Vegan girlfriend demands boyfriend give away cat, gets ultimatum

Falling deeply in love often leads people to make big changes. They may stop smoking, eat differently, or buy new clothes. But with pets, things can get complicated.

A 22-year-old recently told his story on Reddit. His girlfriend, after dating for seven months, told him to choose between her and his cat, Mittens.

His girlfriend, who strictly follows a vegan lifestyle, felt that keeping a cat went against her beliefs.

In his Reddit post, the man said, “I’ve been with my GF for 7 months. She’s great and we match well in many areas. She’s a vocal vegan and made it clear from the start that it was crucial for her that her partner shares her cruelty-free values. Since I was a pescatarian, switching to a fully vegan diet was easy. My GF was happy I embraced cruelty-free living. We even became known as ‘the vegan couple’ at college.”

But the issue of his cat Mittens remained. “I’ve had her for three years and love her dearly. She’s a loving cat. My GF never felt comfortable around her, claiming it was because she wasn’t used to cats. Eventually, we agreed to mostly spend time at her place, and we stopped talking about Mittens.”

Their relationship grew stronger during the pandemic, and they considered moving in together. That’s when his girlfriend insisted he get rid of Mittens, saying that keeping a cat contradicted vegan values because cats eat meat.

“I was shocked,” he wrote. “I told her I could not give up Mittens. I argued that I minimized harm by choosing trustworthy cat food brands. Many vegans have cats and think similarly. My GF became upset and questioned, ‘How much meat does your cat eat? How many animals had to die for that food? Would you be okay if it were human meat?’”

Upset, he left her apartment. He returned home and cuddled Mittens, but his mood soured when his girlfriend sent him a link to a Reddit thread promoting the idea that domestic cats should be extinct.

He ended his post, stating, “It’s clear I’m not giving up my cat. It’s hard to think that a great relationship might end over different beliefs. I don’t fully grasp my GF’s stance since many vegans own cats.”

Later, he updated his post on r/relationship_advice, explaining that his girlfriend’s extreme views on cats were not common among vegans or vegetarians. “New vegans can sometimes be overly passionate. Most of us just try our best not to harm animals,” he noted.

He also shared that they had split up. “I would never give up Mittens,” he declared. Reflecting on his relationship, he recognized that it was more about control than veganism. He acknowledged a pattern of controlling behavior from his girlfriend.

In the end, he felt breaking up was the right choice because of their relationship problems. Would you have made the same decision?