Taking a pet to the vet for a check-up can be stressful.
Many animals, much like humans, are not a fan of doctor visits.
This can cause the animals to be nervous and extra sensitive.
And when you add children into the mix, havoc can be caused.
The vet’s office can quickly turn into a battleground.
Redditor alexastock wanted to discuss their experience and get some feedback, so naturally, they came to the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subreddit.
They asked:
“AITA for yelling at a kid not to touch my cat?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“My cat, Patches, just turned 14 recently and was diagnosed with asthma earlier this year.”
“I take her to the vet every few months for an antibiotic shot that seems to help her breathe better and avoid making her have to go through being on an inhaler.”
“Anyway, the last time I took her to the vet, I had her out of the carrier in my arms.”
“The staff was fine with this since there was no one else in the room.”
“If a dog came in, I would put her back in and zip her up.”
“So, I’m waiting for the vet to come out to get us when all of a sudden the door swings open.”
“It’s a mom with a kid who is about 5.”
“They don’t have a pet with them, so I’m guessing they’re there to pick something up.”
“Patches is startled but doesn’t go back to the carrier, so I just continue holding and petting her.”
“While the mom is at the counter talking to the receptionist, the kid looks my way and immediately shouts ‘KITTY’ and starts to run over to me.”
“That makes Patches jump back in her carrier because she doesn’t like small children because of some bad experiences when she was younger.”
“I’m starting to zip up the carrier when the kid tries to pet her.”
“Without thinking, I yell out: ‘DON’T TOUCH HER!'”
“The kid backs up and starts crying cause I yelled, but I’m more focused on zipping my cat in.”
“At this point, the mom turns around and STOMPS over to me, fuming.”
“How could I yell at her kid and make her cry?”
“It’s just a cat; she’s only a child, so I should just let her pet the cat.”
“I tell the mom that her kid has no right to touch my cat, she shouldn’t be running over to people’s pets and expecting to pet them without permission, because that’s just asking to get a scratch or a bite mark, and she needs to teach her kid how to approach animals the right way, etc.”
“The mom doesn’t say anything back and just takes her crying kid and picks up her stuff, and gives me a major stink face when leaving.”
“I got through my appointment without any other interruptions, and no one in reception really had any comments on it.”
“I later told a friend about it and was told I was too harsh on the kid and shouldn’t have made them cry. “
“That I could’ve approached it more delicately. “
“I don’t think I did anything wrong because I was protecting my cat, because a lot of kids don’t know how to handle and treat animals, in my experience.”
The OP was left to wonder:
“I don’t know, am I the a**hole here?”
Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed in on some options to the question, AITA:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Redditors declared that OP was NOT the A**hole.
“Way too many over-sensitive moms in here imagining someone daring to yell at their perfect little angel.”
“Kids need to be taught lessons, and mom wasn’t doing her job. NTA.” ~ TuckerCarlsonsOhface
“Do I think you were justified in yelling at the kid? Yes.”
“Do I think you need just to leave your cat in the carrier while waiting at the vet, where presumably many different types of people and animals may walk through the door?
“Also, yes.” ~ violet715
“NTA. You’re at a vet’s office, not a petting zoo.”
“Mom doesn’t know if the cat is sick, injured, or why you’re even there.”
“Nobody should approach animals at the vet and invade their personal space.”
“The animals are already stressed.”
“They don’t need stranger danger on top of it.” ~ Perfect_Caregiver_90
“This is the main issue.”
“Just because the cat was out of the carrier on OP doesn’t mean it was safe.”
“Also, teaching your child to just run up to any stranger with an animal is inviting yourself to be on a Netflix documentary and your kid plastered all over milk cartons.”
“Never in my life did I run at a complete stranger and try to grab their animal. Never.”
“Not when I was 3, 5, 7, and so on. Never.”
“Children are humans, just tiny.”
“There’s no excuse not to raise them right, and that’s why that woman looked like she was sucking on a lemon seed as she left the vet.”
“Because she knows OP was right, but she’s gone so long ignoring boundaries and stomping all over people that now her son does the same.”
“Where do you think he learned it?”
“NTA, OP.”
“Some people go their whole lives unchecked, and it shows.”
“Keep checking them.”
“Calling people out for their behavior needs to be normalized again.” ~ emtrigg013
“As a parent, NTA.”
“Letting your kid run up to strangers or animals like that is a recipe for disaster…”
“1) It’s impolite, and…”
“2) She has no idea how an animal will react.”
“Bet she would have gone ballistic if her child had been bitten or scratched.”
“Imagine if this had been a dog instead of a cat, and the dog attacked the child for startling it.”
“This is just common sense as a parent to teach your kids appropriate behavior and to keep control of your kids in public for their own safety.”
“As for the yelling, could it have been better to not yell, sure, but also, you were flustered and trying to keep the kid away without touching them.”
“Better to yell and be the bad guy than risk getting the police called on you for grabbing the kid’s hand to stop them.” ~ Silaquix
“NTA for yelling, you did what you had to in the moment to protect your cat.”
“The kid could’ve hurt your cat or gotten scratched and caused all sorts of issues.”
“That being said, your cat should have been in the carrier or on a harness.”
“This wasn’t an environment you could control, and if she had bolted out of your arms instead of into the carrier, she could’ve gotten hurt.” ~ IngenuityFun8910
“NTA, it’s a vet’s office, not a petting zoo.”
“Animals act unpredictably under stress, and vet visits are often stressful for them.”
“Not even getting into the kind of assumptions that the mom is making – are you and your cat both OK with the cat being pet, is the cat in a condition to be pet, is it safe for others to try to pet the cat, etc.”
“The fact that the kid continued even when your cat showed signs of fear is a red flag.”
“You did what you had to do to protect your cat.”
“I would’ve done the same.”
“If the child can’t keep their hands to themselves, and the mom can’t be bothered, maybe they should just wait in the car for short errands like this.”
“Kids are gonna be kids, but the parents have to be sensible and responsible.” ~ WombatInSunglasses
“NTA. Here’s the thing: cat bites can be nasty.”
“I know someone who was in the hospital for days because a cat bite turned septic.”
“And who is that mom going to come after for the medical bills if it gets infected? You.”
“Yes, you could have been kinder, but kids that age just don’t always listen, especially not when they’re distracted by something cute and fluffy.”
“If you scared her so much that next time she doesn’t make a run for the cat, win/win – she doesn’t get bitten, the cat doesn’t get bothered, and no one has to pay for puncture wound treatment.” ~ writinwater
“NTA. Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I find the amount of ESHS and YTAS in comments WILD.”
“Yeah, it’s a kid.”
“But if you cannot control your child in a veterinary clinic, a doctor’s office, or any other professional setting, then take yourself and your kid tf out of there and don’t bring them again until you can.”
“To those who cry But My Kids Are More Important Than Your Animals!”
“You are expected to control your animals in a vet waiting room, and not doing so will get you ejected.”
“It is common sense and common courtesy that the same should apply to human children for the same reasons that make it a necessity for your animals.”
“IDGAF if your deeply ingrained parental entitlement tells you that sweet little Timmy deserves all the things at the expense of everyone in your vicinity.”
“Get over yourselves with that noise.”
“Your kids are not entitled to the use of anyone else’s personal property, much less the molesting of someone’s live pet.” ~ WayiiTM
“This is why there are so many entitled and inconsiderate people nowadays.”
“If you don’t teach your child not everything goes their way, and if you coddle them for every single bad time, they’ll grow up expecting the world to fall at their feet.” ~ spaqhettiyo
“NTA. The kid may have learned a valuable lesson from you that it wasn’t going to get from its mother.”
“My dog is very nervous, and yet people always try to pet her.”
“We covered her in warning labels for walks.”
“Still,l people try to pet her.”
“The signs are not for their protection, but our dog’s.” ~ TheBleepThatCensors
“NTA. Children are pretty savage to pets unless they’re properly trained.”
“How worse would it have been if your cat had scratched/bitten the kid?”
“You’d probably be looking at legal action against you.” ~ Srvntgrrl_789
Reddit is with you here, OP.
This mother was completely out of line.
When in public, children need constant supervision.
You were protecting your pet and that little girl at the same time.
Good Job!