Jealousy is a heck of a thing. You see them cozying up to your partner, grabbing their attention, getting tons of cuddles, and making them smile far wider than you ever made them. When it comes to pets, you just can’t compete—they’ll shamelessly steal your significant other’s heart and act all cute and smug about it!

Don’t believe us? Well, our team here at Bored Panda has all the proof you’ll ever need. We’ve collected some of the best photos that prove how unabashedly pets (from dorky doggos to cute cattos) monopolize the attention that our loved ones should be lavishing us with!

Get ready to have your mood improved and to go ‘aww’ so hard, you’ll consider adopting a new pet. Don’t forget to upvote the pics that you loved the most as you scroll down. You’ll find our previous wholesome post about those cute but dastardly pets stealing our significant others right over here.

Bored Panda was interested to learn more about animal empathy, consciousness, and their world of emotions, so we reached out to the PDSA, the UK’s leading vet charity. PDSA vet Lynne James told us that animals lead lives that can be as rich and complex as our own. Read on for the full interview.

#1 My Cat Absolutely Adores My Boyfriend

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#2 I Heard My BF Explaining A Game To Someone, He Was Really Excited About It. When I Went Back To The Room, This Is What I Saw

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#3 When Your Boy Is Stealing Your Girl

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“Anyone who has ever owned a pet will recognize their ability to understand their owner’s moods. Who hasn’t sat down in misery and found their dog has hopped up next to them nudging their arm, wanting to be there for them, or their cat has jumped up on the seat next to them in a comforting way? This doesn’t happen by accident,” PDSA vet James told Bored Panda.

According to the vet, research has found that many animals experience consciousness and emotions comparable to human beings. “They pick up on moods, emotions, and pheromones produced by people and other animals. By responding to these and acting accordingly, they are reacting with empathy, but this will definitely apply to some pets more than others.”

#4 My Girlfriends Cat Has Decided He Is Obsessed With Me And Now We Wake Up Like This Every Morning

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#5 My Boyfriend And My Cat Have A Special Bond. I Feel Like The Third Wheel

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#6 My GF And I Usually Hold Hands When We’re Watching TV. Tonight Felt A Little Furrier Than Normal. Looked Down To Find This

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Vet James pointed out that mammals feel a wide range of emotions, from love, happiness, and excitement to fear, distress, and others. “It’s incredibly important that we respect and nurture our pets so that they can enjoy a happy life with us. Our pets have individual needs; some pets may be very sociable while others less so. As a pet owner, it’s your responsibility to provide for your pet’s five welfare needs, including their need for love and attention, and you can’t do that unless you learn about the species you’re planning to share your life with.”

The PDSA vet continued, stressing that socializing with our pets is a must: “A sociable animal won’t thrive in life if their need for companionship isn’t met. How many of us humans have struggled with lockdown? We’re sociable creatures and the lack of social interaction has meant that lots of us are finding things hard, but can you imagine if we had to live like this permanently? We wouldn’t want to inflict that on our sociable pets either.”

#7 My Dog Showing My Girlfriend That I’m His

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#8 I Turn My Back For 2 Seconds And He’s Trying To Steal My Girl And My Food

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#9 I Just Woke Up And Realized That I’m The Third Wheel

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However, some pets find that sharing their homes with other animals (whether of their own species or nto) to be stressful. This can impact their mental and even physical health. “It’s really important to research your pets so that you know you’re providing the right kind of environment for them so you can share a happy life together,” the vet said.

The PDSA has lots of wonderful advice for all of you Pandas who have pets at home. You can find some information about how to socialize your puppies during the lockdown here, how to socialize your kittens right here, and how to stop your dogs from getting separation anxiety right over here.

It won’t surprise any pet owner to learn that animals have a highly-developed sense of empathy toward their owners, as well as their own kind. (I mean, who doesn’t like getting and giving hugs?) However, this doesn’t mean that everyone’s always lovey-dovey and super-cuddlesome. Sometimes, there’s some calculation on our pets’ part involved, too!

#10 My Girlfriend Decorated Our Tree With My Dog Last Week

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#11 I Went Away For 3 Weeks, And Now My Cat Is In Love With My Husband

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#12 You All Deserve Someone In Your Lives Who Looks At You The Same Way My Cat Looks At My Boyfriend

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For an earlier article that we wrote about pet intelligence, we’d reached out to Dr. Suzanne MacDonald from the Department of Psychology at York University in Toronto. She helped us get a deeper glimpse into pet intelligence as a whole.

Dr. MacDonald explained that, based on her experience with pet owners, they “tend to overestimate” just how intelligent, smart, and clever their adorable animals are. This is pretty natural because we love our pets just so very much.

#13 GF And I Adopted This Dude From The Shelter Yesterday. He Follows Her Everywhere And Does This When She Sits Down

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#14 This Girl Has Been Trying To Steal My Husband Since Day One

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#15 “Back Off, He’s Mine Now”

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According to Dr. Macdonald, it’s dog owners in particular that tend to overestimate their pets’ intelligence. “Dog owners tend to overestimate their intelligence because dogs and humans co-evolved so we can read each other’s cues very well. Dogs are super great at picking up small cues from us, and they look to us when they need help… so they have learned to do things—like have a ‘guilty’ face, for example—that make us think they have the same intentions and understanding that humans do… even if the research shows that they don’t.”

Dr. Macdonald added that pet owners generally tend to attribute a lot more cognitive complexity to their animals than research shows that they have in reality. Now, this doesn’t mean that our pets are ‘dumb.’ Not by a long shot. But it does mean that we should be realistic about how smart and capable our best buddies are… and what dogs are willing to do to get a snack or an extra belly rub.

#16 Woke Up To Find My Boyfriend And Our Dog Sound Asleep Like This

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#17 Maybe I’m Being Paranoid But I Think She’s Flirting With My Boyfriend

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#18 My Dog Stole My Girlfriend And He Knows It

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We also previously spoke to scientist Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal about rat empathy. She explained that empathy is a very complex subject. “The definition of empathy, how can we say that animals really feel empathy the same way we do. But empathy is a construct. We don’t even know what it is in humans really!”

Bartal continued: “I operate on the assumption that there is an evolutionary continuum between species, and that the basic building blocks of our responses are shared. Being sensitive to distress in others and motivated to care about their suffering is as old as the moment mother and child became connected for survival after birth.”

#19 My Wife And Our Dog Marty As I Was Leaving For Work This Morning

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#20 My BF And Dog When They Play A Video Game

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#21 Daisy Adores My Boyfriend. I’m Pretty Sure He’s Her Boyfriend Now

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In other words, Bartal assumes that there’s a sense of empathy that all conscious animals share (even though the exact extent and the way it’s expressed might differ). Looking at the capacity for empathy as a continuum instead of something that’s binary opens up a lot of questions about morality and how we treat animals.

Bartal and other scientists’ research found that socialization was a vital aspect of empathy. To put it bluntly, the more we socialize with someone, the more quality time we spend with them, the more we’ll become emotionally attached to them and willing to make sacrifices for them.

#22 When He Steals Yo Man Successfully

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#23 BF: “You’re Paranoid, The Cat Definitely Doesn’t Love Me More.” BF: Closes Door. Cat:

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#24 GF And I Were Holding Hands. Then This Happened

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Not to get too ahead of ourselves, but this sort of research sounds a lot like the scientists finding the building blocks of love, affection, and whatever else you might want to call the starry-eyed look on your pets’ faces as they’re hugging you while your partner looks on in envy.

#25 This Is How My Cat Waits For My Boyfriend To Come Home

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#26 My Puppy Stole My Girlfriend

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#27 Walked In On My Best Friend Trying To Steal My GF

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#28 My Chonk Is Trying To Steal My Man

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#29 Three Days In To My Husband Being Home 24/7 And My Dog Has Become A Full On Traitorous Bastard. It’s Like I Don’t Exist

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#30 Buddy Went To The Bathroom And Our Friend’s 180lb Dog Claimed His Wife As His Own

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What did you think of this post? Which photos got your hearts beating the fastest with how adorable they were, dear Pandas? Got any similar photos of your pets stealing your significant others’ hearts? Drop us a line or a photo in the comment section. And, before you go, you might want to check our old post about a woman who documented how her cat stole her husband in hilarious and over-the-top cutesy photos right over here.

#31 Caught My GF Taking Selfies With My Dog. The Shade He Throws Me At The End Hurt Me

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#32 I Just Tried To Hold My Husband’s Hand And My Cat Was Not Pleased About It

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#33 My Boyfriend And His Dog Give Each Other A Hug Every Morning And I Happened To Be Behind Him On The Stairs This Time

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#34 This Is His “I Stole Your Girl” Face

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#35 My Beautiful GF Has Never Looked At Me This Way

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#36 My Dad Texted Me This Morning And Said He Was Replaced On Valentine’s Day

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#37 I Swear She’s Trying To Steal My Boyfriend

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#38 My Boyfriend With His Girlfriend, Toaster

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#39 Every Morning Husband Sneaks Out Of Bed To Cuddle Mistress

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#40 Good Girl Always Stealing My Spot

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#41 Came Home And Found My Girl In Bed With Another Man

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#42 Woke Up Early, Don’t Think The Hubby Realizes I’m Gone

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#43 Caught My GF Sleeping With My Best Friend. Decided A Picture Was Better Than Waking Them Up

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#44 The Face My Dog Makes At My Girlfriend When We Cuddle

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#45 I Get Up For One Minute And Walk In To Find That I’ve Already Been Replaced

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#46 I Caught My BF With My Cat. No Words

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#47 A Love Triangle

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#48 Every Time Husband Comes Home And Sits Down, The Girls Are Like This Within Minutes

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#49 What A Disgrace

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#50 Adopted Her Two Years Ago. Him 5 Years Ago. I Am Now The Third Wheel

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#51 My Coworker’s Dog Just Stole My Girlfriend

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#52 My Girlfriend’s Dog And I The First Night We Met

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#53 First Time My Girlfriend Met My Cat, She Spent More Time With Him Than Me

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#54 I Adopted A Cat, And She Won’t Leave My Husbands Side

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#55 My Dog Loves My GF More. Apparently, The Girls Gotta Stick Together

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#56 My Cat Trying To Seduce My Boyfriend

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#57 Little Boi Blep Stole My Girlfriend

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#58 Never Thought I’d Have To Share My Boyfriend With My Cat, But She’s Been In Love Since Day One

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#59 I Think He Stole My Girlfriend

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#60 Mr. Steal Yo Boy

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#61 Lucy Was Getting Some Love. Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Him Back From Her

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#62 My Dog Skypes My Boyfriend Better Than I Do

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#63 My BF Who Declared How Much He Didn’t Like Cats. Dare I Say The Little Stinker Loves Him More Than Me

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#64 My Girlfriend Went To Get A Drink, And Her Cat Wanted To Skype Me Too

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#65 I’m Starting To Think My GF Is Only Dating Me For My Cat

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#66 My Dog Is Obsessed With My Husband

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#67 Got Married Saturday. This Was Sunday Morning. My Cat Stole My Husband And Liked To Rub It In

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#68 The Look After She Steals Another Boyfriend

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#69 She Stole My Boyfriend And She Knows It

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#70 My Cat, Taco, Is More In Love With My Boyfriend Than Anyone Else In The World

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#71 My Cat Is Overly Attached To My Wife

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#72 My Cat Is Trying To Steal My Boyfriend

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#73 My Dog Stole My Boyfriend

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#74 He’s My Husband Now

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#75 My Cat Stealing My Girlfriend, Preventing Her From Studying, And Then Looking Back At Me To See If I’m Jealous

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#76 Meanwhile, I’m On The Couch Alone

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#77 This Strange Creature Is Trying To Steal My Man

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#78 She Likes To Stare At Me When She’s In My Husband’s Arms To See If It Makes Me Jealous

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#79 My Baby Makes My Wife Jealous

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#80 My Wife Says She Jealous Of Me And My Dog Because Of Looks Like This

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#81 Just My Hubby And His Girlfriend. Looking At Me Like I’m The Side Chick

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#82 She Steals My Girl And Then Gloats About It

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#83 My Boyfriend And I Recently Moved In Together. This Is What My Dog Does For Most Of The Day Until He Comes Home

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#84 Came Home To Find My Girlfriend And Our Cat Taking A Quick Nap At The Bottom Of The Bed Like This

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#85 Came Home Last Night To Find My Boyfriend And Our 13lbs Cat Genghis Khan Sleeping Like This. They’re So Fluffy

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#86 Can We All Just Appreciate This Photo Of My Dog’s Reaction To A Hug From My Boyfriend

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#87 My Girlfriend’s Dog And I Had A Moment

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#88 This Little Derp Has Stolen My Boyfriend

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#89 Help. I Think My Dog Is Trying To Steal My Boyfriend

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#90 “She’s Mine”

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#91 Here’s My Shoulder Kitten Watching The Mandalorian With My BF

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#92 We Have This One Mare That’s Always Trying To Steal My Man

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#93 Fell Asleep Next To Blue. Wife Says She Has Competition

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#94 Umm, Excuse Me, That’s Where I Was Sitting

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#95 I’m Very Jealous Of My Boyfriend And Cat’s Relationship. But Hey At Least Everyone Is Comfortable

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#96 Brand New To The Family And He’s Already Trying To Steal My Woman. Meet Riker

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#97 Ms. Steal Yo Man

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#98 It’s Mr. Steal Yo Girl – Unfortunately, It’s My Girl He Stole

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#99 My Girlfriend And Her Cat Moved In With Me, I Am Now The Favorite

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#100 GF’s Dog Was Happy To Meet Me

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#101 My Husband Is Out Of Town So My Cat Took His Spot And Laid On His Pillow All Night. He Even Gave Me The “Good Morning” Face

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#102 Get A Boyfriend They Said, It Will Be Fun. Jerk Stole My Dog, My Trusted Sleeping Cuddle Buddy

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#103 My Cat Is Stealing My Girlfriend And He Knows It

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#104 My Husband Didn’t Want A Cat. Now We Have One That Shoots Hearts Out His Eyeballs At My Husband

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#105 Pretty Sure I’ve Lost My Man To The Giant Dog I’ve Been Puppy Sitting. This Is How They Have Been Watching TV

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#106 Pretty Much Been Replaced By A Dog

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#107 Well, Can’t Say I Didn’t Think It Would Happen One Day

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#108 Went To Visit Our New Puppy Winnie Today. Safe To Say I Think I’m Going To Have To Compete For My GF’s Affection In Future

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#109 He Is Mine Meow

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#110 My Boyfriend Is Cheating On Me With My Dog

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#111 My Boyfriend Who Has Never Owned A Pet Moved In Yesterday

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#112 Mr. Steal Yo Man Kitteh

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#113 Mr. Steal Yo Girl

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#114 Came Home And Found My Husband In Bed With Another Female

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#115 The Way My Dog Looks At My BF. She Loves Him So Much

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#116 Roll Over To Cuddle BF And Then…

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#117 “Yes? Can I Help You?” Damn Cat Stole My Seat

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#118 I’m Feeling Like The Third Wheel Here

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#119 My Bed, My Man, I’m Not Movin’

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#120 My BF Claims To Hate Cats. My Cat Slept Over Last Night, As Soon As My BF Put His Arm Around Him There Was Instant Purring

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#121 Found My Girlfriend In Bed With A Handsome Italian This Morning

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#122 I Am Officially The Third Wheel

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#123 He Stole My Woman

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#124 She’s Simply Here To Steal My Man

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#125 This Is Max. Mr Steal My Wife

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#126 I’m Just Casually Third Wheeling Next To These Two

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#127 I Think My Little Dude Is Trying To Steal My Wife

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#128 This Smug Bastard, Stealing My Wife’s Heart

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#129 This Mrs. Gonna Steal Yo Man

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#130 Woke Up And Realized My Boyfriend Wasn’t In Bed. Went To The Living Room And Found This

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#131 I’ve Been Replaced

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#132 Trying To Steal My BF Since 2019

#133 How My Boyfriend And His Cat Sleep

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Source: boredpanda.com