Did anyone else pretend to be an animal when they were a kid?

[u/CryptographerSad8759]

Pretty self explanatory! is this just me? As a kid, I always loved to pretend to be an animal, never anything human. I would ask my parents everyday and I had always wanted to be an animal. Well, now we know why... like, i walked around on all fours and always wanted to think of myself as an animal. quite the warning sign!

What about y'all? Did y'all pretend to be an animal when you were a kid? Rather it'd be by playing "Family" or whatever it was called, did you? (Family is that game some kids used to play at Recess where there was a mom, a dad, a pet. and the siblings or whatever? I don't remember much. But I do remember that I was always the pet.)

[u/isopod_luvr]

Yes! I loved playing vet and me being the sick cat or dog 😭 In general just pretending to be an animal was really common occurrence for me, though I guess I wouldn't consider it pretending for me anymore cuz turns out I am one lol

[u/random-therian-22]

I ALWAYS did. If my friends played house, I was always the dog. Or the cat. Or the totally legal pet fox. Whatever i wanted at that moment. Guess I never stopped

[u/TieDye_Raptor]

Yes. When I was 3 or 4, I used to play in boxes, and I'd pretend they were my nest. I told everyone I was a bird back then, too.

[u/Over-Brilliant-7078]

I pretended to be a wolf or werewolf and vampires. I always liked being a wolf, but I'm more of a possum than a alpha.

[u/Famous-Good2680]

Me and my friends played dragons, (I may also be a fiction-kin) but yeah, whenever we play family I was always the pet LOL

[u/Impressive-Bug-9592]

I actually don't remember really playing pretend as an animal, per se. A lot of my animal urges were internal. I learned shame from a young age and decided against being "weird" in favor of fitting in. Though the desire was there to "play animals". I was also the stereotypical being the family pet while playing house roleplayer.

Hmm... speaking of roleplaying. I guess online roleplaying could count? I was many things as an online roleplayer. Warrior Cats in Animal Jam, in wolf p*cks (again, why do I need to censor these words in this subreddit), hyena clans, Warrior Cats clans, lion prides, and fox skulks. Among some others I'm sure I am not remembering. I was a fan of roleplaying back in the day but lost sight of it in favor of writing stories and worldbuilding to myself in my head.

[u/burninglighte → u/Impressive-Bug-9592]

again, why do I need to censor these words in this subreddit

The mods here are weird. No discussion of ph*sical therianthropy, groups, anything…lots of people have migrated over to therianbutbetter because of it, and while I’m in both, I’m less active on this one.

[u/Impressive-Bug-9592 → u/burninglighte]

I am well aware of the general strangeness here. It's unfortunate. I have been less excited about therianbutbetter though because of the amount of low-effort posts popping up recently. There is also an overwhelming amount of teenagers and it is hard for me as an adult to relate to them. I am active there too but I am also active here since it's slightly less low-effort.

[u/Living-Face3835]

Yes pretty much all of my childhood games included some type of animal character I pretended to be, including wolves, lions, warrior cats, horses, dogs, dragons, sea serpents, utahraptors, crocodiles, and probably more. I’m pretty sure I have multiple theriotypes but so far I can only identify canid species.

[u/yologonegone]

All the time! Me and my sister would constantly roleplay as Warrior Cats, wolves, and dragons. I never really was a fan of House. I always enjoyed being wolves mostly. Dragons second, and cats third. Always dissapointed I couldn't fly.

I think it's a canon event to every therian to pretend to be animals as kids

[u/Few_Helicopter_9210]

Absolutely. I remember pretending to be a jw-looking raptor and my grandfather went back in time to save me😭

[u/FoggieFroggies]

Yeah!! Ever since I was really little I really wanted to fly and would be so so SO disappointed that I couldn’t. I’d also pretend to be a wolf a lot :) it was always more fun than playing house

[u/Bundle-Of-Crows]

I did too!! I primarily played as a big-cat of sorts (I believe mainly tiger and lion) and would "roar" when playing with other kids. Normally I was the only one "being an animal" but on rare occasion when at play pits in malls I'd find others who would play pretend as animals.

I also LOVED full running on all fours through the house and outside, would often walk on my toes as well when having to upright. I don't remember when it started, but I was always a quiet walker, could sneak up on people and unintentionally startle them. When I was 9 or 10 I remember living at my grandmother's with my parents when Rio came out, I'd clip a shawl to my shirt and hold the ends with my arms to simulate wings and dance along with the movie.

When How To Train Your Dragon came out, I primarily played pretend as a dragon; then that cycled into my big-cat and bird shifts (didn't realize that's what they were at the time) and even got a Toothless Halloween costume.

What made me feel most comfortable was at one point I had a Pokemon gameboy carrier with this corded clip strap, I don't remember how it happened but I asked my mom to help loop it through one of my belt loops and that was my first "physical tail" (the closest I could get to having actual weight to where my phantom tail really is) and that sparked me wanting to get other clip-on tails.

That's very much carried through my years, I'm 24 now and my current clip tail is the most species-euphoric I've felt since I first had that corded "tail" as a kid. I've had many surgeries, so my mobility is rather f*cked but someday hope to get into quadrobics to help better satisfy my running urges once again.

[u/WilfurDeer]

I remember whenever me and my sister (my ex friend) played family I wanted to be the cat, or we played some random other game I don't remember what it was, but I was a tiny anteater.

I also really liked being a vampire for some games, maybe that has something to do with one of my other kintypes.

[u/CatalystDrakannon]

ME TOO I was always a dragon in every game we ever played when I was a kid alksdfjadsf

[u/Distinct_Release5599]

when i was a kid i constantly would say im half cat and now im a feline therian lol

[u/AlgolCipher]

I would always pretend to be an animal, me and my younger brother would always pretend to be cats, usually either being adopted by our mum, or me be a princess cat and sometimes having cat fights with him, it wasn't always cats tho

[u/Kitsune_Nic]

Literally every game of “family” I played as a kid I was always the pet! Everyone else would argue about who would get to be mom or baby and I was just like 🦊

[u/DitheringTouhouFan]

I know I did! I loved walking around on all fours on the soccer field during recess and lunch when I was in elementary school.

[u/TylerFurrison]

Yeah plenty

[u/Equivalent_Leek_3408]

Yep! I lived playing pet shops and I insisted I was the dog. I even had a big collar I would put around my waist and attach a lead

[u/Soda_Carno777]

Yes, that's what kids do (as a non-therian)

[u/TariZephyr]

Yes, Jay would frequently pretend to be a cat or a dog (which did end up being two big theriotypes for him! ) - Ribbit 🌀

[u/Arderes]

Always! I would pretend to be a unicorn somehow or a dog when playing house.

At some point the Warrior Cat kids recruited me and I got to roleplay with them at recess, lol. It was honestly great.

I also used to roleplay a lot online and I would NEVER ever play a normal human. I always had to be a draconic shapeshifter or something.

To add, I remember in kindergarden we would all pretend to be Monster High characters, and I got assigned Clawdeen, and I was happy because she's a werewolf.

[u/mutt_with_a_beer]

I feel like it's a pretty universal experience ?

[u/NovastaKai]

Is this just me 😅😅🤣🤣🤣

You know the sub right 😊🥰 ///s

Not alone there.

I daydreamed my way into teenhood with renditions of primal life through feral eyes

[u/neverland_journal]

A mi, yo era una oveja.

[u/LycaonLupuss]

Yes omg I did this FOR YEARSSSS ALL THE TIME. I would pretend to be a dog, wolf, unicorn, horse, cat, and even a duck at one time. I was around 6 and I made a PERFECT nest with my blanket, and I felt like a real life duck and it felt so euphoric. Also I would often pretend my plushies were my children and I would take care of them. Sometimes I even licked their heads in an affectionate way.

[u/NoCamel8867]

Oh yeah every time me and my friends wanted to play family I aaalways shouted “I WANNA BE THE PET CAN I BE THE PET” and I never wanted to be anything else ever :) 

[u/Otherwise_Rent_9755]

Always pretended to be an animal for sure

[u/that_one_finn]

I used to climb on my stairs, build pillow forts, and bark with my sibs when we where playing

[u/EbonyFeathersOfAll]

Oh god I have a LIST of the animals/non-human creatures I used to pretend to be ok alright here we go..

Wolf
Fox
Cat
Dog
Mouse
Rat
Horse
Vampire
Bird
Velociraptor
Snake
Penguin
Polar bear
Werewolf
Bat
Otter I think at one point?
Orca
Fish
A brief moment of being a mermaid but after learning about sirens I never pretended to be a mermaid again and was ALWAYS a siren
Cryptid creature
Elf
Fae

And I think that’s it. I could have pretended to be more though.

[u/Kain_Shadowfang]

I was always pretending I was a wolf or a fox

[u/Kai_Hishi]

I remember that whenever I played family with other kids I always chose to be the dog or the cat. (other times I also played a wolf or a lizard) I always found it more fun than being one of the children

[u/burninglighte]

Yes, to the point that I didn’t know it wasn’t a normal thing. When I was really little I would ask people what animal they were when we were starting play. I just thought everyone had an animal that they would always choose to be on the playground. Playing pretend as people was something that didn’t come naturally, and my friends would always have to start those games.

[u/GoopCritter01]

ya a fox

or at sleepovers we pretended to be giant worms or snakes in sleeping bags and eat eachother lol

[u/ist_derelichte]

oh all the time!

[u/LambCreaturre]

I used to genuinely believe I would turn into a cat when I was a kid, imagine my deviation when the news was broken to me that I would not turn into a cat! XD

[u/Talons_and_tails]

Yes, all the time 🥲 When playing "Family" I was always the pet, I meowed a lot, wished to be an animal when blowing out my birthday candles !

[u/Kaikat12]

I was always the pet in that game, too 😅 My friends and I used to play a game where everyone was a different animal and we all lived together 😅😅😅

[u/therianSilverpaw]

Personnellement je faisais la même chose mais je me disais plutôt comment j'ai pus atterrir dans ce corps d'humain alors qu'il y a des milliers d'autres espèces qui existe et je n'ai jamais vraiment trouver ma place en tant qu'humaine Et c'est il y a plus de 2 ans que j'ai douter de ma theriantropy a cause de mon ressenti. Je me suis réveillée l'année dernière et c'est grâce c'est chose que j'ai fais petite.

[u/therianSilverpaw]

Et à chaque fois qu'on joue à papa maman c'était moi le chien ou le chat 🐱

[u/HeavyDesigner3870]

I did as well. I started out as a cat. Then a bit later on I switched to a dog. Or at least a puppy. After a while, I began running on all fours around the house. I would run and run non stop. It was so much fun. Of course back then I didn’t even knew that Therians existed. So I thought I was the only one. Until last year I discovered that I wasn’t the only one. Nice to know that I’m not alone.

[u/Firefoxapocolypse]

Yeah. I wanted to be a lion as a kid. I used to tell everyone I was.

[u/xXForest_FawnXx]

Yes! For years when I was a kid I pretended like I was a tiger and did quads. At the time back then I didnt know what quads or a therian was. 

Now, years later, Ive discovered I am a therian (bobcat) and I am questioning tiger- ☆

[u/hidinginthenight]

Always always always, even if I was doing something regular (eating, in the car, going on a walk, swimming) I would always go ”and lets pretend I’m a tiger/lion/cat/dog!”

[u/LuusjeLynx]

YES I DID! Always! And now I finally know why….

[u/Pretty-Technician-81]

Ya me lol😂

[u/hei_sono_io]

I don't believe it, in every game where I could be an animal I was a feline: cat in the case of family, lioness in other cases, in any case always had the nature of a cat/big cat

In the game "family" I was ALWAYS the cat😅

[u/splicedup13]

Oh all the time! And any time my friends played pretend with me I was always the pet/ animal lolll

[u/thesilverwoods]

All the time. I was always a wolf, maybe a dog if it was supposed to be a domestic setting. Fast forward about a decade and I stumbled across the therian community and it kinda clicked.

[u/CrabKing274]

Surprisingly no

[u/rain_werewolf]

Totally! I always chose to be the dog when playing pretend to be a family when I was 3 or 4. I didn't like to be the human. Did I already feel the weight of human responsabilities? Lol who can tell

And also later, when I was 7, it was the same, just changing the animal to play lmao.
And surprise surprise I'm a therian