Woman's Cat Suddenly Hates Her Boyfriend: Internet Weighs In

Author image for Ellie Dunn
Ellie Dunn
Jan 8, 2022 4:00 PM EST

When it comes to owning a pet, being in a relationship can make things much more complicated. Here at I Can Has Cheezburger we've heard all kinds of unfortunate stories. From a man pressuring his wife to adopt a third dog, to a woman who chose her cat over her boyfriend and asked the internet for advice, there are so many stories about relationships and pets not quite blending in the way the pet owners had hoped. Today we have a story about an awwdorable rescue cat named Shiloh who was adopted by a pawsitive 22-year-old who wanted to help this poor cat out. Unfortunately this woman's boyfriend is allergic to cats and was not the biggest fan of this cat, but that didn't seem to matter, at least for a while…

Fast forward many months and the cat now suddenly hates the boyfriend. It's unclear why that is, and the boyfriend swears that he hasn't stepped on the cat's tail, hit the cat, or been mean to the cat in any way while the girlfriend wasn't around. The girlfriend thinks she believes him, but she's also a bit suspicious, because her veterinarian told her that her cat would only suddenly start behaving in this way after being nice to him if the man was abusing the cat or mistreating it in some way. Hmm… read on to hear more, and let us know what you think in the comments section below:

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  • 01
    Font - My cat suddenly hates my boyfriend
    via u/SnackAttack27

    Hmm, animals can be pretty finicky, so this isn't that unusual, but the suddenly written here in the title makes us wonder… It is pretty odd for animals to start suddenly hating people. We wonder if there might be more to this story than meets the eye, hopefully the cat is perfectly ok!

  • 02
    Font - I (22 F) have a rescue cat named Shiloh. I took her in about a year ago. She came to me very malnourished, from a home that had over 70 other cats in it. She has always been extremely affectionate, always laying in my lap, wanting snuggles, she loves to be held, she cries whenever I shut
    via u/SnackAttack27

    Aww, Shiloh is such a cute name! It isn't always easy taking in a rescue cat and helping the cat to thrive, so kudos to this cat owner for doing everything possible to help this cat. Shiloh sounds super awwdorable and sweet. We wonder what the situation is with this woman's boyfriend…

  • 03
    Font - her out of the room that I'm in, and she always greets me when I come home from work. When I'm home, she's by my side 24/7. She's very affectionate with everyone else, always very friendly with my family and friends. She usually loves when I have people over.
    via u/SnackAttack27
  • 04
    Font - I have been with my boyfriend (29 M) for two years, and when I first got Shiloh, she got along with my boyfriend perfectly fine. But the past month or so, she has not been letting him pet her, and she has began hissing at him if he tries to approach her. I asked my
    via u/SnackAttack27
  • 05
    Font - to approach her. I asked my boyfriend if he has ever hurt her, and he swears he hasn't. I think I believe him. Especially because I have definitely accidentally kicked her or stepped on her more times than I can count because she's always underfoot. And she never holds a grudge about it.
    via u/SnackAttack27
  • 06
    Font - I thought maybe it was because my boyfriend has been staying for a longer periods of time lately. He'll stay at my place for up to a week at a time. He is slightly allergic and doesn't like her sleeping in the bedroom with us, so she used to cry outside the door every night when I wouldn't let her in, until she got used to it. So I asked her vet if
    via u/SnackAttack27
  • 07
    Font - maybe she's become jealous, and he said that cats don't get jealous, the only reason that she would hiss at someone is because she's scared of them. She has seen us in some pretty bad fights, our relationship was a little rocky a few months ago, Maybe it's possible that has something to do with it?
    via u/SnackAttack27
  • 08
    Font - My boyfriend has never been a fan of Shiloh, mostly because he's slightly allergic, but also because she's such a high maintenance cat that demands attention from me, and tends to run around and break things. But I find it so hard to believe that he would ever do anything to make her afraid of him.
    via u/SnackAttack27
  • 09
    Font - I don't know what to do. I have never seen my cat hiss or act aggressively towards anyone else, including her vet. Do I trust that my boyfriend doesn't mistreat her when I'm gone? Is there another explanation for why she's behaving this way towards him? I keep
    via u/SnackAttack27
  • 10
    Font - this way towards him? I keep joking to my friends that maybe she knows something that I don't. And every day she seems to become more aggressive towards him. Now my boyfriend wants to get rid of her. And getting rid of her is not an option i'm willing to even consider.
    via u/SnackAttack27
  • 11
    Font - ThisIsSpata I think the concerning point is the cat changed their behavior from seemingly ok/lukewarm to being defensive and scared of bf. If the cat would've always not liked bf, I don't think people would think there was any misbehaving on the bf's part. I agree with sitting down and trying to implement the plan someone suggested to mend the relationship between cat and bf. If he's unwilling to work on this, that would add to the concern for me.
    via u/ThisIsSpata
  • 12
    Font - Darkingnight Your boyfriend is super suspicious in this situation. Your cat is telling you she's afraid. She doesn't have a reason to lie. If she's becoming more and more aggressive to him there is a reason for it. Especially if this behavior is abnormal for your cat in general and specifically in this situation. Protect your fuzzy friend as she can't defend herself against him. (Edit: also the whole "My boyfriend has been a fan of Shiloh, mostly because he's allergic, ever but also becau
    via u/Darkingnight
  • 13
    Font - NfinitNfinity · My ex wife and I had a cat that would attack my wife at any and every opportunity but was fine with me. Which was ridiculous because my wife LOVED that stupid thing and doted on it. It had zero reason to hate her and yet I came home from work one day to find my wife standing on a chair so it couldn't get her. Cats are just assholes sometimes. It is INCREDIBLY irresponsible of you to suggest to OP that her boyfriend has been mistreating this cat without a shred of any kind
    via u/NfinitNfinity
  • 14
    Font - SpeckledEggs Our cat decided he hated everyone else as he got older, even my stepson who adored him and all animals and definitely never mistreated him. His personality changed. He went missing before we could get him checked out at the vet but I wonder if he was ill. Poor guy.
    via u/SpeckledEggs
  • 15
    Font - SnackAttack27 OP From what her previous owner has told me, she was 2 1/2 years old when I got her. Her vet told me that age was accurate. I've definitely heard o some pets acting strange in their older age, but believe Shiloh is still pretty young. Though she did come from a bad situation, she had a lot of health issues, and had to be put on a lot of medication's for the first few months that I had her. Maybe that all took a toll on her.
    via u/SnackAttack27
  • 16
    Font - Senzokai Cats and dogs do get jealous and territorial. However, I don't really know enough about your dynamic with your boyfriend to tell you if the cat's behaviour is a reaction or an action. Do you see any new emotion on your boyfriend's face since the day things changed?
    via u/Senzokai
  • 17
    Font - SnackAttack27 OP I'm hoping jealousy is what it is. If not jealousy, maybe she's just territorial. She typically loves company. When my friends come over she is usually in the center of attention. With my boyfriend, not so much. And he tends to speak negatively about her, sometimes I wonder if she can sense that. I can't pinpoint the time that she started acting negatively towards him, it mostly started with her avoiding him. The first time she hissed at him, we both kind of brushed it of
    via u/SnackAttack27
  • 18
    Font - TheGuyWhoResponds I don't buy for a second that cats don't get jealous. Cats are smart enough to be aware of the consequences of changes in position in the social order around them. No way the cat is happy about moving down a little in the pecking order when your boyfriend is over. At the end of the day though, it's a cat. There's no telling what its motivations are for hating your boyfriend. It doesn't have to be reasonable.
    via u/TheGuyWhoResponds
  • 19
    Font - tigestoo My sister's cat will crap on the bed of almost any guest who stays for more than three nights. There's no evidence that any of these guests have harmed the cat in any way - he just seems to have strong opinions about people wearing out their welcome!
    via u/tigestoo
  • 20
    Font - justobsolete Did you ask her vet over the phone or did you bring Shiloh in for a check up and make sure she's not injured or sick? Could be too much of an escalation, but maybe double check if your state is a double party consent state or not and set up a hidden cam. See if your "I think I believe him" is warranted or misplaced.
    via u/justobsolete
  • 21
    Font - SnackAttack27 OP I bring Shiloh in for regular check ups every month. I know that seems excessive, but it's because she had a serious infection in her lungs and sinuses when I got her. It caused permanent damage that effects her breathing. And because she had two litters of kittens when she wasn't developing properly because of malnourishment. (she's doing very well now. Don't want to raise concern) So I asked her vet at her checkup a few weeks ago... Everything was fine, she was physical
    via u/SnackAttack27

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