VOTE: Who has the best pet on campus?
Are you barking mad?
Connie FredricksonYou have to take on new and daunting responsibilities at university: the stress of deadlines, cooking for yourself and an unlimited supply of alcohol.
Yet some brave individuals decide to take on the extra responsibility of keeping pets – a pretty mad commitment to take on in the most reckless years of your life. Whether your landlord likes it or not, it’s always nice to come home to these bundles of joy. But who has the best pet?
Topsy
She is just the cutest
Owner: Connie Fredrickson, second year American Studies
Pet type: Dog
Age: Five months
Possibly the cutest puppy ever, Connie got Topsy in the summer. She told The Tab: “She’s a puppy we got in summer and she has already learnt how to high-five.”
Flash and Shimmer
Apparently one is fast and one is sparkly
Owner: Katie Wain, second year Marketing
Pet type: Goldfish
Age: Unknown. Katie’s had them for six weeks
Flash and Shimmer, named as such because “one is fast and one is sparkly”, are the two scaly roommates of second year Katie.
They like to eat and play with their Marimo ball, a green, spongy ball of algae. Sounds delicious.
Cassiopeia and Prometheus
At the grand old age of two
Owner: Viktoria Brandis, second year exchange student
Pet type: Testudo graeca or Greek Tortoises
Age: Two years old
These gorgeous Greek Tortoises don’t have a gender yet. Owner Viktoria said: “It needs a couple more years to determine them for sure.”
Don’t be fooled by the “slow-and-steady” reputation of the humble tortoise. Cassiopeia and Prometheus are, according to owner Viktoria, “pretty active, run around and climb”.
Kes
Kes likes a drop of Baileys
Owner: Clare Tanner, post-graduate Music
Pet Type: Silver tabby cat
Age: Five years old
This mischievous tabby cat is the ultimate student pet, and mirrors many of the habits that we are so accustomed to. Indeed, killing mice and birds holds no appeal to this silver fox.
Kes, according to owner Clare, is the “proudest cat in the world, with no inhibitions”.
He can keep up with the copious amounts of alcohol we consume as well: he is partial to a little – or a lot – of Baileys. He also has a penchant for playing and posing in women’s lingerie.
Swim Shady, Rayhana and Black-Eyed P
Are they the future of hip hop?
Owner: Rob Dennis, second year Politics
Pet Type: Fish
Age: Unknown, but owner Rob has had them since the beginning of term
These three fish belong to Rob Dennis. Despite the hip-hop reference in both Swim Shady and Black-Eyed P’s names, the fish are yet to exhibit any notable hip-hop talents that have made their namesakes so famous.
So, at the moment, the chances of them forming the world’s first fish hip-hop troupe are pretty slim.
Negara
One of the more rogue pets
Owner: Nellie Howell, second year American Studies
Pet Type: Snake
Age: Unknown
People think Nellie is a “big-old weirdo” when she tells them she keeps reptiles. But snakes are short-changed by their reputation, according to owner Nellie, for they are the ultimate “party pets”.
Snakes don’t need feeding everyday, making them really easy for us irresponsible students. If you have any unexpected sleepovers following a night-out, “you can just go home, change your knickers and go straight back out”: the quintessential “one-night stand” pet.
But it’s not just Negara’s low maintenance that makes her a great pet. She’s great to just watch TV with as you don’t need to hold her. Her beautiful skin also makes for great snake-selfies as well.
Do you think your pet is better? Email us: [email protected]