Woman Says She Rejected New Kitten as a Gift from Parents Less Than 2 Days After Her Last Cat Died

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock image of woman holding cat.Photo:Getty Images

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Grieving pet parents say they are questioning their reaction to a gifted kitten.

In a recent post on Reddit’s popular “Am I the A—–” forum, a woman, 30, wrote that her relationship with her parents shifted after they gifted her and her girlfriend, 31, a kitten just 26 hours after their beloved 20-year-old pet cat had died.

“My gf immediately looked concerned and asked, ‘You haven’t?’…After this, I realized they were trying to gift us a kitten, the same breed as our recently passed cat,” the woman explained.

The couple were “shocked/upset” and politely let the woman’s parents know that they “appreciated the thought” but that they didn’t want the kitten.

“They said they thought we’d like it,” she wrote. “I reiterated that while we appreciated the thought, it had only been just over a day since our cat passed.”

Stock image of a kitten with a toy.Getty

Getty

Her mother apparently laughed off the comment and the woman started crying. She went into the kitchen to compose herself while her girlfriend “repeatedly asked them to take the [kitten] and leave.”

The parents ignored the request, instead talking about “how cute” the kitten was and trying to “get her to hold it.”

Eventually, the woman’s girlfriend “raised her voice, telling them firmly to pick up the kitten and leave.” The mother went to the car, while the father asked if they would ever get another cat.

“I’m not sure, but if we do, it won’t be that kitten," the woman responded.

Now, a week later, the woman’s parents are seemingly acting as if the incident never happened and ignoring her request “for space.” Additionally, her girlfriend “is worried that she overreacted and lost her composure.”

“I can’t shake the feeling that I messed up with my parents,” the woman shared in the Reddit forum.

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“Totally NTA…Your parents clearly meant well. But it’s way, way too early to eventhinkabout another pet,” one person sounded off.

“It’s one thing if you said, ‘I would like a new pet right away,’ but to just go out and do that without even talking to your partner?” one person criticized her parents' actions before adding that they were sorry for the pet owner’s loss.

“You don’t gift a responsibility,” another person added.

source: people.com