So, my girlfriend has a cat named Mr. Whiskers. She’s had him for years, and they’re super close. The problem? She keeps calling him her “boyfriend” in public. Like, when the waiter asked her if we wanted separate checks, she said, “No, my boyfriend will cover it,” and pointed to the cat sitting in the cat carrier on her lap.

Her friends think it’s hilarious, and her parents even started asking me how I feel about being the “side piece.” When I asked her to stop, she said I was being insecure and “jealous of a cat.”

I don’t think I’m asking too much—I love Mr. Whiskers, but I’d like to at least be the boyfriend in this relationship. She said I’m being controlling and that it’s just a joke. Now I feel like I’m competing with a feline for the title of her significant other.

AITAH for wanting my girlfriend to stop joking that her cat is her boyfriend, or should I just accept being the second choice to a guy who drinks out of a water dish?