AITAH for not wanting to change my cats name because my pregnant cousin wants to use his name?

A woman on Reddit is dealing with an unexpected disagreement. Her expectant cousin wants her to change the name of her cherished cat, Daniel, as she plans to use the same name for her son. The original poster declines, leading to a contentious argument among family members. Read on to determine if she is at fault!

‘ AITAH for not wanting to change my cats name because my pregnant cousin wants to use his name? ‘

I (22F) took in a stray kitten three years ago and called him Daniel. My cousin and her husband, both 25, are having a baby boy in January and want to name him Daniel. My cousin sent me a text asking if I would consider renaming my cat because she and her husband are so fond of the name Daniel.

Upon inquiring about her reasoning, she stated she didn’t want her child to have the same name as our feline companion. My response was negative, citing that my cat was named first and renaming him could potentially disorient him, given research indicating cats recognize their names. My cousin then insulted me.

Her spouse contacted me via her mobile device, requesting a modification to the feline’s moniker, asserting it was merely a commonplace, unremarkable house cat, whereas his offspring would bear that name perpetually. I conveyed to him the identical sentiment he labeled me as an atrocious individual for declining to alter my cat’s designation.

This morning, my mother contacted me because my cousin complained to her about my alleged rudeness. My mother suggested that I rename my cat to please everyone.

Here’s how people reacted to the post:

maroongrad −  Does your cousin normally throw complete shitfits about stupid stuff and expect everyone to bend over backwards for her? If that’s the case, tell everyone you renamed the cat. It’s a two part name. One half is her husband’s name, the other half is the masculinized version of her name.

Don’t change the cat’s name; instead, amplify the situation to teach her a lesson about bothering you.

P.S. All infant clothing and presents from you will have a total cat motif. A plush cat, a blanket with a cat design, and PJs with images of snoozing cats, for example.

lydocia −  NTA. Start referring to them as Daniel and human Daniel.

teresajs −  NTA. If your cousin doesn’t want her kid sharing his name with a cat, then she shouldn’t name him after a cat.

Turmeric_Ping −  NTA. I’d object to a puking baby having the same name as my cat too. Edit to add: I know a zoo that has a gibbon called Daniel (or they did a couple of years ago ).

Searching online for animals named Daniel yields several results, such as a legitimate emotional support duck that was wearing red shoes. No matter the name they choose for their offspring, there’s bound to be an animal with the same name. The child in question won’t be bothered by that.

siouxbee1434 −  I am not sure your cousin & her husband are mature enough to be parents

3Pennywise3 −  NTA you had the name first. She’s choosing to name her son the same name as a family pet. That’s her choice, and her problem.

Dalton402 −  My sisters and I had a cat called Lucy growing up. Years after our cat died, my eldest sister called her first child Lucy.
There is no reason for you to change your cat’s name. There is no reason for your cousin not to call their child Daniel.. NTA

epeeist42 −  NTA but question. Under what circumstances would this be an issue? They’re visiting you in a few years and call Daniel over and your cat, responsive and obedient as all cats are (LOL) comes over instead of their son? You post to social media about your cat and they don’t want confusion between cat videos and their own?

It doesn’t strike me as a major issue to deceive people acting absurdly. Is it possible for you to state, “Alright, I’ll start calling him Derrick, but occasionally I might slip up and use the name I’ve been accustomed to for the past 3 years?”

If you only see them a couple of times a year, like during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and presumably you’re visiting without your cat, why would it matter if you told them you renamed your cat and did nothing else?

AnxiousTelephone2997 −  NTA. I would say something to the effect of “I am 100% certain that my cat is not going to upstage your son in life. Neither are even going to know what their names are. They don’t even understand the concept of names. Let’s all get some perspective here”.

Lambsenglish −  Lunacy. NTA. The entitlement of some people.

Is the original poster acting unfairly, or should the cousin respect the cat’s current name? How would you respond if a relative asked you to rename your pet? Let us know what you think in the comments!