Raccoons are cool. They seem to be in the early stages of self-domestication, which is probably how we got cats.
this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2026
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There was a video being shared by someone who studies raccoons.
The tl;dr was they are too smart and tend to hold grudges to become domestic.
Still, they would be cool pets.
you just described cats
Ha. True! I do have one revenge-seeker living under my roof!
This argument is always so silly. Domestication is the process of changing animals so they become more suitable to living with humans. The fact that wild animals aren't domesticated and therefore have traits that are problematic for that is tautological.
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They can be very cat like too. Super chill one minute, total asshats the next
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I would love having a squirrel as pet. Unfortunately most squirrel types don't do well in captivity because they are too anxious. I nursed a baby squirrel once as a volunteer and it would just sleep in my shirt pocket or bra and be the cutest little thing until it was old enough to start learning to be a wild squirrel.
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I think I'm going to side with you on this one. They start out calm enough, simple feeding and housing requirements, they can't hurt you as much as some of these larger animals, and most don't seem to get too bad an attitude even as adults unless they're cornered. Honestly my biggest problem would be them going to the bathroom everywhere and in places not readily accessible to clean. Eww.
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Octopi. They're freakishy intelligent too.
Only if mine sounds like Nathan Fillion
Did your balls tell you that? You shouldn't listen to them...they're nuts.
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I've always wanted an ocelot.
You're gonna call it Babou aren't you ;)
Then you’ll be happy to know about Savannahs!. They’re house cats crossbread with servals, which are almost practically ocelots.
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Bats. Imagine having a friendly familiar. They could also be used to carry messages.
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Foxes. Like a dog, but not.
Thanks to Russia, we're already partway there.
"Cat software, dog hardware"
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For me, it's Racoons, Squirrels, or Crows.
I used to have a Robin friend, who would keep me company while I gardened, so he could grab a juicy worm from the ground I was turning. I'm currently friends with a pair of Sand Hill Cranes who spend every night in front of my house. I talk them nearly every night. They know me well, I stand right next to them, they aren't afraid of me at all.
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BEARS! Gahhhh they look so cuddly and cuuute.
Having a domesticated bird would be really cool, I think. Like a roadrunner or puffin. A kiwi? Imagine having a hummingbird ride in your front shirt pocket?
I still think a fox is manageable. Cat software running on dog hardware seems...interesting
Wombats, they are super cute and apparently quite smart.
https://youtube.com/shorts/IdgFAIo6NMA
I would also love to see people riding a diprotodon, which is a distant relative
Giraffes of course.
Silly question.
ferrets are already domesticated, but i think that having more of/some other domesticated weasel would be neat. imagine pet stoat, or mink, or perhaps wolverine
Red panda, literally the cutest animal ever.
Maybe a large seal species. Something to ride in the water, but that could still come on land and fall asleep by the fire.
I want a guard cassowary
Holy shit that would be terrifying. That's basically a fucking velociraptor but smaller.
Kinda funny actually, because cassowaries are about the same length as a velociraptor, but the average cassowary would be four times the weight. TIL
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Hmm, if I could choose, I would much rather imbue cat behavior onto an animal than dog behavior. Cats rule, dogs drool.
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