I have been an animal lover all of my life. It has always seemed to fall into place that I've lived with people who don't love animals as much as I do. First, I lived with my grandparents who wouldn't allow me to have animals. Then, I had three kids and a husband who wasn't wild about the idea of animals in the house either. Then, I met my current husband, who is just as much of an animal person as I am. We can't say no to the puppy (and kitty) eyes. So here is a list of ten things that happen when two animal lovers fall in love.

1. Visits to pet stores become a date.

Literally, after we moved in together, one of our dates happened to be to a pet store. This ended up being where we acquired our fatty cat, Solis. We made a pact with each other going in that we would not be leaving with another animal, we were just shopping for our current animals. Then, we figured the cats up for adoption could use some love. Needless to say, we broke our pact and came home with our second pet who is pictured below.

Solis bySolis Katherine Messina

2. Your house becomes crowded, no matter how large it is.

We are now the happy owners of four animals. We have two dogs and two cats. Our oldest is Luna, who was our first pet together. Then Solis, who is the same age as Luna. Our oldest dog is named Mal (Yes like Firefly) who is two and gigantic. He is a big black dog but is the biggest baby. Then Kaylee (Also Firefly) is our pretty golden hound mix. Between the four animals, us, and our three kids, our four bedroom house is cramped.

Luna by Katherine Messina

Kaylee by Katherine Messina

3. They become part of the family.

Mal and Mommy by Katherine Messina

We refer to our animals as our children. Even though we have non-furry children. They are both important to us and they are a priority in our lives. They're definitely just as much work as our non-furry children. We love them and they love us. Kaylee and Solis are our rescues. Luna came from my mom which was also a loving home and Mal was given to us. No matter how or when they came into our lives, they're here to stay now.

4. Christmas time is just as much for the furry children.

Most pet owners also spoil their pets at Christmas time. We established a Christmas time rule due to having such a large family that each child gets three gifts. One big and two small. Guess who is also included in that rule? Yes, the animals. Have I mentioned that our house is crowded??

5. Veterinary expenses become a very real monthly bill.

Owning animals is not cheap. from feeding them a healthy diet to their monthly check-ups. Keeping your animal in peak physical health is important if you want them to spend as much time as they have with you. We like to use the PetSmart Wellness Plan. It breaks their care up into affordable monthly payments.