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 socialise 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?