you can’t do that unless you learn about the species you’re planning to share your life with."
The PDSA vet continued, stressing that socializing with our pets is a must: "A sociable animal won’t thrive in life if their need for companionship isn’t met. How many of us humans have struggled with lockdown? We’re sociable creatures and the lack of social interaction has meant that lots of us are finding things hard, but can you imagine if we had to live like this permanently? We wouldn’t want to inflict that on our sociable pets either."
My GF And I Usually Hold Hands When We're Watching TV. Tonight Felt A Little Furrier Than Normal. Looked Down To Find This
My Girlfriends Cat Has Decided He Is Obsessed With Me And Now We Wake Up Like This Every Morning
Woke Up To Find My Boyfriend And Our Dog Sound Asleep Like This
However, some pets find that sharing their homes with other animals (whether of their own species or nto) to be stressful. This can impact their mental and even physical health. "It’s really important to research your pets so that you know you’re providing the right kind of environment for them so you can share a happy life together," the vet said.
The PDSA has lots of wonderful advice for all of you Pandas who have pets at home. You can find some information about how to socialize your puppies during the lockdown here, how to socialize your kittens right here, and how to stop your dogs from getting separation anxiety right over here.
It won’t surprise any pet owner to learn that animals have a highly-developed sense of empathy toward their owners, as well as their own kind. (I mean, who doesn’t like getting and giving hugs?) However, this doesn’t mean that everyone’s always lovey-dovey and super-cuddlesome. Sometimes, there’s some calculation on our pets’ part involved, too!
You All Deserve Someone In Your Lives Who Looks At You The Same Way My Cat Looks At My Boyfriend
“Back Off, He’s Mine Now”
Caught My GF Taking Selfies With My Dog. The Shade He Throws Me At The End Hurt Me
For an earlier article that we wrote about pet intelligence, we’d reached out to Dr. Suzanne MacDonald from the Department of Psychology at York University in Toronto. She helped us get a deeper glimpse into pet intelligence as a whole.
Dr. MacDonald explained that, based on her experience with pet owners, they “tend to overestimate” just how intelligent, smart, and clever their adorable animals are. This is pretty natural because we love our pets just so very much.
My BF And Dog When They Play A Video Game
BF: "You’re Paranoid, The Cat Definitely Doesn’t Love Me More." BF: Closes Door. Cat:
We Have This One Mare That's Always Trying To Steal My Man
According to Dr. Macdonald, it’s dog owners in particular that tend to overestimate their pets’ intelligence. “Dog owners tend to overestimate their intelligence because dogs and humans co-evolved so we can read each other’s cues very well. Dogs are super great at picking up small cues from us, and they look to us when they need help... so they have learned to do things—like have a 'guilty' face, for example—that make us think they have the same intentions and understanding that humans do... even if the research shows that they don’t."
Dr. Macdonald added that pet owners generally tend to attribute a lot more cognitive complexity to their animals than research shows that they have in reality. Now, this doesn’t mean that our pets are ‘dumb.’ Not by a long shot. But it does mean that we should be realistic about how smart and capable our best buddies are… and what dogs are willing to do to get a snack or an extra belly rub.
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Here's My Shoulder Kitten Watching The Mandalorian With My BF
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We also previously spoke to scientist Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal about rat empathy. She explained that empathy is a very complex subject. “The definition of empathy, how can we say that animals really feel empathy the same way we do. But empathy is a construct. We don’t even know what it is in humans really!”
Bartal continued: “I operate on the assumption that there is an evolutionary continuum between species, and that the basic building blocks of our responses are shared. Being sensitive to distress in others and motivated to care about their suffering is as old as the moment mother and child became connected for survival after birth.”
Maybe I'm Being Paranoid But I Think She's Flirting With My Boyfriend
Daisy Adores My Boyfriend. I’m Pretty Sure He’s Her Boyfriend Now
I Just Woke Up And Realized That I'm The Third Wheel
In other words, Bartal assumes that there’s a sense of empathy that all conscious animals share (even though the exact extent and the way it’s expressed might differ). Looking at the capacity for empathy as a continuum instead of something that’s binary opens up a lot of questions about morality and how we treat animals.
Bartal and other scientists’ research found that socialization was a vital aspect of empathy. To put it bluntly, the more we socialize with someone, the more quality time we spend with them, the more we’ll become emotionally attached to them and willing to make sacrifices for them.
My Girlfriend's Dog And I The First Night We Met
This Girl Has Been Trying To Steal My Husband Since Day One
I Turn My Back For 2 Seconds And He's Trying To Steal My Girl And My Food
Not to get too ahead of ourselves, but this sort of research sounds a lot like the scientists finding the building blocks of love, affection, and whatever else you might want to call the starry-eyed look on your pets’ faces as they’re hugging you while your partner looks on in envy.
When He Steals Yo Man Successfully
My Wife And Our Dog Marty As I Was Leaving For Work This Morning
Every Time Husband Comes Home And Sits Down, The Girls Are Like This Within Minutes
My Girlfriend Decorated Our Tree With My Dog Last Week
My Dog Showing My Girlfriend That I’m His
Caught My GF Sleeping With My Best Friend. Decided A Picture Was Better Than Waking Them Up
What did you think of this post? Which photos got your hearts beating the fastest with how adorable they were, dear Pandas? Got any similar photos of your pets stealing your significant others’ hearts? Drop us a line or a photo in the comment section. And, before you go, you might want to check our old post about a woman who documented how her cat stole her husband in hilarious and over-the-top cutesy photos right over here.
My Dog Stole My Girlfriend And He Knows It
My Dad Texted Me This Morning And Said He Was Replaced On Valentine's Day
Good Girl Always Stealing My Spot
This Is His "I Stole Your Girl" Face
Can We All Just Appreciate This Photo Of My Dog's Reaction To A Hug From My Boyfriend
My Girlfriend’s Dog And I Had A Moment
My Chonk Is Trying To Steal My Man
Never Thought I'd Have To Share My Boyfriend With My Cat, But She's Been In Love Since Day One
My Puppy Stole My Girlfriend
Guinness Book of World Records: first dog to intentionally blow a raspberry.
My Cat Trying To Seduce My Boyfriend
She Steals My Girl And Then Gloats About It
My Boyfriend And His Dog Give Each Other A Hug Every Morning And I Happened To Be Behind Him On The Stairs This Time
My Girlfriend Went To Get A Drink, And Her Cat Wanted To Skype Me Too
Every Morning Husband Sneaks Out Of Bed To Cuddle Mistress
GF And I Were Holding Hands. Then This Happened
My Boyfriend With His Girlfriend, Toaster
I Just Tried To Hold My Husband's Hand And My Cat Was Not Pleased About It
Buddy Went To The Bathroom And Our Friend's 180lb Dog Claimed His Wife As His Own
that dog is so chonky and big! its adorable. for a second I though it was some human dog bredd
Little Boi Blep Stole My Girlfriend
Came Home And Found My Girl In Bed With Another Man
Adopted Her Two Years Ago. Him 5 Years Ago. I Am Now The Third Wheel
Mr. Steal Yo Boy
My Dog Skypes My Boyfriend Better Than I Do
First Time My Girlfriend Met My Cat, She Spent More Time With Him Than Me
My Cat, Taco, Is More In Love With My Boyfriend Than Anyone Else In The World
My Dog Loves My GF More. Apparently, The Girls Gotta Stick Together
Woke Up Early, Don't Think The Hubby Realizes I'm Gone
Walked In On My Best Friend Trying To Steal My GF
My Husband Didn’t Want A Cat. Now We Have One That Shoots Hearts Out His Eyeballs At My Husband
I Caught My BF With My Cat. No Words
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Joollleeeeeeennnneee! Please don't take my man just because you caaa-aaa-an.........
A Love Triangle
It's a good thing. Think how awful it would be if they hated each other.
My Coworker's Dog Just Stole My Girlfriend
Three Days In To My Husband Being Home 24/7 And My Dog Has Become A Full On Traitorous Bastard. It’s Like I Don’t Exist
i have a feeling that during quarantine dogs are having time of their lives
I Think He Stole My Girlfriend
Got Married Saturday. This Was Sunday Morning. My Cat Stole My Husband And Liked To Rub It In
The Look After She Steals Another Boyfriend
This Little Derp Has Stolen My Boyfriend
Came Home Last Night To Find My Boyfriend And Our 13lbs Cat Genghis Khan Sleeping Like This. They're So Fluffy
The Face My Dog Makes At My Girlfriend When We Cuddle
My BF Who Declared How Much He Didn’t Like Cats. Dare I Say The Little Stinker Loves Him More Than Me
Famous Last Words. My husband said he didn’t like cats at the beginning of our relationship too. Within a week, he was supervising their meals, getting down on the floor to play with them, and building them a cat tree.
The Way My Dog Looks At My BF. She Loves Him So Much
Just My Hubby And His Girlfriend. Looking At Me Like I'm The Side Chick
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My Cat Is Overly Attached To My Wife
I Swear She’s Trying To Steal My Boyfriend
My Boyfriend Who Has Never Owned A Pet Moved In Yesterday
I Get Up For One Minute And Walk In To Find That I've Already Been Replaced
Brand New To The Family And He's Already Trying To Steal My Woman. Meet Riker
She Likes To Stare At Me When She’s In My Husband’s Arms To See If It Makes Me Jealous
My Wife Says She Jealous Of Me And My Dog Because Of Looks Like This
Meanwhile, I'm On The Couch Alone
This Strange Creature Is Trying To Steal My Man
My Baby Makes My Wife Jealous
Came Home To Find My Girlfriend And Our Cat Taking A Quick Nap At The Bottom Of The Bed Like This
My Girlfriend And Her Cat Moved In With Me, I Am Now The Favorite
Do men have a slightly higher body temperature than women? Cats always seem to want a man's lap !!
My Cat Is Trying To Steal My Boyfriend
What A Disgrace
I’m Starting To Think My GF Is Only Dating Me For My Cat
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My Boyfriend And I Recently Moved In Together. This Is What My Dog Does For Most Of The Day Until He Comes Home
GF's Dog Was Happy To Meet Me
Lucy Was Getting Some Love. Don't Think I'll Ever Get Him Back From Her
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"Yes? Can I Help You?" Damn Cat Stole My Seat
This Smug Bastard, Stealing My Wife's Heart
It's Mr. Steal Yo Girl - Unfortunately, It's My Girl He Stole
Get A Boyfriend They Said, It Will Be Fun. Jerk Stole My Dog, My Trusted Sleeping Cuddle Buddy
My Cat Is Stealing My Girlfriend And He Knows It
My Dog Stole My Boyfriend
He's My Husband Now
He Stole My Woman
My Husband Is Out Of Town So My Cat Took His Spot And Laid On His Pillow All Night. He Even Gave Me The “Good Morning” Face
Went To Visit Our New Puppy Winnie Today. Safe To Say I Think I'm Going To Have To Compete For My GF's Affection In Future
My BF Claims To Hate Cats. My Cat Slept Over Last Night, As Soon As My BF Put His Arm Around Him There Was Instant Purring
I'm Very Jealous Of My Boyfriend And Cat's Relationship. But Hey At Least Everyone Is Comfortable
Ms. Steal Yo Man
Well, Can't Say I Didn't Think It Would Happen One Day
My Dog Is Obsessed With My Husband
Mr. Steal Yo Man Kitteh
“She’s Mine”
My Cat Stealing My Girlfriend, Preventing Her From Studying, And Then Looking Back At Me To See If I’m Jealous
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Pretty Sure I've Lost My Man To The Giant Dog I've Been Puppy Sitting. This Is How They Have Been Watching TV
Fell Asleep Next To Blue. Wife Says She Has Competition
Woke Up And Realized My Boyfriend Wasn't In Bed. Went To The Living Room And Found This
Umm, Excuse Me, That’s Where I Was Sitting
He Is Mine Meow
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I'm Just Casually Third Wheeling Next To These Two
Mr. Steal Yo Girl
This Mrs. Gonna Steal Yo Man
I Think My Little Dude Is Trying To Steal My Wife
Came Home And Found My Husband In Bed With Another Female
I Am Officially The Third Wheel
Roll Over To Cuddle BF And Then...
My Bed, My Man, I’m Not Movin'
She's Simply Here To Steal My Man
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How My Boyfriend And His Cat Sleep
We're so glad you enjoyed our post, Flowers! Which photo did you like the best?:)
Load More Replies...Every time I go to someone's house their pets do this with me. I have a couple of theories: 1) They're excited about the new "friend" 2) They figure they can get away with stuff their "owners" won't let them get away with. 3) I have somehow gotten a tattoo only animals can see that tells them I'm a sucker.
With mine it is pure joy about additonal play and attention. Total mommas boy (here come the downvotes) but rare human visitors are a highlight.(might have to do with even rarer contact due to covid)
Load More Replies...My husband hates my cat. I know it's only because he's hurt my cat won't love him like she loves me. Torties choose their person. He's tried so hard, but 10 years, he's still not the mama.
Any time we get a new animal (we have a sheep farm) my kids get so upset because all of the animals bond to me. They'll say, "This one is mine!" Nope! So now I feel like Mother Hen when I go into the field. Dogs, kids, sheep, husband all follow like little chicks. I am one lucky Merino Mama!
Let me guess:you are the one to feed and discipline?
Load More Replies...I've been in the presence of two dogs that loved being around me ... my late fiancé's boxer was a total spazz when I visited ... one time he walked over and just plopped in front of my open legs while we were watching a movie ... my ex's and children's pitull mix destroys me when I come over to visit ... he is always trying to get me to either rub him or play fight him ... what's funny is that whenever we play fight, he shows aggression even though I always have the upper hand, but as soon as I tap him in the side, he calms down ...
Every time I visit my friend's house her hairless cat runs over immediately and sits in my lap fpr the duration of my stay. Either she really likes me or I have an abnormally warm lap.
So... I'm a bad person because my sister-in-law's dog can't stand me. Literally didn't do anything to her (dog, female), and that's exactly what seems to be the problem - lack of attention. But, girl, how am I going to play with you if you yell at me the moment you smell me coming? That's not how introverts work. ♡
Load More Replies...Instead of complaining, thank them; it is said that if your pet, especially dog, doesn't like your "significant other" it means that he/she is not good person (for you).
my dog and my girlfriend are always trying to find out who I love more.
Awww... I love this so much! Cracking up in class and my Social Studies teacher said "History is nothing to laugh about"
I wonder if all these people take their pet's acceptation of the partner as a good sign...
That has completely made my day. I had a hard time at work and now I feel better :)
The saying is actually "fifth wheel". The reason is that a fifth wheel serves no function and is just in the way. It has nothing to do with how many you are. https://grammarist.com/idiom/fifth-wheel-vs-third-wheel/
An "idiom" is a phrase that has a "common use meaning." Anyone (or site) that tries to make an argument that one idiom is "correct" and another "incorrect" or "less correct" when it is in common use is incorrect. The fact that "third wheel" is understood without explanation makes it correct. If your argument was "the original" rather than "actually" you would have a point, but as written you are incorrect
Load More Replies...My huge male cat will be astonished to hear that he's actually a girl. helper-602...d00146.jpg
We're so glad you enjoyed our post, Flowers! Which photo did you like the best?:)
Load More Replies...Every time I go to someone's house their pets do this with me. I have a couple of theories: 1) They're excited about the new "friend" 2) They figure they can get away with stuff their "owners" won't let them get away with. 3) I have somehow gotten a tattoo only animals can see that tells them I'm a sucker.
With mine it is pure joy about additonal play and attention. Total mommas boy (here come the downvotes) but rare human visitors are a highlight.(might have to do with even rarer contact due to covid)
Load More Replies...My husband hates my cat. I know it's only because he's hurt my cat won't love him like she loves me. Torties choose their person. He's tried so hard, but 10 years, he's still not the mama.
Any time we get a new animal (we have a sheep farm) my kids get so upset because all of the animals bond to me. They'll say, "This one is mine!" Nope! So now I feel like Mother Hen when I go into the field. Dogs, kids, sheep, husband all follow like little chicks. I am one lucky Merino Mama!
Let me guess:you are the one to feed and discipline?
Load More Replies...I've been in the presence of two dogs that loved being around me ... my late fiancé's boxer was a total spazz when I visited ... one time he walked over and just plopped in front of my open legs while we were watching a movie ... my ex's and children's pitull mix destroys me when I come over to visit ... he is always trying to get me to either rub him or play fight him ... what's funny is that whenever we play fight, he shows aggression even though I always have the upper hand, but as soon as I tap him in the side, he calms down ...
Every time I visit my friend's house her hairless cat runs over immediately and sits in my lap fpr the duration of my stay. Either she really likes me or I have an abnormally warm lap.
So... I'm a bad person because my sister-in-law's dog can't stand me. Literally didn't do anything to her (dog, female), and that's exactly what seems to be the problem - lack of attention. But, girl, how am I going to play with you if you yell at me the moment you smell me coming? That's not how introverts work. ♡
Load More Replies...Instead of complaining, thank them; it is said that if your pet, especially dog, doesn't like your "significant other" it means that he/she is not good person (for you).
my dog and my girlfriend are always trying to find out who I love more.
Awww... I love this so much! Cracking up in class and my Social Studies teacher said "History is nothing to laugh about"
I wonder if all these people take their pet's acceptation of the partner as a good sign...
That has completely made my day. I had a hard time at work and now I feel better :)
The saying is actually "fifth wheel". The reason is that a fifth wheel serves no function and is just in the way. It has nothing to do with how many you are. https://grammarist.com/idiom/fifth-wheel-vs-third-wheel/
An "idiom" is a phrase that has a "common use meaning." Anyone (or site) that tries to make an argument that one idiom is "correct" and another "incorrect" or "less correct" when it is in common use is incorrect. The fact that "third wheel" is understood without explanation makes it correct. If your argument was "the original" rather than "actually" you would have a point, but as written you are incorrect
Load More Replies...My huge male cat will be astonished to hear that he's actually a girl. helper-602...d00146.jpg