Dog owner flips out on woman for bringing her cat to a brewery 'ruining' his day.

The feud between cats and dogs is fueled by the preferences of cat and dog people. A well-trained dog won't react negatively to a cat, and to be fair, cats hate everyone equally. People and their feelings for furry creatures create and perpetuate this feud. On a popular Reddit thread on the Am I the A**hole Subreddit, a woman wants to treat her cat to a special day, but one dog owner is not having it.

She writes:

I (30f) live in a very pet-friendly city and frequently visit a brewery near my apartment. I have a dog and a cat, and I often bring my cat on walks with my dog and me. My cat hangs out in one of those cat backpacks with the little window. For context, this isn’t crazy unusual to see in my city, and I probably run into other people who have their cats once a week or so.

From the people that brought you bodega cats, OP is excited to introduce brewery cats.

I decided to bring my cat to the brewery instead of my dog last night. She loves getting out, so I thought it would be fun. This was okayed by the owner beforehand (the brewery is pet friendly, but I explicitly asked about the cat before bringing her). I used the same setup as I do on my walks.

For context, this brewery is outdoor seating only. It’s not cramped, and avoiding other dogs is pretty straightforward. One guy was already there with his dog when my friends and I came in.

They say dogs are a reflection of their owners.

We sat down on the opposite side of the brewery and chatted with each other when my cat meowed, and this guy’s dog went berserk. Barking, lunging, he couldn’t get that dog to calm down.

This response makes sense for the owner of that dog.

This was way beyond a normal prey response, especially for a cat that wasn’t even visible, to be okay. The guy started yelling at me, asking me why I would bring my cat to the brewery. I told him I brought her because she likes being out, and I asked before I did. The guy ends up leaving.

This debate will be settled on the internet.

I don’t think I’m an a**hole because I was following the rules, made it as unobtrusive for others as possible, and literally, no other dog reacted as that one did. I get that having your outing ruined is frustrating, but if you bring your dog in public in a city like that, there’s a baseline expectation of behavior that this guy’s dog didn’t meet. What do you all think? AITA?

Most of the internet agreed with the cats on this one.

RighteousVengeance says:

NTA (Not the A**hole), for precisely the reasons you state. And this is probably the easiest one to judge that any one of us will see all day. You brought a pet in compliance with the rules and checked first. The dog owner is at fault for failing to train his dog properly.

He shouldn't bring his dog in public if he cannot control his dog around cats (and presumably other small animals, like squirrels). That dog might have harmed you while trying to get to your cat. And if that had happened, the dog would have to be destroyed.

That guy is entirely in the wrong, and he knows it. Unless he's so arrogant as to believe, 'I have a dog, and it's up to the rest of the world to accommodate my dog, not on me to discipline it properly so that it doesn't act up around cats.'

He has no business bringing his dog into pet-friendly establishments. Can you imagine what would happen if he got his dog to PetSmart and some ten-year-old girl walked by with her cat in a carrier? What's he going to do? Start screaming at the girl for bringing her cat into a PetSmart, adequately restrained in a page?

Neenknits says:

Outdoor seating. Know what outdoors is? Cats. NTA

Some weren't too jazzed about the idea of animals in a brewery.

AltruisticAudience says:

NTA, I guess, but I think it's more ESH (Everyone Sucks Here). I think bringing animals around people drinking, cat or dog is a dumb idea. Yes, the dog is trained and shouldn't be out in public. I also think it's cruel to bring a cat in a carrier to a business where it can't handle comfortably and safely sprawl out.

As a pet owner, the risk of the cat getting out and getting lost or hurt is too high. It also can't use the litter box or drink water while you have it confined. As a complete aside, I am tired of pet culture in the US. Every office has poorly trained dogs running around and jumping on people.

I've been attacked by an untrained dog before and am nervous around dogs, which makes them jump on me more than 90% of the time. The owner coos, 'He likes you so much!' I don't like him! Get him off me! I prefer cats, but I would be so stressed if cats were now in the office, restaurants/breweries/bars too. They're domestic animals...but a place of business isn't a domicile.

You should be allowed to bring your cat anywhere a dog is allowed!