Wife Wants Husband To Celebrate Mother's Day With Her Because She's a Cat Mom — Is She Right?

May 17, 2022 by apost team

On Mother's Day, May 9, 2022, when most families were gathering for a shared meal to show their appreciation for moms and maternal figures, one Redditor's wife felt she was being forgotten. A week later, her partner posted to the subreddit AITA about their ensuing fight. While most mothers may have found reason to complain about a lack of flowers or inappropriate outfits worn on the occasion, OP's partner was upset that she received no celebration at all. No card, no gift, nothing. Which, as OP explained, was confusing given she's not a mom. Despite this fact, the Redditor posted to say, "this has been an issue since yesterday."
 
He began his post by writing, "Important: my wife and I don't have kids." He clarified further, saying that namely, "she has never even been pregnant." After perhaps over-emphasizing that they are a childless couple, OP wrote how "last summer we adopted a kitten." OP included a picture of their pet (a "cat tax," as it's called) and remarked, "he's great." Looking at the photo of the fluffy, happy fur-ball lounging on the furniture, Redditors wouldn't know that this creature was the cause of such conflict in a marriage. 
 
OP explained how his "wife came to [him] last night and said she was disappointed." She continued, saying that she was upset that OP "didn't get her anything or take her out for Mother's Day." He wrote that he was "confused" and "said she wasn't a mother." He even asked, "why would I do that?" In response, OP's wife "said she [was] basically a mother because [they] have a cat." 

OP continued, relaying how his wife then explained how she "takes care of [the cat]," which seems to qualify her as a mother. OP clarified that the cat care is split, saying, "we both do." He then added, "he's a cat it takes like 5 min per day to do everything for him", to emphasize how much work the animal entailed. In a later comment, OP outlined further, relaying exactly what daily care for their fur baby entailed. It meant "clean litter, clean water, food." He said this takes him "5 min." He continued, writing, "there's trimming and grooming but those aren't every day." Clearly, their pet doesn't need much looking after.

After his wife said this, OP admitted that he "started laughing." Understandably. He explained, saying he genuinely "thought she was joking." However, OP's wife was serious. OP wrote how next, he "tried explaining that, at minimum, qualifying for mother's day should entail being a parent or potential parent to a human child." By this logic, the cat does not qualify her. It does not qualify him either. To clarify his thoughts on his own potential parenthood, OP said, "I have no intentions of being celebrated on father's day because I have a cat." As OP understands it, he is not a father, and neither is his wife a mother. OP's wife clearly disagreed. OP wrote, ending the post, "she is still mad at [him.] AITA?"

The comment section, which was filled with pet owners, sided overwhelmingly with the husband, with one small exception: 

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One commenter adamantly greed with OP, writing, "I had a cat for 16.5 years and at no point did I consider celebrating Mother's Day despite calling myself a cat mom." Another pet-lover replied, "i consider myself an absolute pet mom. got a dog, cat, and snake. i love them to bits and would die for them." She continued, "still don't think i should be celebrated on mother's day." She also pointed out that she'd "be weirded out if [her] bf got me a mother's day card considering we're both childfree and [she] would take it as some sort of hint that he suddenly want[ed] kids."

A third even suggested OP give his wife a taste of what Mother's Day is really like. They advised he "give her the 'Mom of a young child' treatment: make her toast and part of an overcooked egg by using 3/4 of your pots & pans…Then tell her the cat wanted to make her mother's day breakfast, he tried his bestest and he'll be so disappointed if she doesn't enjoy the breakfast he made!!"

There was one outlier- or should we say "mother"- that seemed to side with the wife. One lone Redditor bravely admitted that they got "[their] first mothers day card from the pets this year (the cat and dog are both 7 yrs)." But they didn't seem to take it as far as OP's wife. The commenter clarified, saying that the card "was only because [her] husband thought it'd be cute to do their' handwriting.'"

What do you think OP's wife should get on Mother's Day? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family, and fellow pet-lovers!