which or who?

i dont think i have ever used either which or who for my pets. i just use their names.

Good question, Jb. I always refer to a person as a "who" and an animal as a "which." But I suppose an animal could also be a who. What is which, and which is who? I feel like I'm in a Suess book lol. Karen

I don't think I have ever really thought about it. I believe that every living creature deserves to be a who though. I agree that insects ought to be a which! You can't really look into a millipede's eyes and see its individuality like you can my cat. My cat is a distinct individual with her own personality and traits. She is most definitely a who and a part of my family. Even the dogs my husband walks for his job are distinctly whos too.

Oh boy this is making me feel like I am back in the Business English class I took over the summer, where we only went over grammar, it was enlightening but very confusing. I think that I use "who" for animals, I think of my pets as part of the family so I definitely use person pronouns, I think the only time I don't use those for animals is when I don't know the gender.

That's very interesting, your English. I can't really make to much of a comment because referring to an animal as a who would not be proper English in the states. At least none that I am aware. Animals are not considered a pronoun unless of course they have a name. My duck's name is Aflac, so his name is the only pronoun. Or is that what you mean?

Hi jb, I never ba aware of it, much less use who represent annimal. But it is really a good topic. Maybe next time, i will try it per your suggestion. But i am afraid that my boss will consider i make a grammer mistake. I know that in sometime we substitute "she/he" for "it" to represent something. Such as we always use she for our homeland. Look forward to continuous sharing, as least with me. It is very helpful. Happy mylotting!