Anyone prefer stuffed animals/real animals to people?

Post Reply New Topic

I do - My Mater, Francesco Bernoulli, Dorys, Meanie Chief, Mater Pillow Pet, and all my Cars plushies give me much - needed comfort, and feel nice, warm, and cuddly. I like real animals, too, but I prefer not to get too attached to them bcuz they can die. I'm taking a hiatus from owning fish for awhile for this reason.

I think it's safe to say that not a lot of people are particularly inviting, soft, warm and sympathetic (at least not from my perspective, but I'm sure some others will agree) - so, it's nice that plsuhies can fill the void.

Anyone else?

I used to have some stuffed animals. I think I still have most of them, they're just in my closet somewhere. Never got too attached to any of them, except for this Meowth plushie I got for one Xmas, which I used to always sleep with.

I did have a hamster for a while, and if memory serves it died of some kind of stomach cancer. I remember feeling bad enough for so long that my parents had to tell me it was time to get over it. I guess I felt that I neglected him somehow and that there was more I could've done to change things.

Right now we have about six cats, and while they may be my favorite animal, some are more annoying than others and still have very distinct personalities. That said, they are quite a bit easier to read than humans, it seems like.

One animal I can't stand are dogs. We've been lucky to only have a few cocker spaniels, and never more than one at a time, but they still managed to be annoying enough that I never wanted to do anything with them. Then there are dogs that I could never deal with, like labs or german shephards, etc. Really just types that are curious and like to get all over everything. I find them very hard to predict, and even when owners say they are gentle or never bite or anything like that, the fear is still there for me.

yes, my avatar picture is one of my favorite bears, named Pie. i sleep with it, sometimes talk to it, and when im going through a depression, carry him around the house.

I have certian stuffed animals that I care about more than certian people. As a kid, this was quite obvious. I often told people I did not need friends becuase I had my stuffed animals. To one certian phycologist this was just more assurance that I was just batshit insane. Anyway, I love my REAL bearded dragon more than anything. I've always been an avid supporter of groups such as Peta and the ALF and people are shocked to find that out about me. People have always been trying to convince me that it is wrong to feel that animals and people are equal and for some strange reason it's okay to kill an animal over a person. I will never be convinved of that and the people who try to convince me are usualy just self obsessed as*holes who think animals were only put here for our amusment. Since when have I ever cared about people? Uh, never.

I have a collection of Bennie babies, however I don't really use them anymore.

My pillow collection is a must for me, can't sleep without each and every one, so they are kinda like my stuffed animals.

As for real ones, currently i have a great Dane named sister, a Doberman pincer, and a Manx cat named Marra jade. I had a callico named patches however one day she was just gone. Also a blac lab that was 14 and he died last year. A black and white cat who was 17, we got him 4 weeks after my birth.

I was never upset at the passing of each animal, The cat was as old as I was and yet I never gave it a second thought really, things dodie after all.

I like people more then pets, but I dont have any person I like more then my pets at the moment. Not many people can stand my chatterboxing. So my pets are my friends I guess. Even if it's just cuz I feed them that they show affection.

I love all animals and firmly believe they should have equal/comparable rights to humans. Pets are wonderful friends and companions - loyal and non-judgmental. I have to confess I can be far more tolerant and forgiving of animal behavior than human. There's something about animals which is pure and noncalculating or malicious. I'm a vegetarian and belong to the Humane Society and PETA. I try to do nice things for animals when I can like feed the birds and squirrels, buy cruelty free products and make far more effort to greet and pet dogs and cats then I do to my fellow humans. I know not everyone agrees with this approach, but it's just how I am. The old adage seems to be true that aspies have a natural affinity with animals. I've had lovely pets in the past - cats, fish, frogs, stick insects, a hedgehog . . . I currently live in a building which doesn't allow pets but hopefully that will change.

When I was little, I adored my stuffed animals and believed, like Magic Meerkat that each was my friend with its own personality. This may have been due to difficulties making human friends and my typical aspergirl vivid imagination and love of fantasy. I'd sleep with at least three different ones and they gave me great comfort. I still have all of them even to this day and would never get rid of them. I think in my heart I still believe they have feelings and emotions, although I'd never mention it around my non-aspie friends. Occasionally, I'll buy a new one to add to my collection if it seems to especially "need" me. Actually, it still is comforting to cuddle them at times . . .

Live animals are a bit complicated, but the right one will always be with you. I have a border collie. I can run with him, sleep with him, even have a conversation with him. We move as one. I may never connect with a human on that level.

i'm closer to animal [cognitive] speed than human speed.

I have plush dolls of Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) and Alice (Disney's Alice in Wonderland) that I sleep with every night. I don't love them more than real people, but I do love them and treat them as though they have feelings. Same with all of my My Little Pony toys and my figures of the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland.

I also have a real cat named Miss Kitty who I love very much and who is very attached to me in return.

Is the reason some of us find comfort and love in stuffed animals or real ones that they can not judge us or hate us? Socially we can not do much to harm them and they don't care how much or how little we talk.

I am new to this whole thing, so if I'm saying the obvious I am sorry. I don't even know to much about my own aspergers much less as a whole.

I do love animals but I don't have any qualms on helping my mom kill chickens or pigeons for food (I'm usually the one helping her in these sort of things anyway). Sometimes, I try to gain insight on the minds of serial killers by observing the fleeing/dying avians to see if there's some sort of high gained in such a thing. And then I imagine whether people would react the same as the avians in such as situation. There will be an occasional bird that tries to fight instead of running, and those are the ones that I remember the most.

I apologize if that was a little morbid for animal/avian lovers.

I also love stuffed animals too.

I enjoy the company of live animals and stuffed animals over the company of humans for that reason. I know that a live or stuffed animal will never hurt me. They're also very lovable and cuddly as well. I even like toy animals made of plastic. :O)

I don't know that I can speak for anyone else, but I guess those reasons could account for some of it. Although I no longer care for my own stuffed animals, sometimes I'll still have these imaginary conversations taking place in my head, either with people I know, fictional characters, or those I've made up myself. Probably weird even for many other people here, but I've done that with my stuffed animals before. Perhaps in part out of loneliness, but it's also just interesting to think about how one might go...also necessary for me to be able to write dialogue in my stories.

^i see, That I understand.

I do talk to myself but not normally a fictional person or another part of myself I guess.

I understand the alone feeling. I have been homeschooled all my life so I never had much chance to make Friends, what people I do see tend to find me annoying. If I had een in public schools I figure I would have had a better chance at finding a friend.

So no friends= animals instead.

Yes, I love animals. With them, I don't have to put up with cloaked messages and intentions, and all the BS people seem to need to communicate with each other. (Why not just say what you mean??)

I love animals, and have a good communication with them, especially dogs and cats, it is much easier then with humans and you don't have to be perfect for your dogs and cats to love you as you are.

Beautiful example of animal loyalty to their human friend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D