You might have met one before, maybe even had one. He started off saying something like, "Get that ball of fleas off my chair!" but by the end of the night was collapsed snoring on the couch with a cat in his lap. It's a strangely common phenomenon: dads who didn't originally want their pets but now can't seem to live without them.
In honor of Father's Day, we put together our favorite posts of reluctant dads turned into enthusiastic pet parents. We headed over to the wonderful subreddit r/dadswhodidntwantpets to mine the most wholesome stories. These are 13 dads who didn't want pets — and now love them.
1. This cynical chef dad
"He’s only going to be in the way, I’ll step on him"
2. This reluctant train conductor dad
"No matter how much I begged, my Dad never let me have a pet when I was younger. This is him dragging my cat in a box (which he named the “Kitty Express”) while making train noises, and laughing like a child."
3. This lifelong cat hater dad
"My husband, the life long cat hater. He found Crookshanks abandoned on a job and offered some token resistance when I wanted to bring him home. Six months in and while they've been tight since day 1, he often remarks that Crook is the weirdest dog he's ever had."
4. This caps-lock-to-sweetheart dad
"My dad: CAN WE RETURN IT??? IF WE KEEP IT, IT CAN’T GO ON THE FURNITURE AND I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. My dad, out loud, mere days later: 'Let’s move this pillow to give you more room. Are you comfy? Do you want some pets? Let’s read together.'"
5. This snuggly cats-only dad
"'I'm a cat person,' he said. Now, 'Where's Penny?! I need Penny! I can't sleep without my doggy!'"
6. This well trained dad
"Hubs was never a cat person. Now he tells me how they individually like to be pet, and they all behave and don’t fight when sitting by daddy. I don’t know who trained who."
7. This paw-fectly adoring dad
"it took years to convince my dad to get us a dog but here he is kissing my dog’s foot after he hurt it chasing a rabbit"
8. This dad who has his priorities straight
"This is how I find my husband after not seeing him for almost 2 weeks. Forget greeting the wife and children. He missed his 'baby'!"
9. This allergic sleepy dad
"My husband is allergic and hates cats."
10. This big ol' softie dad
"My dad didn’t want a dog. I watched him cry at the shelter when this guy sat on his lap. I knew it was all over. Welcome home Beni."
11. This matching shirt dad
"I will NOT be raising that dog ;)"
12. This strictly no funny business dad
"My dad on my 13th birthday “whatever you do don’t bring home a f***ing cat” My dad now :"
13. This dad who got his life saved in more ways than one
"He never wanted a dog. Four days after they met, she helped him to recover from a stroke"