Is this a major plot hole? My story starts out with people who live in a group home. Without going into great detail one of my characters has a pet cat. Actually it is more complicated as the cat was dead and he brought the cat back to life. The cat feeling indebted to this refuses to depart long term from that character. The group home is in a system for adults with mental issues. The character in question has the name of Kurt. He has a lot of gifts but is mentally unstable due to that. Would it be possible for him to have his cat be called a therapy pet for him to be allowed to keep her? Then there is the issue of the MC having a pet iguana (no I mean dragon hatchling) but with the iguana (I mean the hatchling) being in a cage most of the time, I assume it is more feasible though I have the poor pet wear a psychic harness all the time so no one could figure out she is really a dragon hatchling. (FYI the harness does not tell the future but just make people ignore the wings.)
So, in your story there are dragons and animals are brought back to life - and yet you're concerned that keeping a pet in a group home might not be realistic/believable? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and suggest you might be ok...
Okay. Guess I am over thinking it. Do I need an explanation in story of how they can get away with having these pets?
Definitely overthinking it. Give an explanation if you think it really needs one but otherwise I really wouldn't sweat it when you could be writing the story instead!
My first full time job was working in group homes supporting developmental delayed/mentally handicapped/mentally challenged/mentally retarded adults - political correctness aside, these were all formal medical diagnosis that the people I supported had. The big issue with pets in the homes was allergies of the staff or the residents - most group homes had several unrelated adults in them and even if one resident was permitted a pet, it didn't always work with the other residents in the home. The second issue I saw, which management did not, was behavioural. Some residents just were not capable of handling pets. I'm not talking about taking the animals out for a walk or cleaning litter boxes. Two examples: Example one. Participant lived independently. He had three dogs. He would put on a thick glove to play wrestle with one dog, so he would not be bit I thought. He lost his temper with me one day and commanded the dog to bite me!!! It turned out the entire time he had been doing that "play wrestling" with his dogs, he was teaching them to bite on command!! He lived in the community independently so this was a serious concern - what if the dogs bit a child? [Background info - I'm deaf. I use a hearing aid which amplifies noise (but not comprehension) and read lips. I didn't understand the "BITE!" commands he was giving to his dogs when he played with them. I refused to work with him anymore after that. Last I heard he still had dogs and was living independently.] Example two. Participant lived with one roommate. Participant adopted a cat. No problems with staff or roommate allergies. One day, participant was sitting on couch with the cat, the cat got up off her lap and walked over to another person. Participant got upset, dragged the cat back to her lap and when the cat did not want to stay on her lap, picked up the cat and threw it against the wall. Thankfully, the cat was ok but avoided participant after that. Management decided she could keep the cat?!? Participant was not happy cat did not want to socialize with her.....couldn't understand that she'd hurt the cat and the cat did not like her. It was HER pet, right? Wrong..... If I remember correctly, a co-worker told me years later that she had given the cat back to the humane society. Both examples are from more than 20 years ago.
Is your story set in a world where dragons and resurrected cats are normal? Or is it more like our everyday world, where something like that must be kept secret? Edit–sorry, I looked back and see my question is off topic. You're concerned more with him keeping a pet at all in a group environment. It's a really intriguing story idea, hope we get to see more of it at some point.
It's not a problem. The same applies to group homes that I found below. Just describe the assisted living center as pet friendly. Pet Friendly Senior Living Finding Pet-Friendly Senior Housing
Now I figured out how to explain CJ the cat and Chika the iguana (aka dragon baby). I have created a character I named Oscar after a real feline friend. I am trying to think of a name of a small to medium size dog. I thought of Lady but that was because I saw the live action Lady and the Tramp recently. I know some would probably groan because I got a strange issue in my head. Basically that part can be in the question of where is the needed items for pets be kept? If Oscar is like the real Oscar, he and CJ need separate boxes (even though when needed one will use the other’s box). I might bring it up in a throwaway line or few but hopefully not spend too much time on it. I want a little info on Oscar’s stink bombs but not go into overdone TMI territory. Then what to do about Lady (or whatever I decide to name her)? She will be an indoor dog but unless the owner (maybe Alex) is explained he does not go to a day program and stays home, he would have to be gone during the day. Maybe that is it, Alex had not gotten in the day program for some unknown reason. So Ariel has not gotten her pet yet because she is the newest addition to the home MC Izzy has three pets for some reason I have not figured out yet. Those pets are the lizard dragon and two goldfish. (The goldfish are based on two of my real friends who live in my aquarium.) Kurt has a cat named CJ. Kurt’s roommate Jacob has Oscar. Alex has Lady the dog. And the last resident the gender fluid character named EJ needs to have a pet. Maybe EJ has a mutt that needs a name. (Going with Lady and Tramp vibe). Wait am I trying to say that EJ and Alex hook up?
