When the man in today’s tale met his fiancée, he was attracted by her commitment to veganism and animal rights. Her unrelenting dedication to a cruelty-free lifestyle was both admirable and inspirational. However, this dedication has now resulted in an unforeseen and heartbreaking issue.
He told the internet what happened.
I have been dating my girlfriend for seven months. She’s fantastic, and we’re really compatible in many ways. She is an ardent vegan, and she made it plain at the beginning of our relationship that any potential partner should share her cruelty-free ideals. As a pescatarian, I found it easy to convert to a completely plant-based diet. My girlfriend was proud of me for going cruelty-free, and everything appeared fine. We became known as “the vegan couple” on our college campus.
Then there’s my cat Mittens… I’ve had her for three years and just adore her. She’s a very lovely and affectionate cat. My girlfriend, on the other hand, was constantly wary of her, which she attributed to her lack of experience with cats. We eventually reached a tacit agreement to spend most of our time at her place rather than mine, so Mittens never came up again in conversation.
My girlfriend and I have recently spent a lot of time together, and we have begun to discuss moving our relationship to the next level. We began seriously considering buying a new apartment together or having one of us live with the other.
However, after much discussion and planning, my girlfriend sat me down and dropped a bombshell on me. She stated that she did not see a future with me in this next part of our relationship unless I was willing to give up Mittens. She claimed that owning a cat is unethical for vegans since they kill mice and eat meat, and that the act of owning a pet violates vegan beliefs.
I was stunned. I informed her that I was not willing to give up Mittens, and she had no choice but to eat meat, so I was doing my best to minimize harm by purchasing reputable cat food brands. Many vegans own cats and think similarly. My girlfriend became enraged and asked, “How much flesh does your cat eat?” How many animals died to produce all of that food? “Are you okay with that being human flesh?”
I believe it goes without saying that I will not get rid of my cat. However, it kills me to consider that an otherwise lovely relationship could terminate due to ideological differences. I don’t really see where my girlfriend is coming from, because, as I previously stated, many vegans own cats. Granted, cat ownership can be a contentious issue in vegan circles, and I would not have gotten a cat if I had been vegan at the time, but I now have Mittens, and she needs to eat. (Yes, I’ve looked at vegan cat food, but Mittens has stomach issues, and my vet strongly advises against it.
