Dinner Party Turns Awkward When Guests Discover How The Host Feeds Her Cat
What guests noticed at dinner made them uncomfortable enough to leave.
Five years ago, OP was dealing with a messy but familiar problem.
Their cat ate like every meal might be his last, gulping food down so fast he would often throw it right back up. It happened enough that feeding time became stressful, for both of them.
Someone suggested a simple change. Instead of a bowl, try a flat dinner plate. So, OP gave it a shot, and almost immediately, it worked. The cat slowed down, the vomiting stopped, and feeding him stopped being a daily issue.
Since then, the cat has eaten off regular dinner plates, the same style OP uses every day. After every meal, whether the plate was used by a person or the cat, it went straight into the dishwasher on a high heat cycle.
Years passed. Thousands of meals were eaten. No one got sick. No one complained.
Until recently….
A couple of months ago, OP hosted a small dinner with friends, including a couple who were newer to the group. Looking back, they seemed hesitant while eating, but nothing was said at the time.
This past weekend, the same group came over again. This time, the newer couple arrived carrying their own plates, cutlery, and glasses. Confused, OP asked why they would come to dinner at her place with their own dinnerware.
They opened up that they had noticed that the plates being used at the last dinner were identical to the plates used to feed the cat. That alone made them feel disgusted.
OP explained that every plate is cleaned thoroughly and that all dishes are reused regardless of who last used them. The conversation escalated quickly. Harsh words were exchanged, and the couple ended up leaving.
Now the friend group is split, and OP doesn’t see a reason to fix things.
Scroll through the screenshots below to see how a simple feeding habit turned into an awkward social fallout.
Let’s dig into the details
Reddit.comA bit of backstory
Reddit.comOP’s friends came over for dinner with their own set of dinnerware. This was surprising and confusing at the same time
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When OP asked “why”, they revealed that the last time the came over, they noticed that the cat was using the same type of dinnerware that was used to serve them
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OP later kicked them out after a heated argument and doesn’t intend to socialize with them in the future
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OP is eager to know if they were wrong in this situation
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We gathered some interesting comments from the Reddit community
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“NTA. Should you also buy a new toilet seat after every a** that has sat on it.”
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“NTA my cats do the same. Everything goes in the dishwasher.”
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“Personally I would have a plate or two specifically for the cat.”
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“ESH. To me it’s quite disgusting. Also I feel your other friends were quite dramatic in bringing their entire dinnerware.”
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“YTA. It’s against hygiene conventions so it's understandable for guests to be grossed out by it.”
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This situation highlights how differently people draw their comfort lines, especially inside someone else’s home.
OP viewed the plates as clean and no different from any other reused dish. The guests, on the other hand, saw something they couldn’t mentally move past, even after hearing how the dishes were cleaned.
What turned the moment sour wasn’t just the disagreement, but how quickly it shifted into judgment about the entire household.
What’s your take on this situation? Share your thoughts in the comments.
