Dad asks for advice after getting rid of son's cat; says, 'I feel terrible.'
When your kid's pet is their prized possession, it can be hard when you despise their pet. When this dad is conflicted, she asks Reddit:
'AITA for getting rid of my son's cat?'
My (43m) son(15m) has a cat named Cataloupe that he loves very much. We got him when son turned 14 (approx 1 and a half years ago.) In that time my son has grown very fond of the cat and during the night you would bet anything the cat was in his room.
I was very glad my son had a pet to help with stress and the horror of teenagehood. However the cat has been a continuing problem in regards to my carpet. The cat doesn't seem to know the difference between my carpet and cat litter and often leaves nasty surprises everywhere.
This has gone on since we got her but I figured cantaloupe would eventually adapt to using a box. Spoiler, he hasn't, and I am tired of picking up piles and steaming and picking up more piles. I have brung it up with my son on multiple occasions and nothing has come of our talks.
The cat continues sh*tting everywhere. Yesterday I got rid of him. I made sure he went to as good home with my aunt(I have told her about cantaloupes problem but she insists on taking the cat instead of letting me give it away to a stranger online). My son found out today and will not talk to me.
I feel terrible about what I've done but I just couldn't deal with all this sh*t, literally. It was so bad I was embarrassed to bring over my girlfriend, and I'm sure he wouldn't want friends over because of it either. I made an account just for advice on how to mend my relationship with my son. AITA?
Let's find out.
buttexplosion says:
NTA, if your son can't take care of the cat he can't have it. You did the right thing by everyone including the cat (who presumably will now have a responsible owner). And your son will learn that neglect has consequences. Don't listen to the rest of these comments, reddit is just full of children.
tortitude43 writes:
YTA for not clearly explaining to your son the consequences of his inaction, setting a deadline for getting rid of the cat. You should have had a talk. “Son, as you know, we have had a problem with Cataloupe pooping on the carpet.
His litter box must be scooped at 8:00 PM each night. Here is the scoop and here are the bags to put the clumps in. Additionally, the entire litter box must be washed and the litter changes every Saturday afternoon by 5:00.
You have two weeks to do this consistently every day. If you can’t do this, and I’ll be checking the litter box every night, your aunt has offered to take Cataloupe on July 12.” Have this conversation and get the kid his cat back.
craftyeditor555 writes:
Honestly, NTA. People on here get pretty extreme. Maybe I’m raised old school but if it’s the kid’s cat and the kid isn’t taking care of the cat in the sense that OP mentions, then the cat is gone. I would not want shit carpets either.
Last I checked he’s the parent. 🤷♂️ also the cat is down the street at his aunts house. Y’all dramatic.