Man Urged To Divorce His Wife After She Dropped His Cat Off At An Animal Shelter Because She Was 'Pregnant And Miserable'
Pets are family, not property.
Africa Studio / Shutterstock According to a 2022 survey conducted by Angi, almost 50% of pet owners agreed they would dump their partners if they weren't accepting of their beloved furry friend. This is exactly what people on Reddit urged one man to do after his pregnant wife got rid of his 16-year-old cat without his knowledge.
The wife became allergic to their cat during her second trimester and wanted him to be rehomed.
When the man's wife was pregnant, she suddenly became allergic to cats — specifically their indoor cat, whom her husband raised since he was a kitten.
"We talked with our doctor and he said sometimes this can happen," the man explained in his Reddit post.
While there are things you can do to prevent allergic symptoms from appearing, such as not allowing the feline to enter the room in which you sleep, using an air filter, cleaning the house, grooming the cat or taking medication, his wife insisted there was only one answer — and that was to rehome the cat. The husband, however, disagreed.
"I don't want to do this — he's old, he only knows me and my wife, he only knows our home, he's not been around other people or animals," the man wrote. "I think it will be very stressful for him and at this age, it might just kill him."
When a senior cat is removed from the environment they know, they often will show aggressive behavior, such as hissing, not eating or drinking, and avoiding being touched. To imagine your beloved animal experiencing this is heartbreaking for many.
The man attempted to offer a compromise to his wife, one that would allow her to be comfortable without immediately rehoming the cat. He said that they could stay with her parents, who live ten minutes away, for the next three months while the cat stays in their home — with the husband checking on him every day, of course.
"If the allergies persist for her or the baby I can look into (very carefully) finding my cat a permanent new home," he said.
Photo: O_Zinchenko / Shutterstock
His wife was not all satisfied with his offer, accusing him of prioritizing the cat over the health of his wife and their first child.
"I just don't want to traumatize my cat over something that might be temporary. AITA?" he questioned.
While he considered options, his wife took it upon herself to remove the cat from their home.
"My brother lives a few hours away and he spent a few years living with my cat when we were younger, so I called him and explained the situation," the husband shared. "He agreed to adopt him but he was out of town so the soonest he could come pick him up was the weekend after next."
Unfortunately, his wife was still unhappy with this solution and wanted the cat gone now — not in two weeks.
"She became furious and said she was not going to leave our house and the cat had to go ASAP," he wrote. "I told her this was the best I could do. I was not going to give my cat away to whatever random person stopped by first."
His wife; however, had other ideas. One day, the man came home from work to find the house free of any fury animals. He asked his wife if she knew where his cat was, and was stunned by her response.
"I am pregnant and miserable, and you wouldn't get rid of him, so I did," she said. She proudly admitted to taking the cat to a local animal shelter. Furious, the husband immediately asked what shelter and went right out the front door.
As soon as he got to the shelter, he showed a picture of his cat to the workers. The employee knew exactly which cat was his and began apologizing.
"She said they put him with the other cats but later they were bringing in a large dog which they have to take dogs past the cat cages to the dog cages. The dog jumped at my cat's cage and barked at him, and my cat panicked and had a heart attack (her guess)," the man wrote. "He died. They gave me his body in a shoebox."
The husband could not speak to his wife and considered divorce.
Once he arrived home, he showed his wife the body of his cat without saying a word. She started apologizing, but he ignored her and went to bury his cat in their backyard. He called his brother and told him what happened.
"He started yelling into the phone that my wife murdered my cat and I need to reconsider my relationship," he wrote. "I just feel numb, I haven't said a word to my wife, I don't think I can even look at her. I don't know what I'm going to do," he ended his post.
Later, in the comments, he added, “Nothing will make it right. But I am not the reason he's dead, and I will never accept any reconciliation that includes the lie that I am.”
This is a lesson to anyone whose partner, friend, or family member has a pet: They are not toys to be tossed around and forgotten.
Over 85% of Americans own a pet and know just how loving, affectionate, and special they are, and losing a pet you've spent such a significant amount of time with is grief-inducing.
While the wife's hesitation to keep the cat is understandable given her difficult pregnancy, removing the cat from the home without allowing her husband to find a different home he'd be more comfortable sending the cat to live is a surefire way to build resentment in the relationship.
Lauren Reams is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news.