The Petpet Predicament

      Finding the perfect playmate for your pet is a pastime. But choosing the ideal Petpet is no easy task, as there are so many options to choose from. Upon deliberation, the choice is clear- to find a Petpet that matches the appearance of your Neopet.

      Finally, you've found a picturesque partner for your pet! Next comes the fun part: attaching the Petpet. You have your Petpet, you open your inventory, you select "give pet to so-and-so" aaannd- AAHHHHH get that thing away from me!!! A total meltdown from your Neopet. But why? As your Neopet refuses to accept the perfect Petpet you have picked, you are internally screaming and demanding answers.

      Where is this coming from, you ask? The first time this happened to me, it was so obvious. I had selected a Petpet that was apparently too similar to the look of my Neopet. Now you are asking, how could that be? Frankly, I don't have the answer. Maybe it's a prank? Maybe it's to keep Neopet's fair? Somehow there is a reason, and either way there is a method behind this madness.

      It began with a Maraquan Gelert- a dream pet I had had for many years. When I finally acquired my Maraquan Gelert I was so excited knowing exactly which Petpet I was going to give to her. I rushed to the Marketplace, and there it was: a Kazeriu. If you are like me, you are apt to appreciate the aesthetics here: both have a swirly shape and purple coloration- it's a match made in heaven. But noooooo… After my Gelert denied my Petpet of choice, I felt defeated.

      A few years later, I briefly had a Sketch Usul. The idea just came to me: the cutest combo for this pet would be… a Faellie! Rejected. A Spotted Lupe and a Doglefox! Rejected. A Baby Blumaroo and a Baby Blu… now this time they would just have to accep- rejected. I sit here asking myself, what is the purpose of this? Neopia may never know…

      Now, I was quite surprised by the Usul-Faellie debacle. They both have long ears and a fluffy tail. Okay, I mean, come on, I was totally caught off guard. The Spotted Lupe and Doglefox should have been more apparent, because I was just starting to catch on. Rather, I suffered bewilderment. Last but not least, I recently became the owner of a Baby Blumaroo. I knew the risk I was taking when I purchased a Baby Blu for my pet. Luckily these Petpets are usually cheap to purchase. They do look practically the same, I guess I should have known better.

      That being said, I have only had this happen to myself a few times. However, it has gotten to the point where it feels fishy. If I were going to purchase a Petpet that costed millions of neopoints, I would want to be aware of this problem. There are a few Petpets that are very expensive, that one could only imagine, would be a good match for certain pets. This raises the argument that when one is attaching a Petpet to their pet, would it be wise remain cautious of the similarities between the two?

      Well, it couldn't be so bad to have a back up plan. So, what are a few combinations (that I haven't tried), but would be good to be aware of? A few blaringly come to mind: a Snowbunny to a Cybunny, an Anubis to a Lupe, and a Noil to a Kougra, just to name a few. If you are going to spend NP on a Petpet like a Snowbunny and attempt to attach it to a Cybunny, I wish you the best of luck.

      Now that I have developed this theory, lets formulate a test: one of my Neopets needs a Petpet- the cross-paint, Kalifir the Spotted Hissi in Desert Hissi clothing. I bring myself to examine my recent point which is, what Petpet looks exactly like this Neopet? A Cobrall, of course. Here we go, Petpet at the ready- aim, fire!

      Kalifir says 'AAAAARRRGHHH! Get that Cobrall away from me!!!'

      Eureka! Despite the utter failure to attach a Petpet that is specifically identical to my Hissi, we are getting closer to the truth. So to speak, a true scientific theory would require more tests, until the evidence points to proof. But here is a good start to the notion that: you might have the experience of spending hundreds or thousands of neopoints on a Petpet that is not going to attach to your Neopet.

      In conclusion, what can be done about this? Well, you can always test the hypothesis yourself- that is, if you attempt to attach a Petpet to a Neopet that closely resembles said pet, they just might run in fear of that Petpet. On second thought, you could choose a random Petpet, that doesn't match your pet at all and you might have a better chance. It may be worth the sacrifice, instead of spending copious amounts of neopoints on a rare painted Petpet.

      Overall, I hope someone does attach a Snowbunny to a Cybunny with no further issues, one day. And If you ever need advice about whether a Petpet looks like a particular pet, just take notice of whether or not the anatomy of the two species are the same. The comparison might shock you out of buying the Petpet altogether. But if you do try to give your Krawk a Crocalu, be ready for your Neopet to run away in panic, just in case.