For many of us, our pets are less furry friends and more members of the family. Losing them is incredibly hard, but it’s perhaps even harder when they’re taken from us too soon—let alone unnecessarily.
One 26-year-old guy “ThrowRALadyMan8t8” shared how his 27-year-old wife not only didn’t share his love for his long-time cat companion, but how she deliberately killed the cat.
The OP (Original Poster) shared his story in the “Relationship Advice” subReddit and said:
“My wife put my cat to sleep without my permission or knowledge.”
The OP stressed how long his history with his cat was.
“My cat Willy has been in my family since I was in HS. He was my best friend and only reason I never killed myself.”
“I mean he was more like a dog. It was crazy.”
“He enjoyed going for walks, swimming, he acted like a dog. He was just a Domestic Shorthair.”
“He was also stupidly smart. He opened doors, knew how to turn the faucet on and even learned to use the toilet.”
“He would wait by my front door everyday for me to come home and then jump all over me. He played fetch and knew his name and many commands.”
When the OP was sick recently, he left Willy in his wife’s care.
“While I was in the hospital with [the virus], my cat got very sick.”
“My wife took him to the vet and we were told he needed major surgery. This would cost a lot of money, but I had an emergency vet fund for exactly this sort of emergency.”
“From what I understand it was a bladder infection that formed crystals in him. A deadly situation, but treatable.”
“She didn’t schedule it and didn’t want to pay for it. She wanted a second opinion, but her second opinion was put him to sleep.”
When the OP asked his wife how Willy was doing, she dodged his questions.
“She had been lying to me for days saying he was fine and the surgery would be scheduled.”
“I knew something had happened, but I couldn’t verify because I was in the hospital.”
“After I got discharged the first thing I did was look for him.”
“Guess what? He was dead.”
“She put him to sleep. She used the money to put a down payment on a new car.”
The OP later stated the new car was in only her name because she would have needed his signature.
She knew he’d object to the misuse of the money he’d saved for vet bills and would never sign.
“I really wanted to hit her. He was my buddy, my best friend, family and he was gone.”
“I can’t ever trust or even forgive her. This is unforgivable.”
“My cat was all I had [left]. He was a gift my Dad gave me before he [committed suicide].”
“[Willy] was a gift for me graduating [high school].”
The OP’s wife didn’t see it that way.
“She claims it was the only choice and spending $8k on a cat is absurd.”
“She claims the vet told her it was more humane. But, the vet she [cited] was not our vet and I did not trust them.”
“My vet told me he was healthy and the surgery would save his life. I trust him, I’ve been going to him since I was a kid.”
“She went for a second opinion, but it wasn’t a second opinion—she just [wanted to] put him to sleep. My vet would never approve that.”
“He wouldn’t approve putting an animal down without a valid reason.”
“It’s like a piece of me died. I’m so used to seeing him wait at the door for me.”
“It’s not the same.”
“He was old sure but, he was healthy otherwise and the surgery would have given him many more years.”
“I took good care of my boy. I gave him good healthy food and took a lot of effort in maintaining his health.”
“She didn’t even bother asking me or telling me. She did it without my consent or knowledge.”
“For her, getting a new car was more beneficial than spending a lot of money on an ‘old cat’.”
The OP couldn’t face his wife after that.
“It’s been two days and I kicked her out.”
“I don’t know what to do. I loved my cat more then anything. He was my son, my best friend and now he’s gone.”
There was an overwhelming consensus among Redditors that the wife proved she could never be trusted again.
“Wait, your cat was only like 12-ish years old???”
“That’s not old! Cats live anywhere from 15 to 20 years on average. Your cat was young!”
“That’s unforgivable that she took advantage of you while you were vulnerable and out of contact to kill your cat! And for what, a car?
“She betrayed your trust in a massive way.”
“You should reflect on whether this is really out of the blue, or whether you have ignored smaller versions of this behavior before. If this betrayal is not enough for you to call it quits, then I would be afraid of what the next escalation of this sort of behavior will be.” – get-me-a-pizza
“100% divorce territory. Not only did she put your cat down she spent 8k on a car while you were in the hospital. Holy s**t.” – notevenapro
“[The cat] sounds wonderful. He absolutely deserved better.”
“Don’t let anyone convince you he was ‘just a cat’ because there’s no such thing. Pets are family, I love my kitties like children and if someone did this to them, I would absolutely go scorched earth.”
“Not only that, but that was your cat, she had no right to your property, this might have literally been illegal. If anyone tells you you’re overreacting, then cut them out too, because they’re telling you they’re sh*tty people.” – Rozeline
“She can claim what she wants. It’s not absurd to have funds for animals.”
“We have three cats and each of them has a personal emergency fund.”
“She has NO right to just put him to sleep.”
“Have to agree with [another] poster. I would not be able to look my partner in the eye if he ever did that.”
“Especially cruel is that she used the money for a down payment.” – austrianbst_09
“Honestly she sounds like an extremely selfish person. You seriously took an emergency fund your husband had set aside for vet bills, and bought yourself a car after having his cat put down?”
“Which, being married, you KNEW would devastate him????” – fourthnorth
“That wasn’t her call to make and certainly wasn’t her money to spend. I’m so sorry to hear this, OP.” – AnnaR92
It’s enough to lose a companion that has been so significant to your life for so long, but to face a betrayal like this from your life partner must be devastating.
The OP didn’t provide an update with how he plans to go forward from here.