Vegan girlfriend asks boyfriend to give away cat—faces tough choice

Love often inspires people to make significant changes. They might quit bad habits, switch to healthier diets, or even upgrade their style. But when it comes to pets, things can get complicated.

A 22-year-old man recently shared his dilemma on Reddit. His girlfriend of seven months gave him an ultimatum: either he gives up his beloved cat, Mittens, or their relationship ends.

His girlfriend, a dedicated vegan, believed that owning a cat was against her principles.

In his post, the man wrote: “I’ve been dating my girlfriend for seven months. She’s amazing, and we get along well. She’s a vocal vegan and made it clear that she wanted a partner who shared her cruelty-free values. Since I was already a pescatarian, it wasn’t hard for me to switch to a plant-based diet. She was proud of me, and we became known as ‘the vegan couple’ at our college.”

However, there was a lingering issue with his cat, Mittens. “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.”

Their relationship grew during the pandemic, and they talked about moving in together. This led to a serious conversation where his girlfriend said she couldn’t see a future with him unless he gave 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 upset, he left her apartment and snuggled with Mittens at home. His mood worsened when his girlfriend sent him a Reddit thread advocating for the extinction of domestic cats.

He concluded his post saying, “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 follow-up on r/relationship_advice, he clarified that his girlfriend’s extreme views didn’t represent the vegan community as a whole. “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 realized, “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 ending the relationship was the best choice given their issues. What would you have done in this situation?