Pets can sometimes act like children, but having them interact with actual children can be complicated if there aren’t rules and boundaries established.
The responsible thing to do is teach children that animals should be respected, and if they are too young to understand, take them out of the situation.
28 year old Redditor AITAMrMeow encountered this very issue with his roommate’s girlfriend and his cat. So they turned to the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit for moral judgment.
He asked:
“AITA for banning a woman from my house for suggesting my senior cat be put down?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained.
“I (28M) own my own home and rent a bedroom on a lease of 3 months at a time to a guy named Jim. Jim has a girlfriend with a child (12M autistic ) who comes over sometimes. I don’t usually care, the kid is loud but usually fine.”
“My cat, Loki is 15 years old, he’s a chill little dude who just wants a can of tuna, a warm sunny spot and my lap. He doesn’t like to be pet other than me.”
“The kid knows this but today decided to yank Loki’s tail and the cat lashed back by biting him and running to hide under my bed (he’s OK now, gave him some salmon), this happened in the living room.”
“I ran out to the kid wailing and asked what happened. He said nothing, that the cat attacked him. I didn’t believe this and he admitted what he did.”
His mother was not as calm.
“His mother starts screaming that my cat is vicious, her son just wanted to play and that I need to put the old man down especially because she’s trying to move in here.”
“The guys lease is over on the first, I told her flat out that she’s not moving in here and that her boyfriend isn’t getting another lease (he’s a slob) and just for saying I should have my cat put down she and her kid need to get the fuck out and will be banned from my property.”
“She was enraged and screamed that I’m such an an asshole and that it’s raining outside, so I asked her to let me yank her braid and she can stay, it’ll be an eye for an eye but she asked me if I was crazy and I told her that if she didn’t want her hair pulled why should my cat get his tail pulled.”
“I sent her out with her kid and she had to get an Uber because her boyfriend was too drunk to drive.”
OP added some context.
“Added info: he’s known for a month now that his lease wasn’t going to be approved, they were offered to wait on my porch where there’s a roof and it wasn’t cold or windy out, and no I didn’t mean I’d actually pull her hair, it was sarcasm.”
People had more questions so OP continued.
“Added info again: the tenant woke up today, guess he got chewed out by his girlfriend for lying about not having a new lease, now he won’t make eye contact with me, and is asking if he can break lease cause he doesn’t feel comfortable here and wants to move in with his pal from work.”
“Also Loki went to the vet this morning, no damage, but he’s upset cause they had to do a quick check on his teeth, which are fine BTW. Also, I am having a hard time with cat tax but he’s a black short haired with one white speck on his nose”
“So, AITA?”
Redditors gave their opinions on the situation by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Most Redditors agreed OP was not the a**hole.
“I swear these people piss me off because I have a stray cat that I adopted and she’s pretty aggressive if you mess with her.”
“She won’t attack for no reason but if you pick her up to much or annoy her she’ll give a light swat on your arm. She’s not being too aggressive she’s just creating a boundary the only way she knows. NTA” ~ brownsneakers
“NTA. Any animal doesn’t attack unless directly threatened. The kid knew and pulled the tail and got the result.” ~ AlarmingSeason2210NTA.
“I have two scars on my face from getting scratched/ bitten by my cat who’s tail I pulled when I was 2.”
“My parents gave him to my aunt (loves cats) and he lived to a healthy 21 without me terrorizing him. I don’t blame that cat for 1 second for what he did, I was an a**hole!”
“Since you did not create the child in this situation and, are not obligated to provide a bullet proof environment for not your child, please keep your cat and give him some chin scratches for me” ~ WhatIsThis-ForAnts
“NTA – My nephew is 18 months old and has been hearing ‘Tails are not toys’ since before his first birthday.” ~ MrsBarneyFife
Some shared their experiences with aggressive cats.
“I had an asshole cat that would bite you for looking at him wrong. Not just a nip on the arm either. He would jump at your face sink his teeth into your forehead and wrap his legs around your head to scratch as much of your head as possible. He was an absolute dick, and after years of trying with him I had to give him up.” ~ mgcfairys
“False. My ex’s cat was a little shit. Cuddly as a kitten but after puberty that cat became very jealous of anything with testosterone. Even after being neutered.”
“He’d randomly creep up to me in bed, inch closer and pretend I had gotten too close and bite. Even when I wasn’t looking at him.” ~ DesignCarpincho
“I was seeing someone for a little bit and we would be sitting at the table and his cat would just start going after my arm and my hand.”
“I would just have my hand laying on the table and she’d start biting and bunny kicking me with her claws. When the guy I was seeing would try to pull her off me, she’d latch onto me. I still have marks on my hands and arms from all of this.” ~ catnamedshathead78
Overall, it’s important for parents or guardians to provide a safe environment for their kids to interact with animals, while teaching their child boundaries and respect when they’re in an animal’s home.