AITAH for calling my girlfriend an i**ot for getting another pet she can’t afford to take care of?
A Redditor recently shared his frustration over his girlfriend bringing home a stray cat despite her financial struggles with pet care. The couple already has a cat and a dog, both of which are solely her responsibility. The girlfriend, who recently struggled to afford vet bills for her dog, brought home a stray cat covered in fleas without discussing it with him.
When he confronted her and called her an “idiot” for taking on more than she could handle, she became upset. Now, he’s considering taking the cat to a shelter, but he’s unsure if he was too harsh. Read the full story below.
‘ AITAH for calling my girlfriend an i**ot for getting another pet she can’t afford to take care of?’
For context, I’m 26M and my girlfriend 25F live together. She has one cat and one dog, which is enough pets in my opinion. These are her pets, which she wanted and begged me for them. I told her if they need to go to the vet and other things like dog food, cat litter, cat food, etc are all on her.
Taking them out? Training them? Also all on her. Her dog was having some type of health issue a while back and I’ve told her over and over to take him to the vet and she just says she doesn’t have enough saved for it. She was only able to take him to the vet once her sister sent her money.
I told her two is enough and you won’t be able to persuade me for you to get another pet. I came home after work and it was her day off. I walk in to see a cat I never seen before. I immediately say to my girlfriend “what the f**k?” She said that the cat was a stray and she felt bad about it and wants to keep him.
So she felt like she had to take him home. The cat is male and covered with fleas. It has huge jowls so I’m sure it’s never been fixed. I called her an i**ot for getting another pet she can’t afford to take care of. She stopped talking to me after this and I’m thinking about taking the cat to the shelter.
I know for sure she won’t have enough to take him to the vet so he can get fixed. She’s been really upset about this and we got into an argument about me calling her an i**ot for having sympathy for a cat. AITAH?
Here’s the comments of Reddit users:
Square-Minimum-6042 − NTA. She is being irresponsible.
Realistic-Budget4527 − NTAH. Your home has now been inoculated with fleas. You are in for a months long battle to get rid of them. The other animals will end up infested. You carpet, bedding, linens everything with have them. I would call the rescue and have that stray removed. You don’t know if that cat has FeLuk or FIV, FIP, or worse. The cat needs a full lime bath, multiple rounds of capstar, rabies and a SNAP test.
Consistent_Art_4471 − NTA. She is an i**ot. — Someone who worked in vet med for 13 years and could have retired if she had $1 for every time someone “rescued” an animal they couldn’t care for and then got incensed for not getting free or discounted care. 🙄
TheGodMother007 − NTA- Sometimes the truth hurts, and your girlfriend truly sounds like an i**ot. Honestly, I’m sure that there are other instances you could refer to, where she fits the bill of an i**ot.
Not only did she bring fleas into the house, but she has put the animals in danger as well, all of them. You have no idea what diseases the stray cat is carrying and that fact puts her pets at risk. She already can’t afford the basic care the animals need.
What happens if the stray cat gets another pet sick? Or is territorial & decides to harm another animal? She didn’t think this through & although your choice of words could have been better, you weren’t wrong in your label.
Few-Tone-9339 − She is an i**ot. RUN.
Electrichead64 − $50 a month on cat food is a lot of money when you are minimum wage-slave.
Endora529 − NTA. She is an i**ot. She should have taken the cat to a shelter. Now you’re all going to get infested with fleas. Animals are a big expense and she’s being irresponsible for even having multiple pets.
ImaginaryPark6311 − NTA Over 31 yrs my wife and I had 20 pets, cats and dogs. Some adopted and a couple were fosters. One time we had 11 pets at once. Now, many yrs later, we only have 2 dogs, one for me and one for her. The vets bills are SO HIGH these days, like significantly higher than even 10 yrs ago. Her dog has allergies and is on a med that costs $137/month.
After these 2 die, there will be no more pets. If you ever decide to get a pet, you have to be able to afford vet care, heartworm preventative, flea and tick meds, plus regular stuff like food, toys and bedding. If you cannot afford these things then you have no right to get a pet!!!!
Con4America − CAll a humane society instead. No need to get the cat killed in a shelter.
Cautious_Chknleggs − Maybe an ahole for calling her an i**ot but I would have called her irresponsible. If she can’t afford to take them to the vet when they need it, then she shouldn’t have them. NTA
Was he justified in his reaction, or did he overreact? Should he be more understanding of her compassion, or is his frustration warranted given her financial situation? How would you handle a similar situation with an unexpected pet addition? Share your thoughts below!
