Reddit Debates On Should The Cat Owner Pay The Roommate Back For The Food Their Cat Ate

The cat owner is unsure how to appease their roommate.

May

• Published in Animal Stories
• September 6, 2023

Although cats are pretty chill, their cunning and mischievous personalities can remain no matter how much you train them. Hunting is part of their instincts.

So if you leave food unattended, they're bound to steal it. And since cats are incredibly agile and resourceful creatures, owners will find it even more challenging to outsmart them. They seem to have an uncanny ability to find the most inconvenient places to perch or hide, often surprising their owners with their clever escapades.

Felines are always curious, and they have an insatiable urge to explore every nook and cranny of your home. It's not uncommon to find them investigating cabinets, climbing onto high shelves, or squeezing into tight spaces.

It's not surprising for them to try to reach for your food when you're not around. Today's story is about a cat owner whose pet ate their roommate's food while it was unattended.

According to the original poster (OP) who shared their story on the "Am I The A**hole?" (AITA) subreddit, the roommate ate pasta with meatballs. The food was left in the pot when the cat ate it.

After what happened, the roommate expressed frustration with the owner, suggesting that they should have trained their cat. The owner countered shot back by posing a hypothetical scenario: What if their own untrained dog had been in a similar situation?

Now, the OP is wondering if they ought to pay for what their cat ate.

A cat owner faces a problem with a roommate after their cat at the latter's food.

When the roommate's food was left unattended the OP's cat ate it.

The cat owner is contemplating whether or not to give money to their roommate for the inconvenience.

Deflecting the blame is what the OP an a-hole after the incident.

One Redditor believes no one's at fault here.

Most people can't stop their cats from eating food that's not kept properly.

Even some cat owners agree that there's no way to stop a cat from stealing food, no matter how much you train them.

The roommate needs to get used to the cat and be careful next time, according to this Redditor.

People who live with a cat should know better than to leave their food exposed.

Since it's the OP's cat, the OP still needs to pay them back for the inconvenienced caused by their cat.

Others believe that cats can be trained to stay away from food and counters.

To appease the roommate, the OP should just pay up.

A simple solution

If the OP won't offer monetary compensation, then they should just replace it with another meal.

It can be hard to prevent cats from stealing food. Since the OP and their roommate are already aware of the cat's tendencies, they should keep the food properly moving forward.

As for the compensation, it entirely depends on the OP. They can either pay for it or buy their roommate a nice meal.

If they don't offer anything back, they'd be considered the a-hole.

May