I (21M) don’t understand why my boyfriend (24M) doesn’t want me to get a cat
My boyfriend (24M) and I (21M) have been dating for almost a year, and things have been going really well. We’ve talked about moving in together around the 2-year mark and have agreed that we want pets in the future, but no children.
For some context: I’ve had pets my entire life. When I moved countries, I had to leave my two cats behind with my family because it was too expensive to bring them with me. I really miss having my own pet. Right now, I live with two flatmates, and I have a stable job. My boyfriend and I don’t live together yet.
Recently, a friend offered me the chance to adopt a 5-year-old cat for free. I got really excited about it, but when I told my boyfriend, he got very upset.
He said he wants us to get a pet together after we move in, and that he doesn’t want it to feel like “my pet,” but rather “our pet.” He also said he’s always wanted the experience of raising a kitten, since he’s never had cats before. He feels that I already have that experience and could help with raising one in the future (which I’m totally open to).
I understand where he’s coming from, but at the same time, I don’t see why me getting a cat now should be such a big issue, especially since we don’t live together yet and won’t for at least another year.
Am I missing something here? Is this reasonable from him, or is he overreacting?
TL;DR: Boyfriend doesn't want me to get a cat before we move in together because he wants it to be "our cat". Is this reasonable?