A Person Severely Allergic To Cats Tells His Best Friend Not To Bring His Pet To His Going Away Party, Causing A Rift In Their Friendship
One cat, one severe allergy, and one going-away party were enough to put a longtime friendship on the edge.
In a Reddit AITA post, OP says his best friend wanted to bring a cat to his farewell gathering, even though OP is severely allergic and would be stuck feeling miserable the whole time. The request turned into a bigger argument, especially since the friend and his girlfriend were already upset about OP saying no.
Now the friend group is split, and OP is left wondering whether protecting his health was worth the fallout.
Even over-the-counter allergy medicines won't offer any relief since OP's allergy to cats is that severe
OP asked if they could at least swing by for a few minutes to say goodbye, but OP's best friend wasn't budging
His friend pushed for solutions, but OP refused, and now his friend and girlfriend are upset with him, choosing not to go.
Allergies can make social plans a lot more complicated than they look.
In this case, the cat was about to become the center of a friendship problem.
It caused a bit of a rift between their friend group, as some agreed with the friend and others with OP.
OP is upset that his lifelong best friend won't be at their going away party, but he just cannot will away an allergy because his best friend asked him to. Did OP handle the disagreement poorly?
Two main reasons why OP declined his best friend’s request, and people think they’re reasonable.
That is where the disagreement really started to harden.
What felt like a simple request to one person felt like a health issue to the other.
Even excluding the way the cat might behave, even nonchalantly bringing up to OP that you want to bring something they’re very allergic to comes off as disregarding their health.
People with allergies have it hard enough trying to ensure their safety in environments without having to burden others.
Also, for those who are wondering, this is what “food of the water” is.
The comments did not exactly lean toward compromise.
Redditors had plenty to say about the cat and the party invite.
This mirrors the roommate who wanted to “just take allergy pills” after getting a cat, and the man who refused to buy them.
See how the allergic man rejected the pill compromise after his roommate brought home a cat.
A Redditor has OP’s same allergies, and although they care for cats, they wouldn’t be able to bear their presence.
The situation might also escalate to a chaotic one when things go wrong with the cat and OP’s dogs.
Even for trained cats.
Some commenters were already thinking about how messy that could get.
The cat was not the only thing people were worried about.
Although, according to OP, they are shut-ins, so the cat might not be as used to people or the outside as much.
There is a more practical reason for OP to say no to his friend rather than the friend not wanting to leave his cat if you weigh out the situation.
In the end, Reddit sided with OP by a wide margin.
Most people agreed that a severe allergy is reason enough to say no, even if it disappoints a best friend.
And it is a weird situation...
The whole thing shows how fast a simple party plan can turn into a friendship test when health and pet ownership collide. OP was not asking for much, just a cat-free goodbye, but that was enough to spark a rift. Now the only question is whether the friendship can recover after this.
Want the same “cat allergy” fight, with a house-sitting refusal, too? Check out why someone refused to house-sit after their friend’s cat discovery.
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