In an age where "men are trash" is practically a bumper sticker, the default setting for best friends everywhere is to rally hard behind their girl. He stopped texting back? His loss. Ghosted after three dates? Clearly intimidated by her energy. Did not call when he said he would? Red flag, block him, you dodged a bullet, yas queen.
One woman just got back from a week in Bali with her closest friend and came home with a very different theory about why the men keep leaving. It has nothing to do with the men. She is never going to say that out loud. But she did tell the internet.
More info: Reddit
In an age where men are automatically the problem, best friends everywhere are programmed to rally hard and chant “yas queen” without asking too many questions
Image credits: freepic.diller / Freepik (not the actual photo)
One woman went to Bali with her closest friend and came home with a theory about her dating life that she has already decided to take to her grave
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Every dinner, every beach party, every tattoo shop, and café visit somehow circled back to the cat, who was not on the trip but was somehow absolutely everywhere
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Then she found out about the no closed doors policy, the nightly lullabies over FaceTime, and the statement that she would always choose the cat over any partner
Image credits: OffMyChestAndGone01
By date four, a guy has heard about the cat forty times, watched her FaceTime, and understood that he is never going to be the main character in this story
A woman went to Bali with her close friend for a week and noticed something she cannot unknow. Her friend is smart, funny, and kind by every measure, but from the moment they landed, a third presence made itself known on the trip. The cat. A cat who was not there but somehow managed to be everywhere at the same time.
Every few hours, the conversation circled back to her cat. At beautiful restaurants, she would go quiet and scroll through old photos, worrying whether the cat was depressed. There were multiple FaceTime calls with the sitter every single day, full baby voice, lullabies sung over the phone at night. She left beach parties to get updates. She even considered getting a tattoo of the cat’s face!
One afternoon, they spent three full hours sourcing the perfect gift for the cat. She even admitted that at home, there was a “no closed doors policy” because the cat screams all night if any door is shut. The cat sleeps on her chest, follows her into the bathroom, sits on her lap on the toilet, and watches her shower. She stated clearly that she would always choose the cat over any partner.
The narrator sat with all of this, and the dating pattern suddenly made complete sense. By date three or four, the guy has heard about the cat dozens of times, watched her FaceTime it mid meal, possibly visited the apartment, and understood that he is not the main character and no choice but to leave politely.
The cat-lover would then assume her potential love interests were not trying hard enough. She would go back to the cat, their bond deepening. The next guy encounters an even more intense version and leaves faster. Her best friend has cracked the code and has made the firm decision to never, ever share it, as she was not willing to risk becoming the villain.
Image credits: karlyukav / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Pets and dating are not automatically incompatible. A survey found that 71% of women are more likely to match with men who have dogs in their dating profiles, and 48% would swipe right on men with cats. Forty-four percent of women trust their pet's judgment of character more than their own. Having a cat is not the problem. Being in a relationship with the cat is a different can of Fancy Feast.
Animal behaviorists warn that treating a pet like a child can cause genuine harm, both to the owner and to the animal. Psychologist, Ms. Cavenett, sees people who organize their entire lives around their animal's emotional state. As a pet owner, she says, you still need to be able to see people, feel comfortable leaving home, and maintain relationships with other humans.
The good news for anyone in this woman's life who might eventually find the courage to have the conversation is that cat behavior can actually be changed. Small Door Vets confirm that positive reinforcement is the most effective method of retraining a cat, meaning the screaming at closed doors situation is not a permanent life sentence. It just requires someone willing to do the work.
The bad news is that retraining the cat is considerably easier than retraining the human. And the best friend has already decided that the conversation is never happening on her watch.
Would you date someone who was this pet-obsessed? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
The internet is divided on whether the best friend should say something, stay quiet, or simply accept her role as permanent second place to a cat she has never even met
