AITA for not getting rid of my cats for my pregnant best friend?

A 22-year-old woman is housing her best friend Kristy, who recently became pregnant. Kristy’s mother expressed concerns about the woman’s cats and potential health risks, insisting she should get rid of them. The woman explained that her cats are well-cared for, with strict hygiene practices, and that Kristy has no responsibilities regarding the pets.

She is open to limiting the number of foster cats but refuses to get rid of her own cat or stop volunteering, feeling that she is not endangering anyone. read the original story below…

‘ AITA for not getting rid of my cats for my pregnant best friend?’

 I 22F have lived alone since the beginning of this year in a 2b 2bath condo. I have one cat who is my pet, but I also volunteer with a local cat rescue organization. It’s fairly often that I temporarily foster cats/kittens anywhere from just 1 night-2 weeks at most, until we clear them to be placed in our shelter, or with another foster, or they are adopted.

Usually I take in 1 foster at a time, but at times it’s 2 if they’re siblings, bonded, etc. Recently this summer, my best friend ‘Kristy’ 23F moved in with me because she was on very bad/hostile terms with her mom and stepdad who she lived with, and it was safer for her to move out. I of course offered her to stay with me, and shes been in the spare bedroom since.

However last month, Kristy found out she’s pregnant from her bf. They have a plan to get their own place asap she says, but I truly don’t mind if she stays here as long as she needs. Given that she’s pregnant, when she told her mom last week, her mom wanted to come over and talk things over.

So she came here on Thursday and they talked privately for about 2 hours. When they came out it seemed like it was a good chat and they were more relaxed. But, her mom kinda turned her attention towards me and said “if Kristy’s going to be living here, you need to do something about the cats.

” I asked what she meant, and she mentioned toxoplasmosis, the litter boxes, number of cats here, etc. and started getting an attitude towards me and said “you guys should’ve thought of this already.” I let her know we did actually; and there’s an extremely low to no risk of toxoplasmosis.

I only have one cat (my own) in the main house, who doesn’t go into Kristy’s room. Kristy also has 0 obligations or responsibilities for my cats, I let her know that the minute she moved in. All litter boxes are cleaned minimum twice daily, and aren’t even anywhere near Kristy.

My cats litter box is kept in the garage (she has a cat door) and any foster cats I have are kept in my master bathroom. It’s a large bathroom and adapted to be safe for a temporary foster. The only interaction Kristy has is if she happens to be in the living room/hallway/kitchen with my cat at the same time, so contact is extremely limited.

I also want to add, all cats I foster are up to date with vaccines, spayed/neutered, and exclusively indoor cats only. After explaining all this to Kristy’s mom, I told her that at most I would be willing to possibly limit the fosters I bring in, but I will absolutely not be getting rid of my cat. She told me “well yours is the biggest risk here.”

ALSO she tried to suggest that I should stop volunteering with cats altogether until Kristy moved out or until the baby is born. Kristy tried interrupting her mom to calm down because she kept going on about how I’m being s**fish, I’m not realizing that she’s carrying another life now, not considering the risks, etc.

but given their relationship, she was very on edge with her mom which I understand. I love my best friend, but I will not be getting rid of my pet in my own home that was here before she was. I’m willing to adapt and limit fosters, but I genuinely do not think I’m risking anyone’s health here and don’t want to stop volunteering. AITA?

Here’s what the community had to contribute:

sickofdriving007 −  NTA. As long as she’s not scooping the litter boxes she should be fine. If her mom is so concerned maybe she should step up and be a better parent to her daughter so she can live with her.

TheSannens −  NTA, your house, your cat. Her baby is not your responsibility AND as long as she stays away from the litter box she’s fine.. Sincerely, A pregnant woman whose indoor cat is currently sleeping on her lap

[Reddit User] −  NTA. Plenty of pregnant women live with cats and are just fine. I suspect Kristy’s mom is doing this to pressure her to move back home, where she can then have more control over her daughter.

FuzzyMom2005 −  NTA.  You don’t want to get rid of the cats.  Kristy doesn’t want you to get rid of the cats. This is a non-issue.  If Kristy has such a t**ic relationship with her mom, her mom should not be coming to your house. Let Kristy go to hers if she can’t go NC.

Individual_Ad_9213 −  NTA: MOM: “*if Kristy’s going to be living here, you need to do something about the cats* \[i.e., you need to get rid of them.”  OP’s anwer should have been: “Well, I guess that Kristy’s moving back home with you.” You’re doing her a favor by letting her crash at your place. You are under no obligation to do any more. == Kristy and her mom are being presumptuous.

throwaway113022 −  NTA. Ignore Kristy’s mom she doesn’t know what she is talking about. If you are going to limit anything in YOUR home it should be to limit Kristy’s mom visitation.

Waste_Worker6122 −  NTA. Cats were there first. Kirsty’s Mom was so t**ic that Kirsty had to move out. Seems to me that Kirsty’s Mom is just trying to stir s**t. Maybe tell Kristy’s Mom if she actually acted like a Mom her daughter wouldn’t have had to have moved out in the first place.

StAlvis −  NTA . Kristy’s fetus is not **your** concern. If Kristy’s mom is **_this_** worried, she’s free to secure alternate housing for her daughter.

T_G_A_H −  NTA. They should talk to a vet for reassurance. There’s no risk unless she is scooping the litter boxes and had direct contact with cat feces. Many pregnant women live with cats.

icecreampenis −  Did you consider saying “get the f**k out of my house and don’t come back” to this woman? Who the f**k does she think she is?. NTA.

Balancing personal passions and the needs of friends can be challenging. It’s essential to maintain boundaries while also being considerate. What do you think? Share your thoughts below!