A woman claims she's choosing her cat over her boyfriend after he complained her pet was unhygienic.

The owner posted her dilemma to Reddit's popular Am I The A**hole forum, under username AITA_Shower, where she explained she's had her cat, Crumb, since he was three months old.

The 24-year-old found him abandoned and "nursed him back to health," as such she and the black cat have a deep bond.

She wrote: "My cat 'Crumb' (4M) is the most important aspect in my life right now. Like most cat parents, he rules the household."

But the indoor cat seems to be a problem for her new boyfriend, Kyle, 25, who she's been dating for two months.

He began spending the night, as the cat lover said: "Kyle never grew up with pets, so my cat has been an 'adjustment' to him (his words). Crumb is very docile, but hasn't shown any affection or really interest in Kyle. I don't force it. Crumb does as he does.

"Lately, Kyle has been complaining about Crumb. I guess he walked into my bathroom to see Crumb rubbing his face against my toothbrush (I have one of the electric ones that stands). He was shocked and told me how disgusting it was.

"I laughed and said 'yeah that's not great.' He demanded I get a new toothbrush (expensive) and I said no. I just put the toothbrush in a drawer."

That's not the only issue Kyle has with Crumb, as she continued: "Next, Kyle says he doesn't like my nightly routine with Crumb. I give Crumb a kiss on the head, stomach and then face before he goes to sleep.

"He sleeps on my bedside table in a cat bed. If I don't do this routine, he lays on me until I do. I know that's annoying, but that's how it has always been and I love doing it.

"Well Kyle says I am unhygienic because of this. He says Crumb is dirty (he is inside only and I brush him every day) and even letting him sleep in the bedroom is gross and gets fur everywhere (it doesn't, but Kyle isn't even allergic so). I told him that I put the toothbrush away, but he told me that I took it as a joke and didn't punish Crumb.

"I tried to explain that you can't punish cats (nor would I want to in this scenario), but he wouldn't hear it. He then went on to say that me kissing Crumb is disgusting, especially his face, and he wouldn't ever kiss me if I kissed Crumb again. He asked me to put Crumb outside the room when he is over, or lock him in a 'crate.'

"So I said, 'okay bye.' Not only is Crumb 10000x more important to me, but I laughed in Kyle's face about never kissing my cat again/keeping him locked."

She said she felt guilty about how she treated Kyle, and asked her friends, as well as the internet, for advice.

Her post, entitled "AITA for standing firm on my 'lack of hygiene' and choosing cat over bf?" has been upvoted more than 17,000 times, as people backed her.

Krik2019 advised: "NTA-Crumb sounds like a great cat! Your boyfriend, not so great. Keep the cat, ditch the boyfriend. You'll be happier."

Envydiare commented: "You've only been with him 2 months and he's already trying to be controlling. Leave the bf and kiss the cat."

Mvfrostsmypie said: "Yep. Dump the guy. Life is too short to date a guy who doesn't like your cat."

LinusV1 thought: "If someone demands that you put your cat in a crate when they are over, laughing at them is 100 percent the appropriate reaction. Unless they are serious. Then laughing at them AND dumping them is the way."

While SupGirluHungry pointed out: "Tooth brush heads are designed to be replaced every few months."

Unlike their canine counterparts, most cats don't require baths, with their dislike of water well documented. Rather than needing to be scrubbed down, a healthy cat grooms itself, and if done properly is generally hygienic.

Explaining more about how they keep clean, website Senior Cat Wellness said: "Cats have a reputation for being clean animals due to the countless hours they spend grooming. The average cat will spend much of its day cleaning its fur, removing grease, dirt, and debris.

"The backward-facing barbs (papillae) on a cat's tongue will also pull out any dead fur, allowing new hair to come through while improving circulation to the skin."

Newsweek reached out to AITA_Shower for comment.

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