"got" is past tense for get. "Please get that ball that rolled across the street". "He already got it". "had" is past tense for have. "I have 4 pets". "Oh, you have 4 pets? Where did you get them? I got them from a kennel in Texas". If you see "got" mis-used, it only reveals what kind of language environment a person grew up in, or else his speaking habits.

Yes, listen to Kevin. Only use "got" when you mean "received". Using "got" incorrectly for "have" is ugly and makes you sound uneducated. There is another expression using "got" that comes to mind that is perfectly acceptable. The expression, "I got it", depending on the context of its usage, can mean "I understand" or "I figured it out". It can also mean "I received it".

Avoid 'got', you don't need it. It sounds ugly. I have four brothers I have a dog I have an science exam this afternoon I have heard people say 'I don't got no money' , this is gutter English and should be avoided like the plague.

Got is often misused in the English language especially in the United States. Their is a lot to clarify about got and have but hopefully this can answer your question. "I got 4 pets" could mean, at some point I had four pets but it doesn't necesarily mean I still have the four pets. "I have 4 pets", means that I have in my possesion or ownership four pets. It's safest to use got in a sentence in response to a question with get in it, however have can be used to give a clear response. Did you get the four pets? yes, I got the four pets, but one ran away. Did you get the four pets? Yes, I got them. Do yo still have them? Yes I have them. Did you get the four pets? Yes, I have them.

You will hear or read "I got 4 cats" in informal spoken English and in chats, but it is incorrect and should not be used in formal English. Informally, "I got 4 cats" = "I have 4 cats" (Incorrect, but popular) However, to be grammatically correct, "I got 4 cats" = "I RECEIVED 4 cats" (Note past tense).