You always hear that motherhood changes you, but no one tells you how fast those instincts kick in. One day, you’re decorating a nursery; the next, you’re side-eyeing the couch because it’s covered in cat hair and smells weird. That’s exactly where I found myself—not just pregnant, but living in a home that suddenly felt… wrong.

I had just moved in with my boyfriend and his two emotional support cats. Cute, right? Not when you’re battling pregnancy hormones and can’t stand the smell of litter or the constant shedding. We fought about it constantly. He insisted the cats were family. I just saw them as a threat to our baby’s health. So, I did something I never thought I’d do.

I gave the cats away.

Yup. Behind his back. No warning, no talk. I handed them over to our neighbor while he was out. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought he’d understand once I explained it was for the baby.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The next morning, I walked into our bedroom and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, holding my phone. His face said it all—shock, betrayal, heartbreak. He had read my texts. He knew everything.

The look in his eyes still haunts me. He asked how I could do something so cruel without even telling him. I tried to explain: the fur, the smells, the hygiene—I was terrified of bringing a newborn into that environment. I broke down, sobbing, pleading with him to see my side. I was just trying to be a good mom.

But he wasn’t hearing any of it.

He said I’d gone too far—that I’d taken away something that helped him survive his darkest days. Those cats were there before me, he reminded me. And now, without so much as a conversation, they were gone.

He left the room. And I haven’t been able to stop crying since.

Did I cross a line I can’t come back from? Part of me still believes I did what any protective mom-to-be would do. But another part? The one watching my boyfriend shut down and pull away? That part is screaming with regret.

I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t even know if I can. All I know is I’m pregnant, heartbroken, and terrified I’ve ruined everything. If anyone out there has been through something like this… please, tell me what to do.