Are Narcissists Jealous Of Pets?
Are Narcissists Jealous Of Pets? Pets need your attention and so do the narcissists. So is it possible that they may be jealous of your adorable pets too? Let us know further.
Can the narcissist in the family be jealous of your family pet? Is it a possibility that they may hurt your pet? Have you wondered how a narcissist and a pet may fit into the same family? This question makes it interesting as both pets and narcissists demand attention from their owners and partners respectively. Will a narcissist and your beloved pets ever fit together and have a good bond?
The dynamics of a narcissist and a pet can be rotating incomprehensibly as they may be super friendly with the pet and the very next moment they may be having thoughts of getting rid of it. This may raise questions like, “Do narcissists love pets?” or “Can they be jealous of them as pets may be the most adored member of the family?”
Are Narcissists Jealous Of Pets?
Animals are often included as a part of the family. The pet may hold great importance in the family and may also become the most believed member of the family. Pets can also be a great companion for the children of the house.
When a child is raised alongside a pet, they may become more and more empathetic and also have high self-esteem and self-confidence compared to those who do not have pets.
Pets are the adhesives that hold the family together. Pets may become the most important, most adored, and always catered member of the family in no time. Pets may only be there for some part of life, but they leave memories for a lifetime.
Now about narcissists, they also demand equal or more attention as the pets of the house. Narcissists are self-absorbed beings and want others to be occupied with them.
Narcissists have a constant fear that their insecurities may be exposed and thus they have fragile self-esteem. They seek adoration, attention, and validation from others to compensate for those insecurities.
Narcissists may also have some underlying traumas that may lead them to use external validation as a coping mechanism to deal with those traumatic experiences.
Now, just imagine a situation where your pets and the narcissist are bonded together in the same family. The pets may have an unconditional love for the narcissist and also provide comfort to them, but the narcissist may be both loving and horrendous to the pets simultaneously as the pets may be depriving them of their attention and adoration.
Narcissists would not be able to bear it when all the family members just focus on and adore the pet. They may be jealous of the pet as it may deprive the narcissist of the amount of love, attention, adoration, validation, and focus from the family members.
Narcissists may view the pets as a competition rather than a member of the family as it may divide the attention of their partners and other family members.
Why do Narcissists feel threatened by Pets?
Narcisists like to be the center of attention and when that attention is shared by someone else they view it as a potential threat. When the family adopts a pet, or when a pet is introduced as a part of the family the narcissist may feel that they are no longer the most important person of the family.
When their partners demand to include a pet in the family, the narcissist may constantly divert or ignore them as they are threatened by the pets as they may steal the most important spot in everyone’s life.
Pets are a source of emotional support for their owners. Narcissists may view this as an act of betrayal as they believe their partners and other family members should just be dependent on them to gain emotional support. They may have this feeling that they are being replaced by the pet and thus may develop feelings of jealousy and resentment toward the pet.
Signs of Narcissistic Jealousy Towards Pets
There may be several signs that may indicate a narcissist’s jealousy towards the pets. These may include,
Neglecting the pet’s needs or refusing to care for them.
Getting irritated or getting angry when the pet receives attention instead of them.
Refusing to indulge in anything related to the pet.
Making negative comments about the pets and constantly complaining about their behavior.
Trying to weaken or hinder the bond between pets and other family members.
Display possessiveness for their partners so that they avoid the pets and focus on them.
How to deal with Narcissistic Jealousy towards Pets?
If you have a narcissistic partner, who may be having thoughts of abandoning, hurting, or killing your pet then you may need to reconsider your choices about your partner as someone who can easily hurt or kill your beloved pet can make their next move on the most significant family member in their lives.
If your partner is labeled as a sociopath, sadistic, or malignant irrespective of their actions, then it is time to leave the relationship and save your pets and yourself both.
It is not only the behavior but everything about your narcissistic partner or something to disconnect yourself and move away from them as far as possible. The person who is capable of killing or hurting pets may also target you next when you do something that may hurt them.
It is not an easy task to leave someone you love or who has been a part of your life for long, even before the pet showed up. But you may want to rethink your choices as partners, as people who can hurt others may also hurt you exceptionally. And about love, narcissists cannot love anyone else but themselves.
The moment you may get rid of the pet, and start focusing on them, they may start taking you for granted and you may start feeling ignored, manipulated, and abused.
Narcissists are just incapable of feeling genuine intimacy and love. They can never be placed above them as they are selfish.
So save your pet and yourself, as pets may be more faithful, affectionate, and considerate of your feelings than the narcissist.
Also, there are a few other ways to deal with the narcissistic jealousy towards pets,
Establish boundaries for yourself and even for your pets. Make it clear that mistreating, hurting, or neglecting the pet’s care may not be acceptable.
If you feel your pet’s safety is at stake, then consider rehousing or relocating your pet to a safer and better place.
Communicate freely with your partner and let them know your love for pets. Let them know that both the pet and them are equally important to you and they hold different importance in your life.
If nothing seems working your way, then you may also try consulting a therapist and discuss the issue in your relationship or seek professional or legal help as the safety of your pet is the foremost concern here.
Final Thoughts
Narcissists can feel jealous of pets and may also try to get rid of them as they may view the pet as a threat to the relationship with their partners.
The first step is identifying the signs of narcissistic jealousy and then trying to make the living arrangements favorable to both the narcissists and your pets.
Pets are an integral part of lives, and thus they also deserve love, care, and a good atmosphere to live. So there are two possible options, either ask the narcissist to follow your and your pet’s boundaries strictly or leave them.
From Relationship, Depression, and Personality Disorder to Narcissistic problems, I have helped a lot of people find their solutions. Upon gathering a number of common problems that people face, I decided to put the information on this blog so that anyone can get their answers easily.
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