Regards household pets - nature spirits?

[PerditaPickle]

I was browsing older threads (again) and became inspired by this one https://ecauldron.com/forum/neo-druidry-sig/adfers-and-other-druid-folk-household-pets-nature-spirits-why-why-not/ to re-ask the question:

Do you consider household pets to be nature spirits, or no?  Why/why not?

For me (it's slightly hard for me to articulate, but...), I do consider them so, because they're still part of the animal kingdom and even the most domesticated pet still has that animal instinct somewhere within.  But I accept that it's a spectrum.

What about you?  (Totally open to others to reply besides only druid types.)

[Hariti]

What about you?

They are, but... so are we; I believe that the overpowering illusion of the material world affects all sapient beings, from insects to deities, it's just a matter of degree, and that specific individuals may be more or less naturally inclined than typical members of their species. I would put pets further down on the spectrum of instincualism than (most) humans, but above (most) wild animals.

The normal term Hindus often use for affinity for material nature, and for the physical universe itself, is Maya, which is the name of the Goddess who governs over basal instincts, as well as the Sanskrit word for "illusion." Some Hindus translate this instead into "ignorance," but I find that inaccurate and somewhat offensive. There's nothing wrong, per se, with people or Gods who focus on the natural instead of the spiritual or intellectual, it's just a different path from the one that some Hindu branches promote.

So, yeah, pet animals are definitely spiritually aligned with nature, and are part of the natural world, moreso than humans and less so than wild creatures.