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It’s no secret that many of us here at Bored Panda are huge animal fans, Pandas—and we expect many of you are, too! Recently, we’ve become more and more aware of how much we change when there are cute pets in the general vicinity. Suddenly, we’re all smiles and cute voices!

When there’s a dog at the office or we spot a cute cat strolling through the neighborhood, some of your stress melts away. And don’t even get us started about how amazing it is to come back home to a pet that you love and which loves you with all of its floofy heart. In some cases, however, it might seem like your partners, family members, and friends maaay prefer their pets over you. Well, just slightly.

Celebrated American poet Ada Limón recently went viral on Twitter for a very amusing post that she did. Ada opened up about a fun misunderstanding at home, where she thought her husband was speaking to her, but it turned out that he was addressing the dog. Other Twitter users loved this so much, they started sharing their very own misunderstandings that came from people addressing their pets. Meanwhile, others revealed how their partners might actually treat the animals at home slightly better than the love of their life! Scroll down for the cutest post you’ll probably read all day.

And if you’ve ever had something similar happen to you, dear Pandas, we’d love to hear all about it, so pop down by the comment section (pics of your pets are always welcome).

Ada was kind enough to share her thoughts about the popular tweet and the wholesome thread that it sparked with Bored Panda. "My husband is the kindest man I know and he laughed so hard when he realized that I thought he was talking to me. He then brought me a glass of water from the filter on the fridge, and even put a slice of lemon in it. So really it was a good moment for everyone in my little family," she said.

Meanwhile, certified cat behavior consultant and the founder of Fundamentally Feline, Ingrid Johnson, also answered Bored Panda's questions about the dynamic between pet cats and their owners. Read on to see what they both told us!

More info: Twitter | Facebook | Podcast | AdaLimon.net

"I think sometimes there is so much toxicity on social media that when a tweet is somewhat innocuous or just points out the pleasures or humor of day to to day life it can feel like a little relief in the onslaught of terrible news," Ada shared her thoughts with Bored Panda about why her tweet became so popular online.

"I think people just needed something small that day, something minor, a dog getting fresh water, being treated like the royalty she is."

Bored Panda was very interested to get to grips with how cats respond to what their owners do, so we also reached out to cat behavior specialist Ingrid, from Fundamentally Feline. We were curious about what we, as people, can do to show our feline companions that we love them and care about them. According to the specialist, what cats appreciate the most is choice.

"Cats prefer options rather than forced change. Whenever we do things like abruptly change brands of cat litter or change their diet it is always best to offer choices rather than forcing them into things," she explained to us that cats very much appreciate independence and freedom.

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3 Owls In A Coat
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If this guy is anything like me, he regrets that moment to this day. Can we high five him

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Kitty Kat
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This whole article just goes to show that we should talk to people as kindly as we talk to animals.

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Ciara Ann Stone
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Geese are complete assholes of birds, I don't care how attractive it might look, it's always gonna look like a honking nightmare to me

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Violet Jensen
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a pet goose and let me clarify it’s just wild Canadian breeding season geesec

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Jaya
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some of us never get any compliments about our looks, so we have to take whatever we can get, lol

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"Cats also prefer humans that allow the cats to dictate the interactions. They do not like to be smothered. Allow the cat to approach and ask for petting rather than forcing it on them," she said.

Meanwhile, we wanted to know to what extent cats can pick up on our tone of voice and body language.

Certified cat behavior consultant Ingrid told Bored Panda that, "absolutely," cats can sense our moods through how we speak. Which is great news for us!

"Animals are very perceptive, not to mention they can smell the chemical changes in our bodies when we are hormonal, sad, angry, sick, etc.," the founder of Fundamentally Feline told Bored Panda.

"Many cats learn that a loud raised voice means bad news and they run to hide. It is ideal to try to minimize such tones in the home as we can be doing a lot to stress out all of our pets even if the discussion is not directed towards them in any way, it can still affect them."

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The author of the viral Twitter post, Ada, is the author of six books, and has recently become the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States of America. She is a celebrated poet and writer, as well as the host of the podcast, The Slowdown.

If you happen to be interested in poetry or feel like you’re open to reading something new, you should definitely take a peek at her work, dear Pandas. Her lines are powerful, fresh, and vivid—and they made us feel things we haven’t felt in years, if we’re honest. Some of us have even taken out our old quills and ink to try and pen a few short poems of our own.

We absolutely love petting pets, giving them snacks, and cuddling with them. We’d do it all day long if only we could and no doggo or catto on the streets would be safe from our affection. However, there are some considerations that we have to take into account.

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For one, does the pet want us to talk to it in an overly cutesy voice while we hug it and don’t want to let go? And secondly, if the pet isn’t ours, we need to think about talking to them and getting their permission. Things get a tad complicated when it’s a stranger’s pet, not yours!

Vet Claire Roberts, from the PDSA, the UK’s leading vet charity, explained to Bored Panda how we should address the entire question of wanting to become friends with dogs we don’t know.

“Firstly, you should always ask the owner’s permission before approaching a dog and avoid the snacks—dogs really don’t need human food, despite what those eyes seem to tell us!" Claire told us.

"Next, look at the dog’s body language, if they have a high, wagging tail, floppy ears, and look relaxed then you can start to approach them. Try not to look straight into their eyes, as this can seem aggressive to a dog, and let them come to you for a sniff before touching them," the PDSA representative explained to Bored Panda.

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"If they have a low or tucked under tail, their ears are pinned back or their posture is tense then it is likely they are feeling uncomfortable and should not be approached. It is best to avoid rubbing the tummy of a dog you don’t know, as sometimes dogs showing their belly can be a sign that they are feeling anxious.”

PDSA Vet Claire also shared some advice on how to socialize young dogs and get them used to other people.

"It is best to start gradually introducing your dog to strangers when they are a puppy. Between 4 and 12 weeks of age is the ‘socialization period’ where your puppy’s brain is learning lots of new things, including how to cope with unfamiliar people," the pet health and behavior expert noted.

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frog
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel this. I'll be asking the cuddly homies "how they doin" or "what ya up to" and my mom is all like, "huh, yall say somethin??" but... when I am actually trying to speak with her its complete radio silence 😪🐛

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"If your dog is frightened of strangers you can try and desensitize them, starting with introducing new people at a distance where your dog feels safe and associate this with something great, like a favorite treat. This can be a very gradual process, and it’s important to always allow your dog the choice to move away from a situation that makes them uncomfortable,” she told Bored Panda.

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Gin. No tonic
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Twist: Grandpa wasn't talking to the boy, he was talking to the boy's dog.

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Steve
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a male neighbor and nobody knows his name. EVERYBODY knows his corgie Doug

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"We recommend always asking a certified pet behaviorist for advice with this as it is easy to accidentally make fear of strangers worse. It’s important to slowly introduce any dog to any new people, animals, places, and experiences in a positive way to help keep them happy and confident."

See Also on Bored Panda

The poet’s thread about our love of animals went viral, and amassed a whopping 82k likes. Humorous content tends to be loved by many on Twitter. It also matters who makes the post, as celebrities tend to get much more attention than others. But luck also plays a vital role in why some tweets become incredibly popular while others remain barely seen.

Entertainment and pop culture expert Mike Sington, from Los Angeles, previously explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview that all celebrities have to be very careful about what they say and do. They’re always in the spotlight. Even when they think they aren’t.

"Celebrities have to be extremely careful and thoughtful when tweeting because their tweets are being monitored by the media, who can immediately amplify what they are saying beyond the people who are on Twitter,” he said that with renown comes a new level of responsibility.

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Charlene Elise
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Um, so I gotta say that me learning the word Jackhole has to be the best f*cking thing to happen in my life... I just screamed "Jackhole" to insult my coworker who, for the past 8yrs was previously only known as "F**k Tard" and/or "A** Quack" and the look on his face gave me so much f*cking inner joy & peace that I forgot about how much I hate my sh*tty job... Thank you for this!! P.S - For all the Jackholes out there... Plz Eat Sh*t.

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"You’ve got to move fast if there’s a massive negative backlash to a tweet, because the backlash can spread so quickly. The best course of action is to admit you were wrong, apologize, and state you are deleting the offending tweet,” he said how celebs and their teams should act if there’s ever a comment that turns out to have a major negative reaction.

For Mike, crafting a powerful and far-reaching tweet means creating impact through one of five criteria: “Be humorous, interesting, thought-provoking, inspirational, or start a conversation,” he told Bored Panda what gets people’s attention the most.

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Deborah Harris
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My son now knows after getting side eyed by one of my house hippos, that if there's three chicken balls left in the bag after a take away, it's one each for the dogs and they're not up for grabs lol

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ArhomR
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sometimes you just need an answer regardless of who is there.