11 Dream Jobs With Animals That'll Make You Rethink Your Life

    *Immediately opens a cat hotel*

    Becky Barnicoat
    by Becky Barnicoat

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    1. Pet detective

    Morgan Creek Productions

    You could be a real life Ace Ventura, but with better shirts and less annoying facial expressions. Pet detectives are hired to track down lost and stolen pets. You’ll need experience working with the police, or with an animal welfare charity. If you’re not ready to become a full-blown pet detective, you could volunteer to help out, doing anything from distributing Missing Pet posters to searching for clues. Check out The Pet Detectives in the UK.

    2. Animal makeup artist

    Jason Winslow / Splash News

    It’s your job to transform animal actors to their onscreen best. That might mean painting zebra stripes onto a white horse (like in Men in Black 3, above), or giving the right number of spots to a Dalmatian for a movie. You’ll need to have experience in beauty or art, and be comfortable grooming and decorating animals all day long. For inspiration have a look at the company Animals of a Different Color.

    3. Cat-café waiter

    Pixabay

    The ideal job for anyone that likes coffee, cake, and kitties. You’ll be expected to groom the cats every day and clear out their litter trays. One of the most fun bits of the job is teaching the customers about each cat – their likes and dislikes, what makes them purr. Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium in London posts jobs on its website and the Cat Café in Manchester posts to its Facebook page.

    4. Goat lawnmower manager

    Twitter: @amfrigillana

    As the proud owner of a herd of goats, you could be employed by golf courses, private estates, schools, and leisure centres – basically anywhere with a big patch of grass – to help mow the lawn. The goats “cut” the lawn it to a perfect length, as well as eating any weeds. For inspiration, check out the company We Rent Goats, which has nailed this extremely specific business idea.

    5. Luxury cat hotel manager

    Flickr: jurvetson

    You can either set up your own luxury cat hotel – in which case you’ll need space for “suites” with bedsteads, scratching posts, and cat loos. Or you can apply to work at an existing cat hotel – one of the jobs is cat entertainer, where you just have to play with the kitties. Longcroft Cat Hotels in the UK are always looking for people who want to set up a new hotel in their home.

    6. Doggy food truck owner

    Twitter: @fidotogo

    The street food revolution is here, and dogs don’t deserve to miss out. You’ll need to get yourself a cute lil’ van, and learn to cook all sorts of tasty doggy treats. Fido to Go in Chicago makes gluten-free cookies and ice cream. Park your van outside the park and watch the puppers pile in.

    7. Zoo designer

    Pixabay

    The perfect job for creative people, zoo designers help create the landscapes in animal’s enclosures so they mimic their natural habitat. You’ll need to get experience as a designer in something like architecture or set design and will work with a zoologist to create the perfect artificial habitat. You'd better be happy to travel – you could be invited to design enclosures all over the world.

    8. Bug wrangler

    Warner Bros.

    Bugs are Hollywood’s most underrated stars. Think of how many movies feature swarms of bees, cockroaches, and spiders – it’s the bug wrangler’s job to care for them, get them to crawl in the right direction, and catch them afterwards. Steve Kutcher is one of the best bug wranglers in the business, and his website has loads of info about the job.

    If you’ve got an impressive bug collection, you could also think about taking them to schools and parties to show to kids like The Bug Man in the UK.

    9. Dog massage therapist

    en.wikipedia.org

    Dog massages aren't just a treat for pampered puppers – although, excuse me, there's nothing wrong with that. Dog massage therapists also help dogs recovering from injuries get back to full strength. You will spend most of your day stroking dogs. And you will be paid for that. Paid to stroke dogs. Oh, man.

    10. Puppy walker

    Flickr: smerikal

    You take care of a labrador puppy from when it's 7 weeks old until it's around 1, and old enough to train to be a guide dog. The job involves copious amounts of playing, snuffling, snuggling, and cuddling.

    11. Zookeeper