did young Jesus have a pet

tabycat · #1 May 31, '12, 12:34 am

Just wondering what everyone else thought. If He had one, I think it would be a dog.

Hokomai · #2 May 31, '12, 3:00 am

I'm afraid that dogs were probably considered unclean by Jewish communities at the time. There are certainly not many favorable mentions in the Bible (although the book of Tobit, included by Catholics in scripture, does talk favorably about a loyal dog. I think that is the reason many dogs were once called 'Toby'.

I imagine there would have been cats around as mousers, and as their creator, it is possible Jesus was the first person to actually understand them! Of course, it is possible cats do not seek to be understood.

And then there was the donkey on which he rode into Jerusalem - I suppose that might count as a pet.

In one of the gospels not included in the Bible (Thomas, I think) there is an account of Jesus as a boy making clay pigeons which he the breathed life into, turning them into real birds. They would be a sort of pet.

Moore11 · #3 May 31, '12, 5:16 pm

Probably a sheep.

probably not a dog (devil's lapdog and too wolf like for the sheep.)
nor a snake

nor a goat

(separated from the sheep)
nor a cat (Egyptian religions where He grew up)
nor a frog (plagues and all)

All in jest of course.

Bobby Jim · #4 May 31, '12, 7:00 pm

Jesus's first miracle may have been keeping the cat from jumping up on the table at dinner time.

farpinho · #5 Aug 23, '12, 3:54 am

donsnow · #6 Aug 23, '12, 5:38 pm

Good evening, tabycat,

The approved scriptures don't mention Jesus the Christ having a pet. I think it's wise to not conjecture nor guess whether or not He had one.

Furthermore, the animals in a person's possession in those days were either cattle, or working animals that herded cattle. The donkeys were working animals that carried cargo and/or people. So, probably in those days, Jews were too busy to have a pet.

I don't know about Caesar and other Emperors and Kings, out of Egypt. Even the Egyptian cobra and cat were more objects of worship than pets in our sense of the word, today.

At present, I keep two dogs and love and dote on them.
As a child, we had a pet dog; I had other pet dogs through my life; I've also had a pet rabbit, somebody gave me a cat, and I've had pet fish, cockatiel and other dogs before now.

In the eyes of our forebears, I wonder if keeping pets were a mild perversion?

God loves you,
Don