As a person who is frequently asked if I am a dog person or a cat person, I usually stutter out a very quiet and shy “rabbit person?” This often leads to awkward situations and a bombarding string of questions starting with “How on Earth is someone a rabbit person?” to which I answer, “Well, you own a rabbit.”

Don’t get me wrong, I know as a little kid  you beg every Christmas, Hanukkah or birthday for a pet. The pet in question is not usually a fluff ball with long ears and a wiggly nose, but it should be.

To start, the overall cost of a rabbit is a lot cheaper than that of a dog or a cat, while still providing the responsibility that a fish would lack. Plus, you can’t pet a fish. If you are looking to adopt or buy from a breeder,  a rabbit costs around an estimate of 20 dollars. Keep in mind this is an average, so your bunny could cost less or more. Not to mention, the average of  the main things rabbits need to live comfortably is a roomy cage, which is about 49 dollars at most generic pet stores. At this said generic pet store, you should also pick up a litter box pan (yes, rabbits are litter boxed trainable too) which would be around five dollars as well as a gerbil water bottle which is about seven dollars. This means that so far the main cost of your rabbit is 126 dollars, excluding hay and bedding, which will become a monthly cost, depending on the size, of an average of $18.

Your rabbit in total will cost you 360 dollars for its lifetime, which is around 10 years, while a medium size dog who lives around the same time period will cost you around 6,565 dollars.

Rabbits don’t need regular vet check ups or shots like dogs either; in fact, the only vet costing you might need to spend on a rabbit is to get them fixed, (that is, if you don’t want tiny rabbits hopping around, which may sound heavenly but trust me, they will eat everything in your house.) if there is an emergency or if you don’t trust yourself to trim their nails every so often.

Also, rabbits are much more entertaining than the average dog or cat because rabbits do this magical thing where if you flip them onto their backs, they go into a “trance” and slowly tip their heads back until their front teeth look like Spongebob’s. Try doing that with a cat. Actually,  please don’t. That sounds dangerous.

“Rabbits, in my experience, also like to attack cardboard boxes and it’s funny to see them try to lift them up until they almost fall over,” said junior Jason McDonald.

Not to mention that rabbits hop exactly like a cartoon character would. The best way I can describe this hilarity is how when small dogs run , they lift up their back legs. That’s basically what rabbits look like while constantly “hopping” from place to place.

It is such a cute and funny thing that there are a plentiful of “bunny hop competitions” in which you can win around a 1000 dollars in prize money.

“Rabbits are cute, small and fuzzy: the trifecta of cuteness. They are cute cubed and when they hop around, it multiplies their original cute level,” said junior Meg Pate.

Now, if you argue that you want the affection that a dog or cat will provide, then I will look at you like you are dim-witted, only because where do you think the phrase “cuddle bunny” came from? Bunnies love to cuddle and, let me tell you, bunny kisses are way better than a dog’s or cat’s. This is mainly due to the fact that bunny tongues aren’t slug like or scratchy velcro. A rabbit’s tongue is more like little water droplets on a fingertip. Also, did you know cats and dog’s mainly lick you because they think you are dirty and they have to clean you (kind of rude if you think about it), while a rabbit’s intent is to pet you back?

As a bonus, rabbits don’t lick their butts… that’s just weird.

Another valid argument I can see is that you like to run or exercise and a dog seems like a good mate to go out for walk with. First, I’ve been a dog walker and if you expect to have a smooth walk with them, prepare for the opposite. You either stop a thousand times so they can pee on a slightly different bush or hold them back because they can’t control themselves around their own species. Instead, you can actually take a rabbit out for a peaceful walk. The main thing is a rabbit will need a harness with no collars, and they will be set to explore with you. You won’t need to pack any treats for them either because the sweet, dewy grass outside is one of the biggest treats you can give them. Yes, this does mean rabbits are like tiny cows: munching mindlessly on the grass.

So if you are thinking of a getting a pet, you should seriously consider a rabbit.