Okay, I probably came off too harsh, and I apologize. My family and I would occasionally rescue and rehome dogs and cats and so I take their needs very seriously. I've also owned dogs, cats, rats, and frogs at the same time so I understand how much work they all are. Now because I work so much I just have one cat.
Animals are amazing, if you want something low maintenance but still very loving then a cat or two would be perfect.
If you want even lower maintenance get 2-3 rats, they're super smart, can be cuddly, have tons of personality, and make great pets if you're prone to having bad days where you just want to check on food/water and ignore them for a day or two. You still will need to interact with them often, but if you have a big enough cage and 2-3 they'll be happy by themselves often enough as long as you put in extra time when they're young.
thanks, rats have an "ew factor" when it comes to girls, but ive watched a ton of youtube vids and theyre super cute. ill probably just get a cat, waiting for a well behaved really cute adult one to pop up. post holidays is the best time to get one as they get returned after being given as gifts. ---