Regarding pets, some people are very strict about what they can and cannot do.
Up to and including where they’re taken, what accessories they can use, which rooms in the house they can be in, and what they can and cannot eat.
In the eyes of friends and family, these rules might seem excessive, but it’s always best to follow them, as they were likely put in place for a reason.
Oftentimes, owing to their health and safety.
Redditor Bljsks was more than happy to let his brother spend time with his cat so he could lighten his spirits a bit.
However, the original poster (OP) would go on to regret their decision, when they discovered their brother did something with his cat he was expressly told not to do, resulting in the cat needing to be taken to the vet.
While thankfully the cat turned out to be fine, all was not quite forgiven between the OP and his brother, with the latter eventually making a demand that their brother and the rest of their family found to be way out of line.
Wondering if this was the case, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where he asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for insisting that my brother pays for half of my cat’s treatment bill?”
The OP explained why he regretted leaving his cat alone with his brother.
“My brother recently got dumped and asked if he could come to hang out with my cat.”
“I thought it would be the perfect way to cheer up, so I said yes and told him he can stay at my place for an hour while I go to a bookstore.”
“I also told him not to feed her anything since I have already fed her in the morning and will feed her again in the evening.”
“He asked if he could try giving her some chocolate and I told him ‘No, that’s very dangerous’.”
“But then I came back later to find my cat vomiting and panting, and my brother just standing there freaking out.”
“He admitted to giving her a piece of chocolate, and I quickly took her to my vet.”
“Fortunately, she is fine now, but I told my brother he has to reimburse me for half of the treatment cost since he ignored what I told him and is the reason she got sick.”
“He paid but then went complaining to our parents, who told me off.”
“Our mom said he’s my brother, and everyone makes mistakes.”
“Was I wrong in telling him to pay?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for demanding his brother pay half of his vet bill.
Everyone agreed that as the OP’s brother willfully ignored his warning, paying half the vet bill was the very least he could do, with some even saying he should pay the whole thing, with many also surprised by the behavior of the OP’s parents.
“NTA.”
“Honestly he should have paid all of it.”
“Your brother and your parents are the a**holes in this situation.”- extremelycrabby
“NTA, your brother is a double-dingus – #1, you directly told him not to feed your cat chocolate.”
“All he had to do was listen to you.”
“#2, almost everyone knows that chocolate is bad for dogs and cats.”
“It’s easily the most commonly known food allergy for pets.”
“I would have him foot the entire bill if you were so inclined.”
“You’d easily be justified in doing so.”- Yogimonsta
“NTA.”
“It wasn’t a mistake. It was a choice.”- WiseOldChicken
“NTA.”
“He should pay the full bill.”
‘YWBTA if you left him alone with your cat ever again.’
“This sounds intentional.”- mtns77
“NTA.”
“He didn’t make a mistake.”
“He deliberately fed the cat chocolate just to see what would happen even after you told him it was extremely dangerous to cats.”
“That’s not a mistake, Mom.”
“That’s deliberate disregard.”- pineboxwaiting
“NTA, he should have paid all of it!”
“He went against your express wishes.”
“Your parents are also ridiculous here.”
“Everyone makes mistakes….and should also own up and face the consequences.”-namesaretoohardforme
“NTA.”
“After being specifically told not to give the cat chocolate, he went ahead and did it!”
“WTF!?!?!?”
“He should pay the entire bill.”
“It was NOT an accident.”
“He was already told not to do it.”
“Do not let him near your cat again!”- Obvious_Amphibian270
“He gets dumped, then wanted to hang out with your cat, and then proceeds to attempt to poison it.”
“I can’t assume, but that’s some big red flag behavior.”
“I’d think his supposed ‘freak out’ was not in concern for the cat but for getting caught in the act.”
“I’ve seen you respond to other comments. Yeah never let him near your cat again.”
“Honestly I fear for any animal, and perhaps even woman, in his life going forward.”
“Lots of creeps start with hurting animals.”- Abandonmeplease
“NTA.”
“He could have killed your cat.”
“He was told it would be dangerous, and he did it anyway.”
“This is NOT a mere mistake.”
“Your parents are wrong.”
“I hope your kitty is feeling better.”- trappergraves
“Depending on his age, he got off lucky with the bill, considering the damage that could have been done.”
“There seems to be deeper psychological issues here if someone could be so callous about defenseless animals.”- CharitableMiser
“Does your brother usually come over to hang out with your cat?”
“Whose chocolate was it?”
“Did he bring it with him?”
“This is playing out like a malicious, deliberate act.”
“I don’t know all of the stuff pets can’t have, but I do know the main things – raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate.”
“Chocolate seems to be common knowledge, so for him to ask specifically about that and then give the cat chocolate?”
“I would take this as a setup for you to connect the dots if he wasn’t there when you got back.”
“Asking permission, being told no because it’s toxic, and doing it anyway is not a mistake.”
“He should have paid the entire amount.”
“NTA.”- ethan_winfield
“NTA.”
“And I would have asked him to pay the entire bill.”- Baers_Beets_BSG
“NTA.”
“It was nice of you to only charge him half the bill.”
“I don’t know how old everyone is.”
“But it sounds like he’s old enough to have known better.”- TheHipReplacement
“NTA – if I were in your position, I would actually be in jail.”
“You’re being nice only asking for half the bill.”
“I would demand all of it and my bother would never get within ten feet of my cat again.”
“At the end of the day though, at least your baby is going to be ok.”- Rich_Group_8997
“NTA.”
“He should be paying for the entire treatment.”
“Unless he is a child there is no way this was not an intentional act.”
“This gave me the ick in a huge way.”
“It feels malicious, and I would be seriously reassessing the relationship.”- PikPekachu
“He should be paying the full bill as he basically tried to poison your cat.”
“NTA.”- mdthomas
“NTA.”
‘Yes, everyone makes mistakes.”
“But everyone also has to pay for the consequences of those mistakes.”
“Honestly, he should pay for the entire bill!”
“This wasn’t really a mistake, but a conscious choice he made after you told him it was dangerous and would hurt the cat.”
“And also, WHY the f*ck did he make a conscious choice to do something that would hurt the cat?!”
“There may be something going on with him, and he should absolutely not be around your cat or any other animal alone again.”- Ill_Wallaby_9121
“Only half?”
“Parents defending him, they should pay the other half.”- EvilMinion07
“I see why he got dumped.”
“Your brother is a huge moron.”
“NTA, should have made him pay the full amount.”- HiddenThinks
The OP later returned with an update, thanking everyone who took the time to comment and sharing how much access his family will have to his cat going forward.
“Thank you, everyone for your comments!”
“I’ve made it clear to them that I will not let any of them into my home or near my cat again since they show a callous attitude towards her.”
“My brother still insisted he only wanted to see if my cat would like chocolate, so I told him that he even if that was his true intention, he still should have respected my wishes regarding my cat.”
Had the OP’s brother simply fed the cat chocolate without any warning of the dangers doing so would cause, that would be an honest mistake.
However, he did this deliberately, knowing it was harmful to cats, making him directly responsible for the poor thing needing the vet.
Making it hard to argue with those who felt that he should, in fact, pay the whole bill and not just half.