The original poster (OP) states that he’s a dog person. He has always loved and owned dogs and calls his current dog his “best bud.” Unfortunately, his inability to love and accept other creatures is causing some problems.
He Loves Everything About Dogs
OP loves how social dogs are and how much love they reciprocate back to their owners. He also appreciates that dogs are smart and can be trained.
He Dislikes Cats
He doesn’t see the appeal of taking care of an animal that he believes doesn’t care about their owners and are more difficult to train. He says he has also been scratched and bitten by cats.
He Met the Love of His Life
OP says his girlfriend is “one in a million.” He loves being with her and loves her personality.
She Has a Cat
His girlfriend owns a cat and she adores it. OP admits it’s not a particularly bad cat but he still hates everything about it.
The Cat is Annoying
OP says the cat is always jumping up and down from shelves, stepping on him, kneading his legs with it’s paws and “yowling” outside the bedroom door whenever he spends the night.
He is Thinking About Their Future Together
They have been together for a year now and he can see himself marrying his girlfriend.
How Can He Live With a Cat Though?
He wants to ask his girlfriend to move in with him but he doesn’t want to have the cat. He doesn’t know how he or his dog will get along with it.
She Refuses to Leave the Cat
He tried to talk to his girlfriend about rehoming the cat and even leaving it with her parents who live in the same city. But she refused and said “No. We’re a package deal.”
He Tried to Explain the Issue
He says he very calmly tried to explain to her that it would be difficult for a cat to live with him and his dog.
She Gave an Ultimatum
She told OP he needs to figure out what’s more important to him because they both either move in with him or they break up and “stop wasting each other’s time.”
Should He Play Hardball?
OP feels like he is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He’s wondering if he should play hardball back and tell his girlfriend she can’t move in until she rehomes her cat.
The Readers Respond
The popular opinion is that OP is wrong for asking his girlfriend to get rid of her cat. If the tables were turned and she asked him to get rid of his dog, he would also refuse to do it.
“Pets have relatively short lives compared to ours. If you can’t keep them for their life, you probably never deserved them in the first place. Including expecting someone else to give up theirs.”
He Was Probably Condescending
Many readers also said his idea of “calmly and rationally explaining” was likely him being condescending when he is the one who has an irrational reaction to cats.
“In my experience, the people that claim they were explaining calmly and rationally were likely stonewalling because they perceive the other person to behaving irrationally.”
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She’s Been Parentified Since She Was 14 and is Now Being Shamed for Going to College Out of State on a Scholarship and Abandoning Her Sister and Baby
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