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Woman Refuses To Leave Behind Her Cat To Travel Australia For A Year, Gets Dumped
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Woman Refuses To Leave Behind Her Cat To Travel Australia For A Year, Gets Dumped

Woman Refuses To Leave Behind Her Cat To Travel Australia For A Year, Gets DumpedWoman Forced To Choose Between Her Cat Or Her Relationship: “She’s Basically My Baby”Woman Chooses Her Cat Instead Of Moving To Australia For A Year With Her BF, He's LividGuy Mad At GF Because She Chose Her Cat Over BF Wants GF To Move To Australia With Him For A Year, She Says She Can't Leave Her CatWoman Forced To Choose Between Her Cat Or Her Relationship, Seeks Perspective OnlineMan Gives GF An Ultimatum After She Refuses To Leave Behind Her Cat To Travel With HimWoman Questions If She's Making A Mistake By Staying With Her Cat Instead Of Going To AustraliaWoman Picks Cat Over A Year Of Travelling, Her BF Can't Believe ItGuy Forces GF To Choose Him Or Her Cat, Is Left Disappointed
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Without question, having a pet should be taken seriously. That means nurturing, loving, and not leaving them. However, the latter can sometimes impose restrictions on owners, forcing them to sacrifice exciting opportunities. 

This cat parent chose to give up going to live and travel in Australia with her boyfriend for a year because the breed of her furry companion was not allowed in the country. She just couldn’t leave her, saying, “She’s basically my baby.” Such a decision didn’t sit well with her partner, rocking the previously solid relationship.

RELATED:

    Separating from your beloved furry friend can be hard

    Image credits: Fotoerfolg2022 / envato (not the actual photo)

    For this woman, it was so difficult she risked her relationship

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    Image credits: Vlada Karpovich / pexels (not the actual photo)

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    Image source: MentalTrade

    40% of American pet owners reported feeling anxious about leaving them

    For some people, furry friends take the place of kids, making it difficult to separate from them. In fact, a Pet Honesty survey found that one in three pet owners calls themselves a pet “mom” or “dad,” about the same number of people who use the term “owner” instead.

    One in four even admitted to calling their companion their “child,” and 47% use “baby” as a nickname for them. Interestingly, half of the survey respondents thought it was “cute” and “relatable” when people treat their pets as their offspring, compared to 21% who find such behavior “annoying.”

    “It’s not hard to imagine why many people treat their pets like people,” a spokesperson for Pet Honesty said. “Some pets can live for several decades, which is a long time to take care of anything! So, of course, we end up feeling a connection to them that’s as strong as the ones we feel with other people.”

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    Many have become so accustomed to the company of their furry friends that 40% of American pet owners reported feeling anxious about leaving them. This ranges from feeling reluctant to leave the pet for a few minutes to a complete inability to travel. 

    There are a number of options to ensure that the pet is well-cared for when one is away

    Animal behavior specialist Patricia McConnell, PhD, tells the Wildest she doesn’t travel as much as she used to, and missing her dogs is one of the biggest factors in this decision. “I know when I come home from being gone, the way they greet me, they’re clearly over-the-moon happy to see me, but I don’t have dogs with separation anxiety,” she says. “They’re fine. I think it’s more about me.”

    According to her, the first good step is to travel to animal behavior or training seminars designed to help pet parents deal with their separation anxiety. It might be beneficial to understand that the best thing for their companions is developing the confidence to be alone, which in turn would make the owner feel better about leaving them.

    Besides, there are many options to ensure that the pet is well cared for when one is away. The best alternative is to have a friend or family member looking after them. It’s especially great if the person taking care of them can do so in your home, as it allows you to keep the environment as familiar as possible for them. This is particularly beneficial for cats, rabbits, or small animals that aren’t usually accustomed to traveling and visiting new places. When you can’t find people close to you available, a pet sitter is another great option.

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    Something that can help ease the anxiety while leaving your pet in other people’s hands is giving them a checklist to ensure that the pet is looked after properly and has everything they need. Some useful aspects to include are details about your pet’s usual routine, food and feeding instructions, emergency contacts, exercise needs, and health and behavior information. Feeling prepared and leaving the furry companion in trusted hands can help pet parents feel more confident and calm about parting with them. 

    The author provided more information about the cat in the comments

    Some readers supported the girlfriend

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    Meanwhile, others thought none of the partners were at fault here

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    YTA

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    Austeja Zokaite

    Austeja Zokaite

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

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    Hi, glad you swung by! My name is Austėja, and I’m a writer at Bored Panda. With a degree in English philology, I’m interested in all aspects of language. Being fresh out of university, my mission is to master the art of writing and add my unique touch to every personal story and uplifting article we publish. In my time here, I’ve covered some fun topics such as scrungy cats and pareidolia, as well as more serious ones about mental health and relationship hiccups. When I’m not on my laptop, you’ll probably find me devouring pastries, especially croissants, paired with a soothing cup of tea. Sunsets, the sea, and swimming are some of my favorite things.

    Read less »
    Austeja Zokaite

    Austeja Zokaite

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Hi, glad you swung by! My name is Austėja, and I’m a writer at Bored Panda. With a degree in English philology, I’m interested in all aspects of language. Being fresh out of university, my mission is to master the art of writing and add my unique touch to every personal story and uplifting article we publish. In my time here, I’ve covered some fun topics such as scrungy cats and pareidolia, as well as more serious ones about mental health and relationship hiccups. When I’m not on my laptop, you’ll probably find me devouring pastries, especially croissants, paired with a soothing cup of tea. Sunsets, the sea, and swimming are some of my favorite things.

    Kotryna Br

    Kotryna Br

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Kotryna is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Graphic Design. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and illiustrator. When not editing, she enjoys working with clay, drawing, playing board games and drinking good tea.

    Read less »

    Kotryna Br

    Kotryna Br

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Kotryna is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Graphic Design. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and illiustrator. When not editing, she enjoys working with clay, drawing, playing board games and drinking good tea.

    What do you think ?
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    Jill Rhodry
    Community Member
    7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Neither are wrong. They simply have different - incompatible - priorities.

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    7 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I currently have 4 pets. Haven't traveled/gone on vacation for years - the last time was just a one-hour drive down to San Diego for a weekend and we took the oldest cat with us (she was the only pet we had at the time, lol.) OP is NTA. I wouldn't leave any of my pets behind for an ENTIRE YEAR, not even to travel to some dream destination. That's not fair to the pet at all - suddenly their human is just gone, forever (as far as they can tell.) It's really up to the individuals - if you can't bring your pet with you on a vacation/on your travels, if you're willing to board your pet - then that's fine. If you can't, you're also totally NTA for choosing NOT to travel.

    Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My!
    Community Member
    7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You're allowed to vacation at the big soft can-opener store, but only for the afternoon, and only if you bring mousie toys and boxes home.

    Load More Replies...
    SheamusFanFrom1987
    Community Member
    7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Whether you agree or not, I wouldn't call either OP or BF A-holes but they both really need to evaluate the relationship. Furbabies are important but so are one's dreams. Neither are really in the wrong (assuming BF just thinks OP may be a bit over-the-top for her decision but isn't raising hell about it) but from what I can see, this story won't have a happy ending one way or another. Hopefully they made the best decisions for themselves, and puss too.

    Load More Comments
    Jill Rhodry
    Community Member
    7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Neither are wrong. They simply have different - incompatible - priorities.

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    7 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I currently have 4 pets. Haven't traveled/gone on vacation for years - the last time was just a one-hour drive down to San Diego for a weekend and we took the oldest cat with us (she was the only pet we had at the time, lol.) OP is NTA. I wouldn't leave any of my pets behind for an ENTIRE YEAR, not even to travel to some dream destination. That's not fair to the pet at all - suddenly their human is just gone, forever (as far as they can tell.) It's really up to the individuals - if you can't bring your pet with you on a vacation/on your travels, if you're willing to board your pet - then that's fine. If you can't, you're also totally NTA for choosing NOT to travel.

    Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My!
    Community Member
    7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You're allowed to vacation at the big soft can-opener store, but only for the afternoon, and only if you bring mousie toys and boxes home.

    Load More Replies...
    SheamusFanFrom1987
    Community Member
    7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Whether you agree or not, I wouldn't call either OP or BF A-holes but they both really need to evaluate the relationship. Furbabies are important but so are one's dreams. Neither are really in the wrong (assuming BF just thinks OP may be a bit over-the-top for her decision but isn't raising hell about it) but from what I can see, this story won't have a happy ending one way or another. Hopefully they made the best decisions for themselves, and puss too.

    Load More Comments
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