A woman has found herself in a tense situation with her mother-in-law after refusing to eat a meal served in a home shared with six cats and a dog.
In a detailed post shared on Reddit’s Am I The A–hole forum, the woman recounted visiting her mother-in-law’s apartment on Monday, July 28, where lunch had already been prepared and set out on the table. But things took a turn when she saw one of the cats licking one of the starters.
She said she promptly removed the cat from the table and took the affected plate to the kitchen, assuming the food would be thrown away.
“A few minutes later, my MIL [mother-in-law] came out holding the same plate and said, ‘I’ve already taken off the bit that was licked – it’s fine to eat now,’” she wrote. “I said, ‘Sorry, but I’m not going to eat something an animal’s licked.’”
The original poster (OP) said her mother-in-law seemed taken aback by the response but eventually tossed out the portion that had been licked.
She went on to explain that this wasn’t the first time she’d felt uncomfortable in her in-laws’ home.
“The whole flat smells strongly of animals – you can even smell it out on the landing,” she said. “There’s a litter tray in the kitchen, where the cats do their business, and then they jump up onto the kitchen counters and the dining table.”
“I find it incredibly unhygienic, but I usually bite my tongue out of respect,” she added. “In this case, though, she hadn’t seen the cat lick the food – I had. So she had no idea which bit was affected and, honestly, it felt like she just pretended to sort it out so we’d still eat it.”
Although the woman didn’t make a scene, she said her mother-in-law clearly didn’t take it well when she refused to eat.
Curious to get outside perspectives, she asked the Reddit community, “AITA [am I the a—hole] for refusing to eat it and for being disgusted by what I think is a serious lack of hygiene in her home?”
The post quickly attracted hundreds of comments from readers who largely supported her decision.
“NTA [not the a–hole] remotely. Cats in litter boxes (in the kitchen?!) then jumping onto counters and tables with soiled litter paws — 🤢🤮. It’s beyond unhygienic. I wouldn’t eat anything there or anything your MIL brings elsewhere,” one person replied.
Another shared, “NTA. I have two cats and one constantly jumps on the table, so when we have guests over, we lock the cats in the bedroom and disinfect the table and counters before cooking and serving food. I would never expect anyone to eat food on a surface with my cat on it!”
A third commenter added, “Just don’t eat there. I wouldn’t eat something my own animals had licked, or eat off plates they’d licked. Yuck. Eat before you go, decline any invitations for a meal, and stick to your guns. Don’t let kids eat there either, same excuses (eat before, etc). NTA.”
