17-year-old lets girlfriend house her cat temporarily, but girlfriend now claims ownership of the cat and refuses to give up pawrenting rights: 'We still get into arguments about this'

Briana Viser • Writer and Editor

Nov 23, 2025 5:00 PM EST

Having a cat is a ton of responsibility, and when we're young and teenagers, it can be hard to understand the weight of being a pet pawrent. The protagonist in the story below certainly doesn't understand. She gets a cat, but realizes that she can't house it in her place, so she seeks refuge in her girlfriend's home, as she lives with her mom. Her mother wasn't so thrilled initially about the cat, but she warmed up to it. Now, a predicament comes up. The protagonist wants full and complete ownership of the cat and sees it as hers, but the girlfriend and mom now think it's their cat.

To be fair, the cat is being taken care of by the girlfriend and her mom. Despite the protagonist spending most of her time at her girlfriend's house, the primary caretakers are the girlfriend and her mom. This becomes an issue when the girlfriend's mom starts feeding the cat on her own, and starts to take control over the litter box and other cat related things. This creates tension between the owner and her girlfriend, and they get into arguments about it. She seeks internet advice on what to do, but it turns out they're not on her side.

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My gf and her mom claimed my cat as theirs

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