When people are in a romantic relationship, they often find themselves willing to make significant sacrifices. They might change their diets, upgrade their wardrobe or quit bad habits. However, when it comes to pets, the story can be very different.
Recently, a 22-year-old man took to Reddit to share his dilemma. Accordingly, he revealed that his girlfriend of seven months had given him an ultimatum: either he gives up his beloved cat, Mittens, or their relationship ends.
As a committed vegan, his girlfriend argued that owning a cat violated her principles.
In his post, the man explained: “I’ve been dating my GF for 7 months. She’s amazing and we’re super compatible in a lot of ways. She is an outspoken vegan, and she made it clear at the start of our relationship that it was important to her that any potential partner shared similar cruelty-free values. Me, already being a pescatarian, had little difficulty transitioning to a fully plant-based diet. My GF was proud of me for going cruelty-free and everything seemed well. 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. However, my GF was always a little apprehensive around her, and she blamed it on not growing up around cats. After a while, we sort of made a tacit agreement to mostly hang out at her apartment instead of mine, so Mittens never really came up again in conversation.”
The couple’s relationship deepened during the pandemic, and they began discussing moving in together. This led to 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 because cats hunt and eat meat.
“I was stunned,” he wrote. “I told her that I was absolutely not willing to give up Mittens, and she had no choice but to eat meat, so 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 GF 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, the man ended the conversation and left her apartment. He snuggled with Mittens when he got home, but his mood was dampened when his girlfriend sent him a link to a Reddit thread advocating for the extinction of domestic cats.
“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 GF 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!”
In addition, he 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 made a decision that parting ways was the best decision given the issues in their relationship. Would you have done the same in this situation?
