This Reddit story comes from the Relationship Advice subreddit – where people ask the community for help regarding their romantic troubles. It’s about a man who broke up with his girlfriend after she gave him an ultimatum to give his beloved cat away due to “vegan reasons.”
The Story
Reddit user throwRA78wdhsg posted his original story in his first post. But after receiving more than 7000 comments and supportive responses, he decided to make a new post updating everyone on the situation. Here is the updated version:
“TL;DR My gf is a passionate vegan and wants me to get rid of my beloved cat because cats eat meat and kill mice.
“First of all, let me say thank you for everyone who offered advice. There are over 7,000 comments on my original post and I have dozens of PMs. Frankly I’m still pretty overwhelmed with the magnitude of the response. I did my best to read most everyone’s comments but obviously I couldn’t get to everything!
“I would also like to preempt this post by saying, as many users pointed out, that my GFs extreme views on domestic cats are 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! I did not expect to generate a big debate in the comments.
“So, we broke up, obviously. I would never, ever give up my cat Mittens. Many users said that this situation was about control, not veganism, and looking back, I do see a pattern of control on my GFs part. I was blind to it I guess.
“I called my GF and said I was not willing to give up Mittens under any circumstances, and given the recent issues we’d had, and our incompatible views, I thought it was best that we parted ways. I said she deserved a partner that shared her values. She then asked if we were breaking up, I said yes. There was some anger on her end but otherwise the situation actually went better than I expected.
“So, yeah. That’s really it.
“Oh, and several users did ask to see a picture of Mittens. I have uploaded one to imgur:
“Thanks again to everyone who offered advice. It really helped.”
The Responses
The entire Reddit community supported this man for his decision to break it off with his girlfriend.
Reddit user KitKatHasClaws said:
“Good for you. The cat is being a cat. The cat cannot choose and must eat meat to survive.
If you treat the cat well, there is nothing wrong with being vegan and owning a cat. What’s her suggestion? We kill off cats? That’s not vegan.”
Just_an_Empath wrote:
“Mittens is beautiful and lucky to have you.”
Amethyst-Tortuga commented:
“I was one of those that noted that she was controlling. I’m proud that you stood up for your cat and yourself. You will find someone that loves you for who you really are and they will instantly fall in love with Mittens.”
Both of the posts have thousands of supportive comments and are both archived. You can read them on Reddit here & here.
Our Take
We think Mittens is a beautiful cat. This man did the right thing by not abandoning his cat for reasons that don’t make sense. We hope you find someone who has more love for animals in their heart. More power to you and your cat, Go Team Mittens!
Sources:
- Reddit – My (22M) vegan girlfriend (21F) wants me to get rid of my cat
- Reddit – My (22M) vegan girlfriend (21F) wants me to get rid of my cat. UPDATE
What’s Your Take?
What are your thoughts on this story? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
