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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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It is often said that the people most resistant to getting pets end up loving them the most. One woman’s viral Reddit post proves that perfectly, after sharing how her family of six now own five cats and two huskies.
Posted to Reddit on October 22 under the title "I didn’t even want a cat…”, user u/RiskReasonable, a mom of four studying at medical school, shared a photo of four of her cats lounging on a bed. "It’s a lot of work," she said in the comments, between studying, parenting, and managing a household. But she splits the chores with her husband and describes the cats as "so easy."
The post has since gained over 42,000 upvotes, as fellow animal lovers celebrated her transformation from reluctant pet owner to full-fledged cat mom.
Read More on Pets
When one Reddit user asked how the poster became "servant to not one, but five cats you did not want," she shared a decade-long story of love, chaos, and unexpected companionship.
"About 10 years ago, I was extremely hesitant to add pets to our family because we had two toddlers and life was just crazy even though I’d always grown up as a cat lover," the poster wrote. "I was hesitant to take on another cat but then came Lily."
The Cats Who Changed Everything
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Her furry family started with Lily, who isn't in the viral photo, a 4-year-old ragdoll who joined the family after her former owners relocated to Mexico.
"She’s our original cranky old lady," the Reddit poster said. "She hates every other cat but loves people … She’s very in tune with her people and very comforting. She’s also my nemesis. She always pukes where I step."
Then came along a tuxedo cat called Todd, who stole her heart as a kitten when he climbed up the door of her mother-in-law’s rural gift shop.
Two years ago, she was supposed to adopt a cat from a Humane Society, but he wasn't alone.
"I couldn’t ethically leave the sister alone," the poster said. "So I just adopted both of them."
The newest member is called Andi, a black-and-white cat, who was only supposed to stay for one night as "five cats is crazy," she recalled thinking.
"But it was a long weekend, the Humane Society was closed, and I fell in love with her. There was absolutely no way she was leaving," the poster said.
Now, with a bustling home full of kids, cats, and huskies, she wouldn’t have it any other way. "Our family is happy and complete (and very full and busy)," she wrote. "But wonderful—and we’re so fortunate." She added that she wants three more cats and two more dogs in the comments.
Users can’t get enough of the post. "Well, I think that’s awesome. I think cats are pretty cool and you have two huskies so you’re an awesome person. That just says a whole lot of cool stuff about you," wrote one user.
Another posted: "You didn't want a cat, you wanted a collection of cats!"
Newsweek reached out to u/RiskReasonablefor comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
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