Would you feel offended if someone referred to your pet as an 'it' instead of 'he' or 'she'?

Well "it" after all is either male or female

No.  I find it more offensive when they call 'him' a 'her'.  Of course, it really doesn't make any difference.  Pets don't care what we call them, only we care.  Besides, after I got them fixed, I called them "its" on a few occasions. (and the amount of hairballs in my shoes didn't increase or decrease because of it.)

No.
No.

No

Heavens no! I actually refer to my youngest child as it.. long story but it's its own fault! 
PS please don't anyone take offence.. I do love my youngest offspring to bits

Yes, I would feel the need to sneak into their house at night and saw their limbs off with steak knife. If I had a pet. 

Gender is the most important fact of life. You show a puppy or a kitten to little kids and the first thing they want to know is whether it's a boy or a girl. They don't know the difference, but they know it's important.

There are only two genders: innies and outies.