Why not remove petting entirely for regard. This solves a lot of problems and stress. Meeroos could for instance grow their regard by aging for a fair amount and leave the petting just an affectional gesture. This also prevents future attempts to autopet. I think lots of people would agree with me that meeroos are already a handful without needing to pet them, leaving us residents with more time for the social aspect of Second Life and still enjoy the game. Petting is a chore.

This could be done by developing a update object one can rez near meeroos, or perhaps it's an idea for future expansion packs.

Just thinking out loud.