My (22M) vegan girlfriend (21F) wants me to get rid of my cat. UPDATE

A 22-year-old man shared an update regarding his breakup with his vegan girlfriend, who had insisted he get rid of his cat, Mittens, due to her belief that owning a cat is contrary to vegan principles.

After much deliberation and advice from others, he decided to end the relationship, as he could not part with his beloved pet. The breakup, while difficult, was ultimately amicable.

‘ My (22M) vegan girlfriend (21F) wants me to get rid of my cat. UPDATE’

TL;DR My gf is a passionate vegan and wants me to get rid of my beloved cat because cats eat meat and kill mice. First of all, let me say thank you for everyone who offered advice. There are over 7,000 comments on my original post and I have dozens of PMs.

Frankly I’m still pretty o**rwhelmed with the magnitude of the response. I did my best to read most everyone’s comments but obviously I couldn’t get to everything! I would also like to preempt this post by saying, as many users pointed out, that my GFs extreme views on domestic cats are not representative of the vegan/vegetarian community as a whole.

I do think that, sometimes, new vegans can be a little overzealous. In reality, most of us are just doing the best that we can to not hurt animals! I did not expect to generate a big debate in the comments.

So, we broke up, obviously. I would never, ever give up my cat Mittens. Many users said that this situation was about control, not veganism, and looking back, I do see a pattern of control on my GFs part. I was blind to it I guess.

I called my GF and said I was not willing to give up Mittens under any circumstances, and given the recent issues we’d had, and our incompatible views, I thought it was best that we parted ways. I said she deserved a partner that shared her values.

She then asked if we were breaking up, I said yes. There was some anger on her end but otherwise the situation actually went better than I expected.. So, yeah. That’s really it.

Here’s what Redditors had to say:

Just_an_Empath −  Mittens is beautiful and lucky to have you.

tthurber313 −  You choose the right pussy sir. Edit: Thank you for rewards and karma, made my day!Kinda surprised, I was like the 30th comment. Glad for OP and Mittens 🙂

etherealpussy −  she’s mad that a cat eats meat? thats gotta be the funniest thing i’ve heard all day, sorry you were in that situation though

AdAdministrative9341 −  Omg that cat is adorable. I’m vegan too, but very aware that if not for predators, the world would be overrun by sick, starving herbivores.

Fjordgard −  I’m 0% a cat person, but Mittens is one gorgeous animal and you definitely made the right choice!

_kulka_ −  *sorry for CAPS in advance*. BUT. AAAAH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CAT You did the right thing. How could you abandon this fluff. You just madey day with this pic. I hope you’ll find someone who shares your views as well 😉

Silmina −  Awww, what a beautiful cat! <3 No way would I ever give up my fur babies for a SO. Hope your next relationship goes better!

psycho-pancake −  You’re KICKASS for making this decision. I hope the best for you and Mittens and your future endeavors!!!!

Olives800 −  It’s so terrible when someone gives up a pet for a significant other. Thank you for sticking by your chosen family member (Mittens)