Girlfriend asks her man to put down his loyal cat of 7 years because he's "too attached" to it, she breaks up with him, he dodges a bullet: 'Oh, good. I've been trying to break it off since you wanted me to e*thanize my cat to save money'

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Jun 11, 2026 1:30 PM EDT

The first thing you should ask a potential partner is this: what do you think about my cat? And if the answer is anything other than "they are purrfect," you should run for the hills.

Compatibility is the most important thing in a relationship. You need similar values if you want to share the rest of your lives with one another. And within those values are, of course, your views on animals. We think it's obvious what our stance, here at ICHC, is. Animals are family. And they are to be treated as such. We need a person who will love our pets as much as we love them. We cannot have a partner who's jealous of our pets. We can't have a partner who thinks we're too affectionate with our pets. And we certainly can't have a partner who tells us to get rid of our pets.

In the following story, shared on r/BestofRedditorUpdates, this woman hit the whole trifecta. Not only does she think that her man is too affectionate with his cat because he's excited when his cat runs up to him when he comes home and because her man talks to his cat with a baby voice. She also thinks that it makes more sense to put a cat down than pay a vet bill.

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via Unsplash / Marina Hanna - marinahanna

A man gently pets a calm ginger cat. Subjects are models.
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
Incompatible is… the gentlest way that we can describe this situation. Some people just should not be together. The things that this woman describes are not only normal, in our eyes, they are actually ideal in a partner. We want someone who is going to be gentle and loving with animals, who's going to see them as members of the family. We cannot imagine hearing the things that she told him aimed at us and not ending the relationship right after.
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via Unsplash / Kateryna Hliznitsova

A representation of a wholesome relationship between a man and a cat with the cat sitting on the man's shoulder.
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via YouKnowYourCrazy
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via YouKnowYourCrazy
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via lagelthrow
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via lagelthrow
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via lagelthrow
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via lagelthrow
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via theoppositeopinion1
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via theoppositeopinion1
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via theoppositeopinion1
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via theoppositeopinion1
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via theoppositeopinion1
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via Unsplash / Andrew Keymaster - urinfinity

A cute picture of a man holding a tiny playful kitten on his tummy, as represented by models.
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via u/felinefrustration17
Her shock might be the most shocking thing to us. The fact that she thought she could tell this man to put down the cat that he loves because he spent some money at the vet's. The idea that she came into that conversation, thinking that she's the one who's dodging a bullet rather than him would be funny if it wasn't so sad. We hope she finds someone who fits her. The guy… yeah, we're not worried about him for a second. He'll be just fine.
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via Unsplash / Bùi Hoàng Long

A man wearing sunglasses holding a calico cat in his lap, as represented by two models.
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via RelaxRelapse
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via ashbae
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via u/felinefrustration17
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via reddit