Office pranks aren't the only thing that needs some regulation. Annoying coworkers too!

I think that if a 50-year-old employee is always doing pranks on the younger coworkers, and he went as far as messing with their food, I don't think that a manager should take that as funny or unproblematic. It's actually weird and uncomfortable. Office pranks are a problematic topic, especially because what one finds funny can be traumatizing to somebody else. And there are also the limits that aren't super clear. They are like a gray area that is almost invisible. But I do think that messing with food is a very clear way to go over the limits.

What is worse about the whole situation in this Reddit story is the fact that the managers see the mess and just laugh. A boss not caring about the employees' well-being and considering attacking somebody's food a simple joke shows that this manager is probably not good at his job. Not realizing how much this could escalate and damage the company is not thinking through. The employee that wrote this story is visibly uncomfortable, and now she is receiving internet advice to go to human resources and file a complaint. And if she did, it would be perfectly acceptable. The real issue is having a boss that doesn't think, that doesn't realize how much damage a "simple prank" can do to somebody.

Office pranks in general should be banned, except the silly ones like writing jokes on a post-it. But if the prank can cause disturbance, then it should not be done and shouldn't be allowed. As a manager, you have to take care of your employees and of the company. Letting situations like these occur is a liability. The best way to manage them is to forbid them and to place punishment on the people who do them.

Like way way way too many people and Orgs, HOAs love to start small and reasonable, then slowly turn into something nobody signed up for. That's basically what happened here.

It started with the usual stuff: no visible sheds, keep the yard tidy. Reasonable enough. Then things escalated fast. Mature trees got removed for "aesthetic reasons," and now the whole street bakes in direct sunlight for half the year, because apparently shade wasn't part of the vision.

From there, it spiraled into full micromanagement mode.

Not sure who the bride is at this wedding

I have no idea why this is so common; I've heard and watched so many related stories. Mothers-in-law are, not for nothing, represented in so many folk tales like this. They act very jealous with their sons; they sabotage relationships; they always present themselves as 'the one who knows best', and every time a husband is on their side, you are sure to lose. The real bride from this story, fortunately, has a partner who is on her side, but the mother-in-law thing is nonetheless a struggle. Would you give up your dream of being the only one who wears white at your wedding? Or how would you manage this situation? Is there any way to get a mother-in-law like this to do what you need?

What is more important: a cat's health or respecting ownership?

It sounds like an easy question, but is it really? When it comes down to it, would you be willing to steal someone's cat and all the consequences that come with it… even if they weren't taking care of it? Animals are considered property in the United States, so in the eyes of the law, it would be the same as stealing someone's couch or car. Now that we say that, it's not such an easy question, huh? Would you steal someone's car, even if they were letting it rust and fall apart? Probably not.

But, an outdoor tomcat is not the same as a car. A feline has feelings and more needs than a car. That's what became apparently clear in our neighbor's story from a helpful Reddit community a few days ago. The nearly outdoor-only cat kept showing up on her porch, so much so that she made him a little hut to live in. He started coming more and more, and began to show signs of illness. She brought it up with the owner, but he didn't care at all and asked her to "stop being so obsessive over [his] cat and that he's fine". 

So what did she do?

She took him. To the vet.

Now she's wondering if she should return him at all. It's tough, because this is someone's pet, but if they're clearly not caring for it, then aren't you doing more bad than good? Purrsonally, I wouldn't return him. I would find a home for him, and if questioned, just say he probably ran away (that happens with outdoor cats a lot).  Sometimes, the right thing to do isn't always to tell the truth. It's learning when to lie (and how to lie well) that is the tricky part.

According to cats, the whole world is theirs. So, even this giant truck and the couple inside it were his, he just decided to make it official. Now they're the cutest traveling companions, and they have the (love) bite marks to prove it.

If you think the Cat Distribution System doesn't have service in your area, think again. This video, courtesy of Reddit's r/oneorangebraincell subreddit and @odiethetruckcat's Instagram page, proves that the CDS can truly reach you in the most surprising of places, like a truck stop! 

A couple found Odie as a younger orange cat, and he immediately climbed into their truck and called it home. They'll tell you that they decided to keep him, but in reality, we all know that Odie is just letting them think that. He knew it was his new home since the moment he stepped a paw in there. Over time, they've documented their trucking journeys together, and people have a lot to say about Odie's lifestyle. 

Some people say, "cats aren't meant to live in trucks", and they're not wrong. But Odie isn't like typical cats, and from what we can tell, he's pretty happy just where he is. He's loved, he runs his truck with an iron paw, fed purrfectly well, and loves the view of the open road. And for all of those who still aren't convinced, we invite you to go ask Odie yourself. Just be prepurred for him to slap you as an answer, he responds that way to a lot of things.

Cats, just like hoomans, are unique. Other cats might not vibe with a life like Odie's, but then again, he is orange, so you truly do have to expect the unexpected. See more of his hissterical adventures below, and next time you hear a truck horn on the highway, it's probably him honking at you to drive faster.

It's not really about the collectibles, but about the lack of limits parents put on their children nowadays.

Blaming other people for their child's lack of manners is so common among parents. As if it were so hard to admit when they are wrong. Especially when they still have time to correct their errors as parents and teach their kids how to behave. But no, it's better to be an annoying adult who makes excuses and blames everyone else. Children should have limits. They have to be educated. As parents and responsible adults, you have the irrenounceable task of guiding and forming them into functioning adults. That can't be accomplished if you only say yes and comply with whatever your child asks for, like a genie granting wishes. Parents HAVE to control their children, not only to teach them but also to protect them. An uncontrollable child that doesn't have the tools to think before acting is a child in danger.

In this Reddit story, what is happening is not some adult being overprotective about plastic figurines. Is the direct consequence of parents not taking their job seriously enough. Is having a child not only be uncontrollable, destructive, and unapologetic, but also not even able to speak out for himself. Kids make mistakes, but there is no reason for an 11-year-old boy to be destructive towards somebody else's belongings. He should already know that he has to be careful. And also, he should be able to express himself, so when he encounters something that he seems is unfair (like her aunt locking her bedroom door to avoid him entering), he should have the capacity to say something, defend himself. He is 11, not 6. He has to act a certain way. And the fact that he is not complying just because his parents aren't mature enough to admit the role they have and control their child is just outrageous. This situation was not going to get solved with a phone call blaming the child's aunt to justify the parents' mistake. This needs to be treated as an alarm to start getting involved in the child's development and education. If we only excuse this, it's going to get worse and end with an infantilized adult. 

A good week starts long before Monday morning.

Sundays have a way of setting the tone for everything that comes after them. Whether the week ahead looks quiet or packed, it's always a little easier to head into Monday after ending the weekend on a good note. That's why Sundays are perfect for slowing down, taking a breather, and finding a few reasons to smile before the pace picks up again.

Not every reset has to be a big one. Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference. A quiet morning, a favorite snack, a good laugh, or a few minutes spent enjoying something that makes you happy can completely change the mood of the day. Those little moments are often the ones that stick with you long after the weekend is over.

Cats seem to have this figured out. They never rush through a stretch, skip a sunny spot on the floor, or pass up the chance for a comfortable nap. They fully commit to the moment they're in, whether that's chasing a toy across the room or curling up for an afternoon snooze. There's something refreshing about that kind of attitude, especially before a new week begins.

A little extra pawsitivity on Sunday can go a long way. It won't magically shorten the to-do list or make Monday disappear, but it can make the start of the week feel a little lighter. Sometimes all it takes is a reason to laugh, a reminder not to take everything so seriously, or a few minutes spent appreciating life's simpler moments.

Here's to heading into the week with a smile, a lighter mood, and the kind of easygoing energy every Sunday deserves. If the week is going to keep us busy, we might as well start it feeling our best.

Few things are more frustrating for a front desk clerk than dealing with a booking mistake at the end of their shift. And it's even worse when the person who made the mistake is blaming the front desk worker for not magically knowing what she meant to do.  

In today's story, a hotel guest arrived to check in when the front desk worker's shift was almost over. So just picture the situation: dealing with a last-minute workplace drama. The front desk worker asked a completely normal question, and that's when the confusion began. 'Do you want to use the same credit card for both rooms?'

The guest insisted that she had only booked one room for herself and her husband, but after double-checking the reservations, the worker explained that the system clearly showed two separate reservations. Most likely, the guest clicked twice or made a double reservation by mistake. The worker had no reason to suspect that this was a mistake. Why would she know a guest's plans? And it's not reasonable to call to double-check a completely normal reservation. 

So that's what the guest didn't understand. She felt the hotel had to call her to ask whether she really needed two rooms. But that's not how this works… People often book multiple rooms under one name for family, friends, or group travel, so there was no reason for the hotel to assume the second reservation was a mistake. And honestly, expecting the front desk to read her mind and call her is just another level of entitlement. It's just ridiculous. The front desk worker's job is not to check whether what she booked online was right. The person who makes an online reservation is responsible for checking that. 

Nobody expects their life to change at four in the morning.

Spending enough time on Reddit's r/CatDistributionSystem subreddit makes it feel like these little surprises can happen anywhere. Mine happened at around four in the morning. I heard a tiny meow outside my house, went to see where it was coming from, and found a little kitten walking straight toward me. I searched the area for her mom and any littermates, hoping they were close by, but I couldn't find another cat anywhere. Leaving her outside by herself didn't feel right, so I brought her in.

She looked to be about seven weeks old and was covered in fleas, so getting her cleaned up came first. Then came kitten food, fresh water, and a litter box. She settled in much faster than I expected. She started eating, drinking, and using the litter box almost immediately, and before long she was already getting comfortable around the house.

Her blue eyes are the first thing everyone notices, and darker markings have already started showing up on her face and ears. It's been fun seeing a little more of her personality every day. She gets a little braver, a little more curious, and a little more confident with every passing day. It's amazing how quickly a scared little kitten can start acting like she's always belonged there.

Getting a cat wasn't even on my mind. I wasn't browsing adoption sites or thinking about bringing home a kitten anytime soon. Then one tiny meow outside my house changed all of that. It's funny how quickly plans can change. One minute I was searching the yard for her family, and the next I was picking up kitten food and setting up a litter box. Sometimes life has a way of making the decision for you, and looking at her now, I can't imagine things turning out any other way.

Are we responsible for our friend's mistakes?

There's a fine line between helping someone and enabling them. I've been in situations myself where friends of mine acted stingy with their stuff. In those cases, helping out wouldn't have been a way to enable me, but I understand everybody draws the line in a different place. This woman seems puzzled about the way she acted towards a friend of hers. Was this genuinely a friend needing her help at a very specific moment, or was it more like an ongoing dependence pattern displayed with multiple people in her life? Was she right to say no?

What would you do if your old job came to haunt you? 

When you decide to start looking for a new job, stuff from your past that you might have preferred to forget tends to come back up. Whether it is how badly you performed at your last job, or your relationship with that one manager, these topics of conversation are very likely to come up at an interview for a new job, and you should prepare yourself for any question that would come up in the process.

After you've done a few interviews, you learn to polish the truth in a way that benefits you the most or puts you in a better light. You can say that your old job "wasn't a good fit" instead of explaining that your manager kept overworking you, or you can say that you're looking to "expand your skills" instead of saying that your current job got boring. There are plenty of professional ways to describe a situation that will make you seem like a good person to hire. All you need to do is learn how to best describe even the trickiest situations.

The only way a hiring manager or interviewer can call your bluff is if they have any way of contacting your other places of work and hearing the perspective of someone else, which is the case in the story below. This job candidate discovered during her interview that the person interviewing her is a good friend of her old boss, the same guy who fired her many years ago. So, while she can go on and on about how that job wasn't a good fit, nothing is stopping the interviewer from calling up his good friend and hearing his side of the story. A side that can cost the job candidate the job that she really wants.

Is there any way for her to avoid this fate? The rest of the story below might shed some more light…

The week is officially over, and that means that it is time to take a break, take a breath, and take in a whole lot of cat comfort. 

Every once in a while, it's really, really easy to see the positive things in life. Yeah, sure, things are pretty insane lately. Going outside is way too expensive, we're completely sick of the news cycle, and going on social media feels like gambling with our mental health. But that doesn't mean that all hope is lost. Some things, even during the worst moments, remain good and pure and wholesome. In the real world, on the news and online. And they all have one thing in common - cats. 

In the real world, all you need to do is find a cat to pet. Sounds easy, but it's not quite. If you don't have a kitty of your own, you either have to go pet someone else's cat or find a stray cat to pet, which is a challenge unlike any other. But it's more than rewarding. On the news, you just have to look for the cat stuff. Like, did you know that June was National Cat Adoption Month? Well, now you do. That's the kind of thing you should pay attention to on the news. And online, it's the easiest. All you need to do is find a whole bunch of funny and wholesome cat memes to scroll through. 

Of course, usually, online, these pure and innocent cat memes are surrounded by chaos. But that is what ICHC is for. You don't need to go on social media for your cat needs. Heck, you don't even need to get on new sites. We have it all right here, in one place, without any of the noise. All the cat comfort that you could ever need. 

If you can't explain it to a Victorian child, it doesn't count

I'm amazed by the quantity of stories that exist today that fifteen years ago would've been unthinkable, or at least absolutely dystopian. I remember watching the movie Her, and while I was crying, I was like, c'mon, this can't happen to anyone. Mind you, this is coming from somebody who's deeply dependent on ChatGPT. What I don't understand is how people actually humanize it. In this case, I'm not sure if a relationship with an LLM counts as a relationship, as the groom says. But to each his own, right?

If your cat is born a little different than all other cats, a little bigger, could that mean that he's not a normal cat? 

The short answer is yes, and it is important to pay attention. There are actual stories out there of people adopting kittens that are completely normal, only for them to turn out to be something completely different. We've seen people accidentally adopt pumas. We've seen people accidentally adopt Pallas' cats. That's the thing with kittens… They all look quite similar. But small differences do exist. And those small differences could be all that stand between you adopting an actual house cat and a wild cat. 

The longer answer is that, sometimes, a cat being born a little different doesn't mean anything at all. Cats are different! All of them! That is part of their beauty. Each and every one of them, if you look close enough, has something about it that makes it special, unique. My cat has one toe bean that is black while the rest are pink. She has one ear that is a little folded at the top and another that looks like it has two different layers on the side. Her tail is striped while the rest of her body is white with brown splotches. And you wouldn't see any of it at first glance, because she just kind of looks like a regular trashcan kitty. 

So, your kitten being born extra big doesn't mean that it's going to grow into a Maine Coon or a Norwegian Forest cat. Some cats are just… large. You should see that as a good thing. The bigger the kitty is, the more kitty there is for you to hug, to cuddle, to love. And you get some cool pictures to post online. Really, it's a win for everyone. 

It's never too late to start

Oftentimes, we normalize the way we naturally act around friendship and never stop to think: Am I being a good enough friend? This is precisely what this Redditor started to do after she noticed most of her friends cancelled on her at the last minute. My take on the topic is that her friends doing that doesn't necessarily mean she is a bad friend; it might even mean she has bad friends lol.

Cats remember kindness, and if you offer it to them, don't be surprised if they come back to you. 

This is actually one of the reasons we love showing kindness to stray cats. They remember. We know that they remember. We have seen the evidence of it in our personal lives and online. If you feed a stray cat, it will start seeing you as a provider, as something stable, and it will most likely come back for more food. If you pet a stray cat - tactfully, respectfully, on their terms - they might start seeing you as a friend, as someone to hang out with every once in a while. Cats recognize kindness, and they remember people who show it to them, and sometimes - just sometimes - they see that kindness as an opportunity. 

Stray cat moms look for homes for their babies all the time. They know that the conditions of the world are not easy. They know how hard it is to fight for shelter and for tiny scraps of food. And they know humans. They watch us, they interact with us, they know what we are capable of - the good and the bad. And although not all of them want to personally interact with us, they sometimes do decide that their kittens will be better off in our paws, spoiled and loved. 

Showing a pregnant cat kindness is like asking for her to bring her kittens to you. Easy food is not something to be taken for granted when you have so many mouths to feed. We would have suspected instantly that the cat in this story was pregnant, but the person who recounted their story on r/aww didn't. They thought she was hungry. But surprise, surprise, she knew this person was safe, and she came to him, in labor, asking for a safe space to have her babies. 

At what point is it okay for a parent to totally dismiss their children's requests?

Having divorced parents can take its toll on any child, even after years and lots of therapy bills. The conflicts between the parents can directly affect their kid's mental health, even unintentionally. Even more so when one or both parents get back into the dating game again and bring strangers they are dating into their lives who now have to be a part of the children's lives. 

Redditor u/ohshesplastic had an uncomfortable experience with her dad and his entitled girlfriend. The bride was planning to sign the paperwork to elope with her fiancé legally, and invited both parents to witness the signing of the documents. She specifically told her dad not to bring his girlfriend of one year, whom she's met only three times. It was going to be a small ceremony with just three or four close family members. The dad completely ignored her and brought the girlfriend anyway. When the daughter approached the girlfriend to try to be welcoming, the girlfriend was cold and dismissive of her. The dad's excuse? He didn't like conflict or having to tell his girlfriend she wasn't invited. Of course, the daughter felt unloved and abandoned. 

These are the kinds of actions that make children estranged from their parents. After a few years, the dad could break up with his girlfriend and then start complaining to his friends, saying, "I don't get why my daughter doesn't visit me anymore." You want to know why? It was because you didn't respect her boundaries and prioritized someone else's wishes over your own daughter's, that's why, Harold. 

Every parent is entitled to move on after a divorce or a breakup, we're not discussing that. The problem is, just because the parent moves on, doesn't mean their children did. They already have a family, and you can't impose your wishes on them. You have a right to have a girlfriend; she has a right to choose who goes to her wedding, especially if she's only met this so-called girlfriend three times. 

So, if there's one good thing that we can all learn from this, for all that's good and proper, please, respect people's boundaries and don't question wedding invitations. We will all live better and with less distress if we do it. And most importantly, we'll keep our relationship with our families intact. 

Setting boundaries is hard, but when it is with coworkers you have to see every day, it's harder.

Entitled people are everywhere, and it is not uncommon to have them as coworkers. Asking you for thousands of favors but never offer to repay you. These ungrateful beings that love the idea of someone doing something for them but hate getting confronted for their lack of repayment are especially annoying when you have to put up with them every day for more than 8 hours a day. You can't escape them or make excuses to avoid them because you will have to see them the next day. You can't run away from them forever.

In this Reddit story, this employee is tired of being taken advantage of by a lazy coworker who not only asks people to go out of their way to get him lunch but also does not repay them when they come back. The worst thing is not the money, but also the fact that he never offers to do it in return or to invite lunch as a way to repay. He just forces other people to take on his expenses without their consent. He takes advantage of friendly co workers that thought it was a one-time favor. That shows the kind of person he is, a bad one, someone who uses other people for their benefit without any shame. He also has to see the people he exploited every day, but he does not care. Not even a second thought. He just pretends it's fine to ask them again. All because no one dares to confront him or wants to, as it's happening in the work environment.

These coworkers who are being pawns of this horrible man need to stand up for themselves. Start saying no, which, by the way, is a full sentence. No. I don't want to get you lunch and pay for it. Get your lunch by yourself like an adult and stop using nice people who are trying to be helpful for your own benefit.

Can your employer take back approved time off because someone else wants it?

Sometimes, things don't go as planned. And that can certainly happen when we are talking about requesting time off at work. This employee had a vacation planned at a winery, and requested a couple of days in advance… four months in advance to be exact. Suddenly, just when the vacation days were arriving, the managers called them and asked them to reconsider the days off since other managers complained about it. The weird thing is that the manager who complained was the one who had approved those days before… things started to get fishy in there.

I'll let you find out by yourself what happened with this story, although needless to say, it's an unfortunate situation to have to deal with. I really don't understand how sometimes things cannot work on their own. I mean, if a manager approves your days off, then there's no way those days can be changed. And especially when we're talking about a vacation. Attractions, restaurants, and accommodations get booked in advance, and sometimes, a few of them demand to be paid before arrival.

By the end of the story, the OP mentions there's nothing special going on that week, so there's no reason why they would like them to change (or reschedule) the vacation. In their minds, there's something more complicated going on, and it even would seem to be personal. Of course, there's no evidence of that, so the employee has to see what's going to happen with their days off.

The most important thing, and I celebrate that they've done this, is to demand whatever that you feel you deserve, mainly when it comes to work-related things. If you requested a couple of days off in advance because of a vacation, you're entitled to demand them if, for some reason, they are revoked. Let me know in the comments what your opinion is on this situation because, although it seems unreal, there are situations where these things are common and happen more than we would think.  

The life of an indoor cat > our lives. 

Indoor cats have it good, really good. They basically live a life of luxury and unwitting charm. They just sleep all day and do whatever they want on your dime. They don't even pay rent! They pay us back with their cuteness, their silliness, and their warmth (unless your cat is mean and doesn't snuggle with you). There's everything to envy when it comes to indoor cats because they are at your home enjoying your furniture, your AC, your food, and your life without you there. They are a bit on the spoiled side, but maybe that's okay. Cats deserve a bit of enjoymeowment here and there.