Jonathan Van Ness has ignited a wave of online commentary after revealing the rehoming of his dog, George, following an incident in which Van Ness's cat, Liza, was injured. In a tearful Instagram post on Thursday, Van Ness explained that George had been involved in a scuffle with Liza that resulted in the cat sustaining a broken jaw.
Van Ness described rushing Liza to a veterinarian, where she recovered fully. However, he stated that realizing the severity of the injury led him to the "gut-wrenching" decision to find a new home for George, citing the need to maintain a safe environment within his household of multiple pets. "This has been such a devastating event and I’m sharing to say for every animal family, it’s not easy, but I’m so glad we can show up for these creatures & each other," Van Ness wrote in the caption of his post.
Fans on social media expressed a range of opinions. Some questioned the decision, with one user writing, "Why not rehome the cat who was the agitator? If the dog doesn’t have a pattern of aggression." Another commenter suggested that pets, like humans, can have disagreements and that rehoming the dog after four years of no issues seemed abrupt.
Conversely, many users offered support to Van Ness. "This is so heartbreaking and of course such a tough situation to be in," one supporter posted. "Ignore the people saying you shouldn’t have rehomed the dog, some dog people are genuinely crazy." A user identifying as a vet tech commented, "I think you made the best decision for everyone involved... it would be cruel to punish the cat, when they are the one suffering for the dog’s actions."
Van Ness has been vocal about his passion for animals and has previously shared experiences with pet adoption. During the pandemic, he adopted a rescue dog named Pablo, admitting at the time that he was unprepared for the complexities of dog ownership. He has previously advocated for compassion when dealing with pet-related challenges, acknowledging that situations can become overwhelming. "I think it's just having compassion for yourself. If it is too much, and you know in your heart of hearts that you tried (and) it is not working? Fine, I think it is OK," he said in a previous statement about difficult pet decisions.
Van Ness gained prominence on the 2018 Netflix reboot of "Queer Eye." His social media presence often features his cats, and he has previously spoken about the loss of a cat named Bug the Second, which led him to impulse-adopt two kittens.