What would you do if you had to compete with your partner’s pet?
So your man is obsessed with his dog.
Or perhaps your girlfriend loves her cat more than you.
This specific relationship problem is actually quite common.
Choosing a pet over a partner is a choice that (shockingly) many people make. Sometimes a partner finds their significant other’s love for pets endearing, while others may find it annoying. There are even circumstances where a partner is jealous of the love their significant other’s pet receives.
Having a relationship and falling in love can be complicated. When a pet sometimes gets in the way of a couple’s love life, or maybe leaves messes behind that one partner does not like, this can create stress.
The issue could be with the pet, the owner, the owner's partner, or even a combination of all of them. Let's look into this situation further and help you diagnose why you and your partner are having issues over a pet.
Choosing Pets Over Mean Partners
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To find out what others thought about abandoning partners in favor of pets, I researched and stumbled across some interesting perspectives. One perspective that had a clear-cut answer involved a woman who had an abusive boyfriend.
However, in life, there are some easy choices and some hard ones based on the complexity of the situation.
Not every partner has to decide between an abusive significant other or their pet. Some people genuinely are kind but don't like animals. Even more complex, some pet owners and/or their pets are the ones that have behavior issues within their love triangle.
So sometimes it's not always an easy choice.
If Your Partner Simply Doesn't Like Pets
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Choosing a pet over an abusive partner is an easy choice, but what if you find someone that you really connect well with EXCEPT for the fact that they don’t like pets? Or vice versa?
If you are a pet lover, a good assumption would be that your partner would find your love for your pet endearing. After all, dogs, cats, and other domestic animals are innocent creatures. It’s hard to ignore their desperate cries for attention.
But if your partner finds pets annoying, they might not be on the same page as you (or even the same planet). Some people aren’t animal lovers, and they really can’t help that.
Why Can't My Partner Learn To Like My Pet?
If your partner isn’t an animal lover, they may grow jealous of your constant attention to your pet(s) and even grow to hate them. Especially if your partner also doesn’t like animal hair in the house, dogs chewing on shoes, and cats meowing at night.
Furthermore, there are other issues, such as your partner being allergic to dog or cat hair. I’ve heard horror stories from people who are allergic to dog or cat hair but try to work it out for their own love of animals or because they want to make their partner happy.
Splitting up with someone just because of your pet when in general, they like pets themselves almost sounds a bit heartless.
So, at the end of the day, how does one decide between a loyal pet or a loving partner? For this situation, it's really a personal choice.
When You Are The Issue
If your partner is genuinely a nice person that is otherwise easy to get along with, perhaps you need to look at your own behavior and offer some sort of compromise or change your behaviors/routines that are associated with your pet. Having a pet can be a lot of work, emotionally and physically. Perhaps your partner is frustrated because you tend to pay more attention to your animal than them.
Or maybe you aren't willing to compromise on rules with the pet. Your partner could have some serious anxiety over your pet's behavior that needs to be addressed. Your partner's feelings are important as well, compromising with them shows them that you care about their feelings.
When you love your pet, you may overlook issues that need to be addressed. As they say, you could be wearing "rose-colored glasses". While trying to address the issues between your partner, pet, and yourself, don't put all of the blame on your significant other.
Wrapping It Up
Having a pet and a partner in the same household isn't always easy. If your partner and your pet don't get along, you might want to try to look at the issue from the most unbiased way possible. It can be your partner's fault but that certainly isn't always the case.
If the issue is simply that your partner really isn't a fan of pets, remember that each person is unique and entitled to their own feelings and standards.
No matter what the situation, try to keep an open mind while still also respecting your own boundaries.