Would you get rid of your pets for your significant other?
Is it “me or the dog“?
Has there ever been a time when you had to make that choice?
Poll after the break!
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My Story
I had a cat in 2001 that was named Fuzzybutt. (Don’t look at me, he came with that name from the shelter!) He was a cute and loveable, though slightly quirky kitty.
I met a guy online (one of the few I didn’t meet on match.com – we met in EverQuest) and he agreed to move me to Orlando – but the cat had to go. Being in a bad financial situation and needing to move, I made the tough decision to give Fuzzybutt to some friends.
Fast-forward past the ill-fated relationship with EverQuest guy. I have two lovely kitties – DJ and Mr. P. – who are my babies. I’m not a crazy cat lady, but I love my boys. (And they love my undergarments!)
EverQuest guy? He’s married now… and guess what?
He and his wife have a cat.
What About You?
Any stories about pets and dating?
Would you get rid of your pets for a significant other?
Would you ask a significant other to get rid of their pets for you?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
About e
Hmmm… I recently was interested in a girl who had two adorable cats she loved them dearly. I tried very much to get past my allergy of cats and even managed to sit there petting Comet while cuddled up on her sofa one night. But all that got me was a serious wheezing fit. Which I assure you is not all that attractive.
Well, that relationship never truely blossomed. The cats were a barrier, but I feel it would be very wrong for me to insist she lose the cats.
I love your undergarments too
Seriously though, I picked up on one thing I didn’t quite understand. If he agreed to move you to Orlando I assume he was putting up the money for it, so why the bad financial situation? Also, you say you had to move. Was this before or after you and old mate talked about living together? I’m confused.
@ Mike – I keep a box of Claratin in my apartment for allergic visitors.
@ IronM@sk – I was making $8/hr at a not-quite full-time job and had no car, lived in a really bad area of town, had no health insurance, and had student loans and $4k in credit card bills to pay. I’d call that a bad financial situation.
(Thankfully it’s much better now!) So when he put up the money to move me and get me back on my feet, the “no cat” rule was part of the negotiations for that arrangement.
A financial situation like that would make a decision like that tough . . . but my current cat has been with me 14 years, and the previous one was with me for 21 years, since I was 8. I don’t know if I could give up a cat for someone. If they were allergic I can see issues, but animals have always been an important part of my life and would probably have to be for whoever I was with. I’ve always held that miss right could challenge any of my long held beliefs, so maybe . . . but she would really have to be miss right.
I’ve had my cat for 15 years. There’s no way I’d give him up.
Oz´s last blog post..Radio Rivendell
Love me, love my cat
I try and bring up the fact that I am a cat owner early on in the progression of dating, so that there is the option to break things off if it’s going to be a problem.
Hammer´s last blog post..Whats Cooking in 2009
Pets are a peculiar kind of property. They are property, but they act so very human-like. In many important ways, a pet becomes a member of the family.
A pet is a friend when all others forsake you. A pet is a companion when you are lonely. A pet is a guard when you are indisposed. A pet is entertaining when toys break. A pet is a motivation to care when you are down. A pet is warm when you are cold.
Any man who asks me to abandon my loyalty to a pet should wonder about my loyalty to him.
@ John – *waves excitedly!* There’s a GNOME on my blog! Yay! Wow, 21 is ancient for a cat. As a kid, my cats were indoor/outdoor, so usually died before their time…
My two boys are indoor only (if they’re REALLY good they get to go on the porch – ooooooh!), so I’m hoping to have them around for a long, long time.
@ Oz – Wow, another old kitty!
@ Hammer – Yes, I always brought it up early. Love me, love my boys. And they are SOOOO lovable!!
@ Rachel – My boys are basically my children. I don’t even know if I COULD love someone who couldn’t be around them.
A gnome! Where! Dirty little sobs . . . oh wait . .
.
Yeah they are both indoor cats, which helps add to their longevity. The 14 year old is as spry as can be and still plays around with anything you throw on the floor. I hope he lasts for a long time.
@ John – Mine love toy mice and the twisty thing from the milk jug.
BTW, for all you cat lovers out there, if you want a GREAT deal on a cat tree, petedge.com is a wholesale pet store. Minimum order is $50, but you can get a tree for $65 that would be sold for $129 at any of the regular pet stores. I got my boys a box of 50 rainbow mice for only $9.99.
Of course, they’re all under the couch at the moment…
I guess for me it would depend on the pet I had and how attached I am to the pet, and also how into the other person I was. I love my kitty now, but if guy I was with couldn’t deal with it, I would just try to keep arrangements away from my house, and if things got more serious, then try to find her a home. Now, if it was my baby callie I had a few years ago, he could forget it. She was indoor/outdoor cat, and I had her for almost 10 years before she got hit by a car.
I have two cats that I love dearly and would not give them up for anyone. They are like my kids! hehe Its one of the first things I ask when I start talking to a girl is “are you allergic to anything?” and besides that I’m an animal lover and can’t see myself with someone who doesn’t love animals. I would never ask anyone to give up their pet for me either.
Wow, does anyone here besides me not own a cat?
I’m not really a cat person, but I’d put up with one if there was a relationship on the line. It’d just have to be their responsibility. Other pets, I don’t think I’d ever ask anyone to give one up based on my personal feelings.
As far as giving up my own pet, my dog has been a big fuzzy companion (nearing 7 years), with the nicest disposition you could wish for, which is just the way I like my dogs. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t like her, nor can I think of a situation where I would willingly give her up.
My SO is allergic to cats. He tried living with a cat with a previous girlfriend, including all of the things allergic people are supposed to do: cordon off the house, install vent filters, shampoo the cat and brush daily, etc. etc. It still didn’t work for him, and after 2 days he felt as though he had a horrible cold. After a year of this, he couldn’t take it anymore and demanded the cat live somewhere else.
It’s unfortunate, because I own a cat. We can’t hang out at my place for more than half an hour before he starts to get itchy and sneezy
I love my cat, but if it comes down to b/f or cat, the cat will go to live with friends.
I’m in the hell no camp, but I have to admit I’ve not had to make the decision e had to make. That would be an incredibly hard choice.
Generally speaking though I figure if I can’t deal with his pets I’ll get over them or get over him, and same for him with mine
And if they ask you to choose and you are in a less desperate situation? Choose the pet and kick the person to the curb because a) they’re just going to keep doing it until you give in and b) ultimatums are never a good sign.
@ Lee – Good to see you back around!
@ Wumpus – If I had a bigger place and a job that let me be home more often, I’d totally have a dog. Cats are just easier.
@ Leah – Your scenario reminds me of when I was younger and realized I was allergic to my pet rabbit. I gave him to my across the street neighbor. I had visitation rights and could leave before the allergies would flare up.
@ Sandrinnad – Ultimatums are NEVER a good sign. I should have realized that back then, but I was young and stupid.
@e – oh I hear ya
)
(I now like to think of those relationships as excellent character hooks
I don’t think I could bear to give up a pet just to please a sig. other, unless the sig. other had been around /longer/ than the pet. It’s funny seeing your EverQuest Guy marry a lady and then get a pet, perhaps he was just ‘testing’ you to see if you’d bend to his whims. Say hi to your kitties!
Don’t have any pets or plans for them for the next few years, but I tried giving up my favorite scent (lavender) for a fellow who was allergic. We didn’t last long, thank goodness!