Brother And SIL Come To Visit But Are Upset The Homeowner’s Cat Is Free To Walk Around The House As They Get Startled By It
It’s hard to believe, but it turns out there are people who do not like or are afraid of perhaps the most beautiful beings that exist on this planet in general, and on the internet in particular – wonderful cats. No, of course, there are people who are allergic to them or don’t get along with cats, but this is not about that.
Seriously, the story we are going to tell you today revolves around cats. Or rather, around the guests, who for some reason were afraid of cats – and demanded that the owners of the house lock their pets up for the duration of their stay in the house. Actually, about this story first told by the user u/fluffythecat38.
The author of the post once hosted their brother and SIL in their house
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual image)
The author says they have two cats, one of which, a fluffy one, is extremely curious
Image credits: u/fluffythecat38
Image credits: Helena Jacoba (not the actual image)
Image credits: u/fluffythecat38
After encountering a cat late in the evening in the guest bedroom, the SIL demanded the author shove the cat away somewhere
Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto (not the actual image)
Image credits: u/fluffythecat38
The author, however, flatly refused to lock up the cats, and was dubbed ‘selfish’ for saying so
So, the Original Poster (OP) has two cats at home: one shorthair and one fluffy. We will mainly talk about the second one, which once had some trauma and is distrustful of people whom she does not know well, but at the same time remains incredibly curious. Even when guests come to the house where she lives…
One day, their brother and wife were visiting the OP’s house, and in the evening, when the couple were heading to the guest bedroom, it turned out that someone was already there. Yes, it was a dark-haired fluffy cat that had crept into the room in the afternoon and fallen asleep on the bed. Many centuries ago, Confucius aptly noted that it is difficult to find a black cat in a dark room, but even the great sage did not say anything about what to do when this black cat, also frightened, throws itself at your feet and flies out of the room like a bullet.
Needless to say, the original poster’s SIL was frightened, and when she opened the bathroom door in the morning and the same curious fluffy cat was sitting on the threshold, she flinched again in fear. At dinner, the guest demanded that the cat owner close all the pets out of harm’s way in another room while she and her husband were staying there. However, the OP saw no problem here and reasonably asked why the SIL didn’t just close the guest bedroom door more tightly to avoid similar unexpected and, to be honest, comical moments in the future?
The guest, however, did not see anything funny and dubbed the OP ‘selfish’ for unwillingness to follow this request, which she herself considered completely trifling. On the other hand, any of us who have kept cats in the house at least once know perfectly well that this request is actually not at all as trifling as it may seem…
Image credits: Sam Lion(not the actual image)
It would be perfectly reasonable if the author’s SIL was allergic to cats – at least, according to the research made by the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute, 23 percent of cat owners report that either they or a member of their household lives with cat allergen sensitivities. But the original poster says nothing about allergies, so it was just the fear of the cat, which, however, was no less afraid – and quite possibly way more.
Another reason for this behavior of the OP’s sister-in-law could be ailurophobia. According to Cleveland Clinic, “someone with ailurophobia may have extreme anxiety or fear when seeing or thinking about cats. They may avoid visiting friends who have cats or stay away from co-workers who talk about their cats. Many people with cat phobia have had negative experiences with cats.” However, we can completely dismiss the suggestion of ailurophobia, because initially the woman was quite normal about the OP’s cats, both fluffy and short-haired.
In philosophy, there is such a thing as ‘Occam’s razor’, which goes back to the name of the Medieval English scholastic philosopher William of Ockham. According to him, of two competing theories, the simpler explanation is to be preferred. And what is the simplest explanation we have? That’s right, the usual entitledness. Most of the people in the comments just agree with this.
The commenters were massively supportive of the original poster, claiming that this is the home of their family and cats, and the SIL is just a guest and nothing more. Thus, if anyone needs to adapt to the rules of living in this house, then it’s definitely the SIL. “The cats live there. She doesn’t. Closing a door is not an unreasonable request. If she doesn’t like it she can stay in a hotel,” folks in the comments insisted. And what is your opinion on this story? Please feel free to express it in the comments.
Most of the people in the comments claimed that it’s the cats’ house as well, so the SIL should definitely adapt anyway
Oh no! How dare a cat walk around in its own home! No, you, my fluffy little brethren must STRUT around that home, and leave a "gift" in Karens shoes whilst you're at it.
A. The cats live there, the visiting in-laws don't. Of course a cat is going to investigate places that are normally closed off. Can SIL close the door against intruders when she goes to the bathroom? Yes? Good. Treat the bedroom door the same if that's her concern. B. If the first doesn't work, offer to give the cats a stern talking-to and explain what parts of the house are off limits. I'm sure they will listen carefully and understand SILs point of view.
Of course the cats will listen. Then promptly ignore you and do as they please as usual.
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Oh, God, I had a roommate once who argued that that phrase was horribly ignorant, hateful, and controlling. She also never cleaned her cat's litter box and expected me to do it.
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Oh no! How dare a cat walk around in its own home! No, you, my fluffy little brethren must STRUT around that home, and leave a "gift" in Karens shoes whilst you're at it.
A. The cats live there, the visiting in-laws don't. Of course a cat is going to investigate places that are normally closed off. Can SIL close the door against intruders when she goes to the bathroom? Yes? Good. Treat the bedroom door the same if that's her concern. B. If the first doesn't work, offer to give the cats a stern talking-to and explain what parts of the house are off limits. I'm sure they will listen carefully and understand SILs point of view.
Of course the cats will listen. Then promptly ignore you and do as they please as usual.
Load More Replies... Oh, God, I had a roommate once who argued that that phrase was horribly ignorant, hateful, and controlling. She also never cleaned her cat's litter box and expected me to do it.
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