Couple Secretly Adopts 2 Kittens Despite Blaming ‘Cat Allergies’ for Why They Can’t Stay with In-Laws

A woman says she and her husband feel like they “have been living a lie” every time they visit her hometown and now wonder if it’s time to tell the truth.

She explained on Reddit that if her “family finds out the truth,” the “one excuse that keeps us out of their chaotic house will disappear forever.”

The post says the couple, both 26, moved three hours away from their hometown shortly after getting married in March 2024.

“In April 2025, we fostered two older kittens… and a few weeks later, we ‘foster failed’ and adopted them,” she writes. “My husband has a mild cat allergy, but we manage it with daily grooming and constant cleaning.”

“Here’s the twist: my family has no idea we have cats,” she continues. “My parents already have cats (and four untrained dogs), but they don’t take care of them — or their house — very well.”

Given her parents’ messy home, she says her husband’s “allergies flare up” when they visit, so they tell her parents they “have to stay with his parents because of his allergy.”

“The truth? It’s just a polite excuse to avoid staying in their cluttered, chaotic home,” she adds.

While the couple has kept their kittens a secret, they also have two tortoises. They used to bring the reptiles on weekend visits, but now that they have cats, they “hire a pet sitter for everyone.”

“That means we can’t change plans last-minute, and my husband says it makes our ‘allergy excuse’ harder to keep up,” she writes.

Now, her husband “wants to come clean,” but she does not because her relationship with her family is “already strained.”

“Because if they find out, we lose the allergy excuse, they’ll start dumping random cat stuff on us like they do for my sister’s cat, and it could lead to family drama I’ve been avoiding my whole adult life,” she explains. She also says “boundaries are basically a foreign concept” to her parents.

So, she turned to Reddit, asking if she is wrong for hiding her cats “to keep the peace and protect the one lie that keeps me sane and protects my family’s feelings?”

While commenters felt sympathy for the poster, many said that “keeping something this small a secret will only make things harder later.”

“Be honest and tell your family you’re uncomfortable with the uncleanliness in their home,” one user wrote.

Another commenter said that “not every person with cat allergies is allergic to every cat,” so she could “use that as a reason, or… be an adult and tell the truth.”

“Yes, it can feel easier to lie, but this is clearly bothering you enough to post here. Tell them tactfully when the moment is right, or share a social media post to announce the new pets in a gentle way,” the commenter added. “If anyone complains, you can explain you have to groom and clean constantly to manage allergens. If they still argue, that’s on them.”