Allergies are no joke. Far from being just an inconvenience, if they’re severe enough, they can lead to major health problems and even death. If you suffer from an allergy, you probably take the necessary precautions to avoid exposure and have treatment on hand.

One guy with an allergy to cats couldn’t believe it when his girlfriend adopted a kitten, despite the couple agreeing on no feline friends. He gave her an ultimatum to get rid of the cat, but she ignored him, forcing him to drop it off at a cat sanctuary. Now he’s asking if he was a jerk for doing so.

More info: Reddit

Allergies can be a matter of life and death, but this guy’s girlfriend completely ignored his for her own selfish reasons

Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Despite the couple agreeing on getting any pet other than a cat, the girlfriend adopted a kitten anyway

Image credits:Nirzar Pangarkar / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Concerned for his health, the boyfriend told her that she had three days to get rid of the cat, or he would do it himself

Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

The girlfriend did nothing, so the guy donated the animal and all its things to a cat sanctuary, along with some cash

Image credits: Drazen Zigic / Freepik (not the actual photo)

The girlfriend demanded an apology before she’d come home, but he told her she was the one who should apologize

Image credits: kittycat_troubles

The boyfriend ended up dumping her for being so reckless with his health, then asked the web if he was the jerk in the scenario

OP begins his story by telling the community that he and his girlfriend have been together for about 5 years and that, since he had just bought his house and his girlfriend’s lease was about to run out, the couple had planned to move in together. 

He adds that his girlfriend had always lived with a ‘no pets’ rule, so she was keen to get one as a moving-in present.

OP claims he had no problem with that but explains that he has a serious allergy to cats, so he told his girlfriend they could get any pet as long as it wasn’t a cat—something she agreed to. Despite this, OP came home from work one day to discover a kitten trying to rub up against his ankles.

OP immediately put his foot down and told his girlfriend she had three days to find the cat another home or take it back to the pet store. Well, three days passed, and she did nothing, so OP packed up the kitten and took it to a local cat sanctuary, where the owner assured him a kitten so cute and friendly would be re-homed in no time.

Upon finding out what he’d done, his girlfriend burst into tears and left for a friend’s house, demanding an apology before she came home and complaining that he could have at least let her say goodbye to the furball. 

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OP told her that the cat shouldn’t even have been there in the first place and that she was the one who owed him an apology for his allergy flare-up. After discussing the situation with his friends, OP ultimately decided to end the relationship, since this kitten move was just one in a long list of red flags. 

OP concludes his story by telling the readers that the kitten has since been re-homed and he’s on antibiotics for his ‘prolonged exposure’ allergic reaction but still wonders if he was the jerk in the situation.

To say OP’s ex-girlfriend is inconsiderate may be an understatement. After all, she put her own selfish needs ahead of his actual health—something a loving partner would never do unless they wanted to risk the entire relationship.

Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

In her article for PsychCentral, Saya Des Marais writes that selfishness can be defined as the trait that leads people to frequently act in their own interests, without any regard for how their actions could impact others.    

In fact, the American Psychological Association dictionary defines selfishness as the tendency to act excessively or solely in a manner that benefits oneself, even when others are disadvantaged.

If you’re dealing with a selfish person in your life, you may feel overwhelmed or frustrated about how to communicate with them. It might seem like no matter what you say or do, they continue to hurt you, either intentionally or unintentionally, by acting in their own interests.

Des Marais puts forward a few suggestions on how to deal with selfish people. These include not taking it personally, setting clear boundaries, practicing acceptance, and educating yourself about what makes a person selfish in the first place, such as genetics, neurobiology, and personality disorders. 

According to the Mayo Clinic website, pet allergy is a reaction to proteins found in an animal’s skin cells, saliva, or urine. People with a pet allergy might experience skin symptoms, which is a pattern known as allergic dermatitis. This type of dermatitis is an immune system reaction that causes skin inflammation in the form of hives, eczema, and itchy skin.

From what OP tells us in his post, he couldn’t have been clearer about his ‘no cat’ rule – she just thought she’d railroad him. It also seems like he barely dodged a bullet by getting the kitten out of the house, and maybe his selfish girlfriend, too.

What do you think of OP’s situation? Did he act like a jerk, or was his ex to blame? Let us know your opinion in the comments!

In the comments, readers swiftly concluded that the guy wasn’t the jerk and that the girlfriend deserved to be shown the door for jeopardizing his health

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