Family dynamics can get complicated, especially when step-parenting, teenagers, and household rules collide. From setting boundaries to teaching responsibility, many parents struggle with situations where kids ignore rules, dismiss consequences, or mishandle pets.
Hey Bright Side!
I’m pissed and I need outside opinions because I’m not sure if I overreacted here. I asked my stepson Leo, he’s 14, to watch my cat while I was at work. Nothing complicated, just make sure she’s fed, has water, and isn’t locked in a closet somewhere. Easy.
I come home and immediately something feels off. My cat is not herself, pacing, meowing nonstop, hiding under furniture like the house is on fire. I ask Leo what’s going on, and he literally just shrugs and said something like this, “Your silly cat scratched my friend.”
My concern when it comes to the cat is how scared it was acting after the "scratch" incident occurred. With the teens lack of empathy while fessing up I am thinking one or both teens perhaps drop kicked or threw the cat across the room. The cats vocal behaviors make me believe it may have an injury. As far as the need for a cat sitter however, someone should be babysitting the teen not the cat. He can't follow rules and has become a punk. What's dad got to say about his kid?
Turns out, while I was gone, he had some buddies over (which we’ve told him before he needs to ask about first). One of his friends tried to pick up my cat, who hates strangers, btw, she’s skittish and only trusts a few people. Of course, she freaked out and scratched the kid, and when the boy screamed, my cat got even more terrified and bolted to hide for hours. She only came out once I got home.
I don’t blame the cat at all, she was scared and defending herself. What pissed me off was Leo’s total lack of care. Like he couldn’t even be bothered to apologize or admit it was a bad idea to let his friend bother her. Just the shrug and the “silly cat” comment. My blood boiled.
Why does your cat need any care for a workday?? You are ridiculous!!
Get a life
1st off no 14yr old is responsible what so ever so that was your 1st mistake.
2nd mistake is that you can't seem.to feed water & make sure closets are closed before you walk out the door to go to work.
3rd YOU CAN LEAVE A CAT HOME ALONE FOR DAYS (PROVIDING AN AUTO FEEDER)
As a cat mom of over 35 yrs ( several cats oldest being 18) i can tell you they actually PREFER being home alone.
As for the step son. If he had Friends over you might want his father to talk with him He clearly doesn't respect your wishes
I think you overreacted. A cat doesn't need a babysitter for the day, first of all. Pet sitting in general is never something to put on anyone who isn't being paid to do it or doesn't actually WANT the responsibility. It doesn't even matter that it's your step son. Ask him to take out trash, mow the lawn, or do dishes, not babysit a cat. There's a reason for the saying, "It's like herding cats". Don't get me wrong, the friend being over without asking is another issue. Though, at 14 my own parents and all my friends parents were pretty open with us hanging out at each other's houses too. Still, if that's your rule, then punish for that. With no other context it still seems a bit much.
Yes you did overreacted. Yes having friends over is a no no. He broke rules on that one and should be disciplined for that. But for the cat? No. His friend was just trying to be friendly towards the cat.
No she did not over react. !!
Yes she did whose cat needs to be fed and watered and prevented from closets during one workday!!! For heaven's sakes it is a cat!!! And address the issue of company!! Not the fact the child tried to pet the cat!!! She is way overreacting,!!!🤣🤣🤣
No she's not overreacting because his obligation was to take care of the cat. So the cats well-being comes first. He already wasn't even allowed to have friends over without their permission. And probably something more happened here that Leo isn't telling his stepmother.
What's more concerning overall is just a complete lack of concern for the animals welfare. If I had made such a mistake at that age I would have immediately told my parent Mom I'm sorry I thought I could have some friends over I thought they were nice and that it wasn't necessary to ask her permission because I'm not a baby and I know you probably think that was wrong of me and I'm sorry but one of my friends tried to pick up the cat and he scratched her and she dropped the cat on the floor and now he's upset and I'm really really sorry I understand now why you wanted me to ask for permission to have friends over I made a mistake etc .... There has to be recognition here at when you're a teenager you're in your parents home and it's their home their rules and your lucky to have a home so you respect that and work with that. Within that home sure you have your own room and your own things and those should be undisturbed as much as possible and you should have some privacy but you have to respect the rules of your home
I think there's a real lack of concern here on his part for the well-being of the cat who probably got hurt because the friend probably dropped him or threw him when he scratched him or her probably something more even happened than what we've been told
🤣🤣🤣 WTF a cat needs to be watched for a workday?? Ridiculous unless the cat is really messed up?? WTF never in my life and I love cats but WOW they are very independent pets and don't need minute to minute attention
Yeah, I'm with you on this. If she grounded him because of having friends over - I think that's reasonable. If it's because of the cat? No, that's an overreaction. It doesn't sound like this kid was trying to, or did, hurt it. The cat was fine. I get that the cat didn't want to be held and defended itself. And that's fair. But to be mad because the cat was out of sorts later? Please. He didn't hurt or attack the cat. It sounds like her "silly cat" was absolutely fine. She sounds like a huge pain.
No she didn't
Let someone pick you up when you do not want to be bothered
Cats do not like unknown people picking them up
Mountain out of a molehill period
No she didn't...that Leo kid should have told his friend to leave the cat alone...
The stepson sounds like a little douchebag...
Who says he knew but again please someone tell me why a cat needs a sitter for a workday!! She wasn't leaving for a week!! And with an automatic feeder and waterer even then the cat would be fine!! Y'all acting like this is a preemie baby in the NICU with critical issues!! Just not that serious!!🤣🤣🤣
So if you have kids they will be bad eggs. That is the problem with people today, one day they let kids and adults off for doing something wrong like it's not a bad thing. This lady gave this dumb kid one rule.No friends over less you ask. And he was supposed to take care of the cat which he failed at and didn't care.
If I did that when I was a kid , my parents would have killed me.
Again the problem with today's society is there are no consequences for doing something wrong.
I grounded him. No hanging out with friends for a while, and phone privileges are gone too. My family thinks I might’ve come down a little hard because “it’s just a scratch,” but honestly, to me it’s about respect and responsibility. I trusted him with something important, and he blew it off.
So Bright Side, was I too harsh? Or is this exactly the kind of lesson he needs to learn right now?
Thank you,
Bella.
Bella quite frankly you are an idiot period. And I love cats. Why does your cat need care for an 8 hour work day???🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Bella! We really wanted to take a moment to pull together some pieces of advice that might help you see things from different angles. Hopefully, these little insights give you some support and perspective as you figure out what feels right.
While conflicts like these can be stressful, they also create opportunities for growth and understanding within families. With patience and clear communication, even tough moments can strengthen trust and respect between parents, kids, and step-parents.
Read next — “I Refuse to Be a Dog-Sitter for My Son’s Fiancée—and My Payback Was Brutal”
I think we need to know why your cat needs a babysitter, does she have health issues?
I get the grounding for having people over without permission, same went for my kids. I just need to knkw more about the cat.
I think you did overreact, not everyone is a cat lover, and he's probably more concerned about whether his friend is going to blame him for getting scratched. The issue is him having friends round without asking, not that he doesn't love your cat as much as you. You said he had to make sure it had food, water, and didn't get accidentally locked in a cupboard. Sounds to me that he followed your request.
She didn't overreact, the cat was scared and the teen just shrugged it off not even bothering to see if she was okay, cats can NOT gain a big amount of stress as they will begin to shed fur and sometimes start causing harm to them self by excessive scratching,the teen should have asked to bring the friends over,the friend should have asked to even touch the cat,and lastly the teens friend probably is fine,it's a scratch not like a car ran over their arm,and don't give me a "WeLl iT mAy BlEeD" Band-Aids exist and if it gets dirty just clean it out,the kid caused it to themselves.
Next time ask the CAT to babysit your stepson, cuz he is irresponsible by virtue of ignoring your only rule. Not to mention if that scratch get infected then that boys parents can sue you. Sorry your cat had to go through that.
