"AITA for feeding my cat on my plates?"
I have a cat who used to eat too quickly - he’d scoff his food down as far as possible like it was going to be the last food he’d ever have, then often vomit it back up. When he was about a year old someone suggested I try feeding him on a dinner plate because it could slow him down, which I tried and it dramatically reduced his vomiting level, so I’ve been doing that for the last five years.
They are my usual dinner plates, they get cleaned in the dishwasher after every use whether that’s use by him or use by me. I had some friends over a couple of months ago for dinner, including a couple who are a bit newer to the group. Looking back they were eating quite slowly and hesitantly, but at the time I thought that was just their eating speed.
Roughly the same group came back this weekend, but this time that couple had brought an entire set of dinnerware, cutlery and glassware for them. I was a bit confused, thought it was maybe a sensory issue, and asked them why they brought their own dinner set.
They said they’d noticed the same style plate we were eating from was used to feed the cat, and felt disgusted. I said that every plate was pre-used by someone, I didn’t buy new plates in every time someone came over, but they were all cleaned in the dishwasher on a high heat setting so why did it matter if the someone who last used it was me, another person or my cat.
The discussion did become heated, it ended with them saying that if I was willing to do something so disgusting then they couldn’t trust anything in my house and me saying if my house is that disgusting then they need to leave it, which they did.
Like I say this has been going for five years, there have been thousand of meals eaten on these plates by me and others, and not one of us has had any problem. Everyone in the group has seen me feed my cat and not been upset by seeing the plates.
Most of the group are on my side but some say I shouldn’t have kicked the couple out of my house for having a different opinion (I’d say I kicked them out for calling my entire house disgusting.)
There has been no contact between me and the couple since this incident, and to be honest I don’t intend to socialize with them again. AITA for using my plates to feed my cat, kicking the couple out of my house for not liking this, both or neither?
Here's what people had to say to OP:
GloomChampion said:
NTA. Wait til they hear that restaurants also reuse plates...
Dirtydirtyfag said:
Insane stuff. NTA. The process of cleaning the plate in the dishwasher removes debris and bacteria. Cleaning things make them clean, what an idea. A plate can be used for many things that are disgusting to eat, raw meat while prepping, for eggwash to bread meat. Plenty of unappetizing things. The food that has been on the plate does not change the nature of the plate, it's just a clean plate.
Cleanliness olympic idiocy in which people get so obsessed with the idea of sterility, as if this is entirely possible. Contamination of foodstuffs happens in the home, in fields, in butcher houses, trying to overpolice your home does not make for a sterile bacteria free experience. And a cleaned plate is not a surface bacteria grow on.
ClueIll3735 said:
NTA. Where does all this stupidity come from? Should you also buy a new toilet seat after every butt that has sat on it. People are weird.
EvilHRLady said:
NTA my cats do the same. Everything goes in the dishwasher. Just wait until they find out that all of us in the 80s had a large family popcorn bowl that also doubled as the barf bowl. Clean is clean. Cat spit isn't magical.
Diuscrusis said:
I've got 2 cats and draw a boundary on not allowing them on counters, tables, and yeah we have separate dishes.
IShouldReallyGo said:
I think pet food and water dishes are one of the best uses for all the China our parents generation owned. I go to the thrift store regularly to pick up just the right bowl plate or saucer for my cat’s current fancy. He eats off of nicer dishes than I do.
AellaReeves said:
NTA. You washed them. You didn't serve them cat food. Better off they go somewhere else.
Living-Ear8015 said:
Personally I would have a plate or two specifically for the cat. Unsure of that makes you an AH given the dishes are cleaned. It is very passive aggressive to turn up to someone’s place with your own crockery and cutlery. Also - my cat used to eat fast. I found elevating his bowl helped significantly in terms of his digestion. NTA.