context: I live in a house with 5 people. me, my boyfriend, roommate 1, roommate 2, and his recent girlfriend. my bf and I have 1 dog and 2 cats that came with us when we moved. roommate 2 and his girlfriend have become our pretty good friends and we are all pretty good at sharing a house together. everyone pays rent EXCEPT roommate 2s girlfriend, she does not have a solid job nor does she have even a highschool diploma or GED to get a good job so that has put some tension in the household. roommate 2s girlfriend has 7 cats at her house…. keep that in mind
today roommate 2 found a kitten in the dumpster of his work super dirty and very sick looking. i asked roommate 2 girlfriend what they were going to do with it and she says "I really want to keep it". i think this is a horrible idea this cat is clearly very sick and gives it the chance of getting our cats sick as well. we have plenty of supplies for pur cats. automatic feeders, scratchers, toys, the whole 9. I believe we are going to end up having to take care of this cat as well considering there is no way to keep that cat from eating our cats food, pooping in our cats litter boxs, and bonding with our cats. our cats has established this as there home and its going to put them under so much stress introducing a whole new cat into the mix. we are going to move next February and its going to put all the cats under a ton of stress to be separated as cats are very social animals and once they are bonded separating them can be very difficult.
I have expressed this to roommate 2 and his girlfriend and they think im being selfish by acting like only we can have pets….that is entirely not the point. I love all animals and I would be happy with a million pets in the house but looking at the big picture I believe this is going to cause more issues then needed. if I found a cat in the dumpster I would find it a good home but not our home…. am I the asshole?
YTA. She’s right. You are acting like only you can have pets.
The kitten could be sick with something… or not. You’re right that there’s no way to keep the kitten out of your cat stuff. Nor is there any way to keep your cats out of the kitten’s cat stuff. You’re moving next February.. a year from now?
Sorry, if you get to have pets so do your roomies, unless there’s a lease or formal agreement that says otherwise. If the kitten is actually sickly, that’s one thing, but unless you know it is… this is a really common animal rescue story and I don’t see that you can prevent it with a clear conscience.
NAH.
Rescuing a kitten from a freezing dumpster is not an AH move. I dare say, it is the Right Thing To Do.
Keeping said kitten in this situation? No, probably not the best idea.
Not wanting to keep a kitten in this situation? Also not an AH move.
Bring the kitten to a shelter.
Oh, as a cat person, some cats never bond with one another. In fact, I’ve only seen it happen rarely, and usually, it’s with littermates. So I wouldn’t worry about your cats bonding with this kitten and getting stressed later.
YTA
HOWEVER – the kitten needs a visit to the vet for a clear bill of health, and to be quarantined elsewhere until that happens.
Yeah, that kitten could be really sick and could get your cats sick. If they can’t/ won’t get the kitten, checked, vaccinated, neutered/ fixed, etc., they should not only not keep the kitten, but you guys should move out. This is a hill to die on.
>we have plenty of supplies for pur cats. automatic feeders, scratchers, toys, the whole 9.
So all that, and you don’t wanna take care of a sick kitten?
YTA
Sick kitten vet bills are paid in real money, not righteous indignation?
There are many other options instead of potentially getting your cats sick that still include taking reasonable steps to help the kitten.
It does risk the health of the other cats, depending on what the kitten has. Whether they are keeping the cat or not, it MUST first go to the vet’s clinic. The health of ALL cats must be considered.
I meant to add about also bringing it to the vet and make sure its vaccinated
You say that roommate 2’s girlfriend doesn’t pay rent but also that she has her own house with 7 cats? So does she live with you or not?
Why does roommate 2s girlfriend need to pay rent? “She has 7 cats at her house” I get not wanting to bring a sick cat into your home with seemingly healthy pets. After a vet check it should be fine. And if you’re concerned about the cat eating your cat’s food or using their toys ask them for money for that stuff. Kinda seems like you’re jealous of her. What does her not having a job or diploma have to do with anything? 😂😂 if her boyfriend wants to take care of her let him. Maybe your boyfriend should do the same
Why can’t she take this kitten to her parent’s house? Someone who doesn’t pay rent can’t be adding another freeloader to the mix.
Idk I see your side. But I also don’t see it as a big issue as your making it out it be
YTA.
The way rent splitting works is that people are paying for their little parcel of property. If roommate 2 gets a girlfriend and she decides to visit her boyfriend a lot, she doesn’t need to pay rent because she lives under his little portion he’s paying for. I get maybe some contention if she’s taking up space in the common areas or bleeding the water bill, but having her pay rent doesn’t make any sense to me. That could also be interpreting as subleasing which some rental properties will not allow.
The cat thing is pretty obvious. That pet cat will be the boyfriend’s responsibility, and he has an equal right to have a pet. They just need to take it to a vet first and then there’s really no argument there. If there’s a concern about the cat using some of the accessories you bought for your own, then I strongly suggest you drop these ideas of equivalent exchange relationships because that’s not how people socialize. If a guest drinks a cup of water at my house I don’t charge them the penny it added to my water bill.
YTA. You can’t dictate that you’re the only ones that get to have pets. Quarantine the sick kitten, tell them they need to take it to the vet and buy their own supplies and do a share of changing the litter.