Today's words · 🐶 Pets
Dogs, cats and more: 10 German pet words
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Meet a dog in a German park? Here's how to start chatting with its owner.
You're sitting on a park bench when a friendly dog trots over, wagging its tail. You want to ask if you can stroke it, but the words won't come, so you just smile. In Germany dogs are everywhere — on the U-Bahn, in cafés, in shops.
Today's ten words are all about pets. With them you can chat with dog owners, say yes when a neighbour asks you to feed their cat, and call the vet. 🐶
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
das Haustier
[HOUSE-teer]pet(Pl. die Haustiere)
📌 Habt ihr ein Haustier?
→ Do you have a pet?
💡 Haus (house) + Tier (animal) = an animal that lives at home 🏠 Tier makes it das.
Bonus Do you have a pet? = Hast du ein Haustier?
der Hund
[HOONT]dog(Pl. die Hunde)
📌 Der Hund spielt im Garten.
→ The dog is playing in the garden.
💡 Same root as English hound 🐕 The final d sounds like t.
Bonus to bark = bellen · a dog says Wau wau!
die Katze
[KAT-suh]cat(Pl. die Katzen)
📌 Die Katze schläft auf dem Sofa.
→ The cat is sleeping on the sofa.
💡 English cat moved to Germany and became Katze 🐈 -e, so die.
⚠ A tomcat is der Kater — which also means a hangover!
das Kaninchen
[ka-NEEN-khen]rabbit(Pl. die Kaninchen)
📌 Die Kinder füttern das Kaninchen mit Karotten.
→ The children are feeding the rabbit carrots.
💡 Ends in -chen, so it's a small, cute das 🐇
⚠ A pet rabbit is das Kaninchen; a wild hare is der Hase.
füttern
[FUE-tern]to feed(füttert – hat gefüttert)
📌 Kannst du heute die Katze füttern?
→ Can you feed the cat today?
💡 Futter (food) + umlaut = to feed 🥣
Bonus With what: die Katze mit Trockenfutter füttern
Gassi gehen
[GAS-ee GAY-en]to walk the dog, take the dog out(geht Gassi – ging Gassi – ist Gassi gegangen)
📌 Morgens gehe ich vor der Arbeit mit dem Hund Gassi.
→ In the morning I take the dog for a walk before work.
💡 Going out into the Gasse (lane) 🦮 Say ‘Gassi?’ and watch the tail go!
⚠ Perfect with sein: Ich bin mit dem Hund Gassi gegangen.
die Leine
[LY-nuh]lead, leash; (washing) line(Pl. die Leinen)
📌 Im Park müssen Hunde an der Leine geführt werden.
→ In the park dogs must be kept on a lead.
💡 Same root as English line 🪢 A washing line is a Leine too.
Bonus to put a dog on the lead = den Hund anleinen
das Futter
[FOOT-er](animal) feed, food; lining (of clothes)(no pl.)
📌 Hast du dem Hund schon Futter gegeben?
→ Have you fed the dog yet?
💡 A cousin of English food and fodder 🦴 Learn Futter and füttern as a pair.
⚠ Only for animals — food for people is das Essen.
der Tierarzt
[TEER-artst]vet, veterinarian(Pl. die Tierärzte)
📌 Unsere Katze ist krank, wir müssen zum Tierarzt.
→ Our cat is ill, we have to go to the vet.
💡 Tier (animal) + Arzt (doctor) = animal doctor 🩺 Arzt makes it der.
Bonus A female vet is die Tierärztin.
streicheln
[SHTRY-kheln]to stroke, caress, pet(streichelt – hat gestreichelt)
📌 Das Kind streichelt vorsichtig die Katze.
→ The child carefully strokes the cat.
💡 -eln adds a gentle, repeated feel 🤲 stroke, stroke, stroke.
Bonus Ask the owner: Darf ich ihn streicheln? (Can I stroke him?)
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
You'll see dogs almost everywhere in Germany. Many shops, restaurants and buses and trains allow them, though it varies, so look for a sign at the door.
In most towns and cities, dog owners pay a dog tax (Hundesteuer). The amount and the rules depend on where you live, and so do the rules about when dogs must be kept on a lead.
If you want a pet, adopting from an animal shelter (Tierheim) is very popular. Shelters often have a chat with you first and sometimes check that your home is suitable. 🐾
✅ Quick quiz
Q. Your neighbour is going on holiday and needs someone to give the cat its food. What do they ask?
- ① Kannst du meine Katze streicheln?
- ② Kannst du meine Katze füttern?
- ③ Kannst du mit meiner Katze Gassi gehen?
Show the answer
② Kannst du meine Katze füttern?
füttern means to feed, so that's the word for giving the cat its food.
Name every animal you see today in German: Hund, Katze, Kaninchen! If you have a dog, try asking it ‘Gassi?’ 🐾
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🌸 Plants & flowers