Micro Category Of Thing: Domestic Pets

Halliday & Matthiessen (1999: 195):

Domestic pets: cats, dogs

General category: between 'conscious' and 'animal'.

Particular features: alternation between he/she and it; general nouns as 'animal' (she's a stupid creature); individuated by proper names, with attitudinal variants; addressed as if conscious (what do you want?); expanded in talking to children (pussy-cat, puppy-dog).