Man Demands That His Wife Of 3 Years Get Rid Of Her Cat Of 18 Years Because It’s Old

His wife happened to come with a cat — a cat she's lived with for 18 years of her life. "I didn't like the cat but I like my wife so I dealt with it under the notion I wouldn't be caring for it or being buddies," he wrote. "My wife was fine with it."

The average life expectancy of a cat is between 10 and 15 years, so this cat has beaten the odds and is likely going to pass soon. "The cat is a senior and her health is declining," he said. "She's been having incontinence not too regularly, but usually once or twice a week there's pee on something outside of box, my wife has had her seen and the vet said it was due to old age. This disgusts me."

While bodily fluids aren't always welcome, the husband's reaction seems almost childish. But his disgust only grew from there. After this incident, he asked his wife to limit household access to the cat since he didn't want the accidents to turn off any friends who might be visiting.

"I asked my wife to keep the cat in one of our guest rooms at all times so the house doesn't end up smelling like cat pee (I have friends over regularly and I want a perfect home.) She told me that was cruel and a bit of vinegar would get any smell out," he said. As all human pet parents know, there are several methods for addressing pet odor. If not, nobody would have a cat.

"The final straw was the cat was in our bed last night and had an accident in her sleep, I already don't want the cat in our bed but my wife insisted because she knows the cat probably won't be around much longer," he added. "I woke up with [urine] on top of me, and our sheets ruined. I woke my wife up to show her and she immediately scheduled another vet appointment and didn't seem to care about the mess."

"I told her she was cleaning it up, the cat wasn't allowed in the bed again, and the cat either had to go or be contained. She said she'd start sleeping in the guest bedroom with the cat separate from me so accidents won't affect me. I told her that was ridiculous to suggest not sleeping with me, her husband, for a pee covered cat instead," he explained. While his frustration makes sense, his lack of empathy shines through.

"I don't think not wanting to wake up with pee on my bed and soaking into my floors regularly is that unreasonable," he said. "If she doesn't want to get rid of it, I offered another solution with a perfectly fine room for it." However, the way he addressed the situation rubbed Redditors the wrong way.

"I don't understand why you are opposed to her sleeping in the guest room with the cat," said nathashanails. "That cat has been in her life longer than you have. It's probably been more of a support to her than you have too. She wants to spend time with the cat before it passes. Just leave her and the cat be."

Lordliv was furious that the husband had the gall to put his emotions before hers, when the pet has been in her life for so long. "You can't just suck it up for your wife?" they wrote. "Obviously the cat's death is impending and it will devastate her. 'Hm, my wife is about to lose a beloved pet that has been in her life for two decades. I better stress her out more and act like her grief doesn't matter all because I am occasionally mildly inconvenienced with mess that I don't even end up cleaning!' Get a grip."

Well, sort of. He admitted that he was unaware of the bond that can form between people and animals. "I get it. I'm a huge [expletive] who's never had a pet and doesn't get it. I'm gonna have a lot of making up and apologizing to do," he said. "First stop is for flowers and a waterproof mattress protector."

While it's good to know that he found some compassion, it's still important to remember that pets aren't disposable. And senior pets should be treated with care, just as senior humans should be. This cat obviously means a great deal to her, and sometimes, deteriorating health is just part of living with a pet.