When people fall deeply in love, they often become willing to make significant sacrifices, such as quitting bad habits, changing their diets, or upgrading their wardrobe. However, the situation can be very different when it involves pets.
A 22-year-old man recently shared his dilemma on Reddit, revealing that his girlfriend of seven months had issued an ultimatum: either he gives up his beloved cat, Mittens, or their relationship ends.
His girlfriend, a committed vegan, argued that owning a cat violated her principles.
In his post, the man explained: “I’ve been dating my girlfriend for seven months. She’s amazing, and we’re super compatible in many ways. She is an outspoken vegan and made it clear from the start that it was important for her partner to share her cruelty-free values.
As a pescatarian, I had little difficulty transitioning to a fully plant-based diet. My girlfriend was proud of me for going cruelty-free, and everything seemed great. We became ‘the vegan couple’ on our college campus.”
However, the issue of his cat, Mittens, lingered in the background. “I’ve had her for three years, and I adore her. She’s such a sweet and cuddly cat. My girlfriend was always a little apprehensive around her and blamed it on not growing up with cats.
Eventually, we tacitly agreed to spend most of our time at her apartment instead of mine, so Mittens rarely came up in conversation.”
Their relationship deepened during the pandemic, leading to discussions about moving in together. This sparked a serious conversation where his girlfriend dropped a bombshell: she could not see a future with him unless he was willing to give up Mittens. She argued that owning a cat was against vegan principles since cats hunt and eat meat.
“I was stunned,” he wrote. “I told her that I was absolutely not willing to give up Mittens, and that since she had to eat meat, I was reducing harm as much as possible by buying reputable brands of cat food. Plenty of vegans own cats and think along those same lines.
My girlfriend got mad and said, ‘How much flesh does your cat eat? How many animals died to make all that food? Would you be okay with that being human flesh?’”
Feeling frustrated, he ended the conversation and left her apartment. When he got home, he snuggled with Mittens, but his mood was dampened when his girlfriend sent him a link to a Reddit thread advocating for the extinction of domestic cats.
He concluded his post by stating: “I think it goes without saying that I am not going to get rid of my cat. However, it pains me to think that an otherwise wonderful relationship could be ending because of a difference in ideology. I don’t even really understand where my girlfriend is coming from because, like I said, a lot of vegans own cats.”
In a subsequent update on r/relationship_advice, he clarified that his girlfriend’s extreme views on domestic cats were not representative of the vegan/vegetarian community as a whole. “I do think that, sometimes, new vegans can be a little overzealous. In reality, most of us are just doing the best that we can to not hurt animals!”
He also revealed that they had broken up. “I would never, ever give up my cat Mittens,” he said. Reflecting on the situation, he admitted: “Many users said that this situation was about control, not veganism, and looking back, I do see a pattern of control on my girlfriend’s part.”
Ultimately, he decided that parting ways was the best decision given the issues in their relationship. Would you have done the same in this situation?
