Every camera roll is hiding at least one wonderfully cursed cat photo.

Every cat has at least one photo they'd probably ask you to delete if they had opposable thumbs. One second they're striking a purrfect pose, and the next they've been caught with a scrunched-up face, crossed eyes, a half-finished yawn, or an expression that belongs in a cartoon instead of the family photo album. Those accidental snapshots always seem to stick around the longest.

Cat pawrents know the struggle. You open the camera hoping for a majestic portrait worthy of the lock screen, only to end up with a blurry blur of whiskers or a face so wonderfully strange it barely looks like your cat. Somehow, those are the pictures you end up showing everyone.

Cats never seem bothered by any of it. They walk away from their least flattering photo shoot with the exact same confidence they had before, fully convinced they're the most magnificent creature in the room. A questionable expression doesn't stop them from demanding dinner five minutes early or claiming the comfiest spot on the couch.

Those gloriously awkward photos tell a story that the polished ones never can. They capture the zoomies, the chaos, the sleepy moments, and the split-second expressions that disappear as quickly as they arrive. Every goofy face is a little reminder that life with a cat is rarely calm and never boring.

Before long, the camera roll is overflowing with wonderfully unflattering meowsterpieces that somehow become impossible to part with. The frame-worthy portraits are nice, but these are the ones that get sent to friends, laughed at years later, and somehow become favorites. Cats may not always look graceful, but even their most delightfully cursed photos are packed with enough purrsonality to make anyone smile.

Not every TNR project ends with saying goodbye.

Helping manage a neighborhood cat colony means every day can bring something unexpected. Reddit's r/CatDistributionSystem subreddit is filled with stories that start as simple rescue efforts before turning into lifelong friendships, and Jesse fits right in. What began as a routine TNR project quickly became something much more permanent.

Jesse was one of four kittens born to a mostly black stray mom with a few white patches. His litter included a tortie tuxedo, a tabby tuxedo, and a tabby sister, all spotted growing up together outside. There was never any mystery about where he came from. The surprise was Jesse himself. Somehow, among the litter, this little colorpoint kitten appeared, reminding everyone that feline genetics can be unpredictable.

Like many kittens born outdoors, Jesse had a rough start. Fleas, worms, and plenty of loud complaints filled his first days indoors while he recovered in the catio before meeting the resident cats. For such a tiny kitten, he certainly had a lot to say about the whole arrangement.

Somewhere between the treatments and the daily care, the relationship changed. Jesse stopped being just another kitten passing through and quietly claimed a place in the home. That's the thing about rescue. Sometimes the plan is to help a cat get back on their paws, and sometimes they decide they're staying instead.

Today, Jesse has swapped life in the colony for a warm bed, regular meals, and people who happily put up with every ounce of cattitude packed into his three-pound frame. His siblings all landed safely too, but Jesse found something extra. He found the person he was looking for all along.

People don't want what they say they want

For some time now, I've realized that some things aren't solved through talking. I know this is a rather controversial stance in times where everywhere we look, we are bombarded with the message that we should 'talk things through', that we should 'go to therapy', and that will be the solution to all our problems. I'm not saying that there isn't a benefit in doing those things; I'm just saying that they're not the solution to our problems, they are just resources we use to get THROUGH them, but, contrary to popular belief, some problems persist even if we talk about them in the clearest way possible; we have to walk away from them in silent if we consider that accepting them is not what we want.

That seems to be the case for the Redditor who posted this story about a friend who very clearly said she wanted a 'low maintenance' friendship, and then what she really wanted turned out not to be that clean.

Tipping culture can be debatable, but being an ungrateful customer isn't.

Tipping culture can go out of hand sometimes, with their 20%, and even 30 and 40% nowadays. Also, the fact that now you even have to tip at auto service restaurants is incredible. All that is debatable and is just showing how underpaid server and gastronomy employees are, and how, instead of demanding better salaries, they demand better tips. All that is not only open for discussion but also understandable to not leave a tip —or at least not a super big one. But sometimes it is not really about the tip itself and more about how servers like to punish and have power over servers' finances just because they don't get free food at a restaurant.

Complaining because your food is not as expected is fine. If you asked for a medium rare steak and received one that is so cooked that you can't even cut it, not only understandable but expected for you to ask for a new one cooked as you asked before. The problem starts when customers think that every little thing can be complained about and comped. Complimenting food in general is a difficult subject because it is difficult to realize when it is actually needed, as most customers take advantage of that.

How can something so tiny bring so much happiness?

I don't know if there's actual science behind it, but I firmly believe kittens have the power to improve any situation. It doesn't matter if you've had a long day, spilled coffee on your shirt, or spent way too much time answering emails. The moment a tiny kitten appears on your screen, life suddenly feels a little lighter. They're basically nature's stress relievers.

Part of their charm comes from how new everything seems to them. Every blanket is an adventure. Every cardboard box is a luxury apartment. Every dust particle floating through the air deserves a full investigation. Watching kittens explore the world reminds me that there's still joy to be found in the smallest and most ordinary moments.

Another thing I love about kittens is how unintentionally funny they are. Adult cats can be hilarious too, but kittens bring a special kind of chaos. One second they're confidently climbing onto a couch, and the next they're surprised by their own tail. Their lack of experience makes every little success and failure equally entertaining.

I also think kittens have a way of bringing out people's softer side. Even the most serious person you know would probably stop what they're doing to admire a tiny kitten taking a nap. There's something universally heartwarming about seeing a small creature feel safe, comfortable, and completely at peace with the world around them.

Maybe that's why wholesome kitten content never gets old. No matter how many photos or videos we've seen, there's always room for one more tiny face, one more sleepy stretch, or one more adorable meow. Kittens remind us to slow down, smile for a second, and appreciate the simple things, which is something most of us could use a little more often.

No license, just attitude. Such is the energy of every cat who has ever been placed inside a car and decided they were either the captain, the betrayed, or the greatest backseat driver ever seen in the whole family. 

Some cats sit calmly in the passenger seat and look out the window, feeling like the little kings of modern transportation. Other cats get so worried, like they know where they're going and they expect to see their vet. And there are also those cats who sit in their carriers and judge everything around them with a serious expression, probably thinking that the trip would have been forbidden in their management. 

But all these cats do have something in common: none of them approved the ride. They were forced to get in the car and stay. Every cat owner knows that travelling with a cat means confusion, a little drama, criticism, and courage as well. No matter if it's a ride to the vet, a road trip, or a peaceful trip in the parked car, cats always turn a simple ride into a dramatic performance. 

Although the trip is short, the emotional rollercoaster is guaranteed. Not every cat hates rides, but they sure seem to hate you for forcing them to be there. So they'll criticize every mile of the way, even if it's in silence, or even if it's meowing it out. And they don't need to have any licenses in order to express their opinion on this ride. No, they will judge your driving skills, your music playlist, your choice of a route, and the rest of your life. They will remember this ride forever. And not in the greatest way possible.   

So let's fasten our seatbelts, check the mirrors, and get ready for some serious criticism coming from the backseat. These cats may not be able to drive, but they know how to steal the show.  

After years of small 2-3% token raises, an employee used real job postings as market data to bring a stronger negotiation playbook to their boss's desk. How else should employees approach difficult salary negotiations?

Negotiating pay is always uncomfortable. It is never going to be an easy conversation. No one ever wants to pay more than they have to for anything, and it's no different for employers, where the business aims of maximizing profit margins typically mean maintaining a tight bottom line.

Unless you're in the public sector, where salary bands are usually public information, there's nothing real to even grasp onto since, for this exact reason, private job advertisements typically withhold the actual compensation for the role from the initial description, leaving would-be job hunters to adjust different pay bands on their search filters to try and guess at where a job posting might land.

If your employer consistently gives annual raises that fall below market pay increases despite your high performance and value, how long should you stay before negotiating more aggressively or looking elsewhere? And how do you approach the conversation in a way that will net a fair and deserved result? 

That all came to light in this viral workplace story where this employee, after years of accepting small annual raises,  shared how they researched local salaries, proved they were significantly underpaid, and successfully negotiated a 28 percent pay increase with their boss.

Have you ever crashed a wedding?

As a general rule, please, don't crash people's weddings. They worked really hard for their party, and we don't want to ruin anybody's special day. Of course, it's a totally different thing when the couple asks you to attend. That's how invitations work, duh. However, we're not constantly expecting people we barely know to invite us. In fact, we just assume they won't. Which is why it comes as a total surprise when they do invite us. And it's even more of a shock if they ask us to be part of the wedding party. Sooo, it's not really crashing, it just feels like it. 

Redditor u/Abject-Age-552 felt like an unintentional wedding-crasher. His cousin is getting married, but he barely knows her fiancee. Over their engagement party, with music loud enough to wake up half the neighborhood, his cousin's fiancée's brother (geez, that is a tongue twister) asked him to be a substitute groomsman. Of course, instead of saying he couldn't understand anything over the music, he just happily nodded to everything the guy said and added things like "for sure, man" and "absolutely" for good measure. He only found out later what he had agreed to do, and regretted it immediately. 

This story got me thinking: I thought we all loved weddings. You get to dress up, sip cocktails, dance, eat some good food, and of course, celebrate with the happy couple. It's like clubbing, but better. Yet, it seems like not everybody is thrilled about going to a wedding, or maybe just about having to contribute to the success of the ceremony and reception. Granted, groomsmen and bridesmaids have a lot of work to do. The bride and groom trust them to help throughout the whole party planning process and spend a lot of their own money. 

So, I mean, I get it, I've been a bridesmaid (twice, in fact), and it's craaaazy work, seriously, and no one warned me before. But of course, you want your besties to have their happy day and everything to be perfect because, well, you love them. There's a different issue if you have to play that role for someone you've only met twice in your life. The way I see it, you have two options: either you roll with it and get the chance to make new friends, have fun, and remember the story to tell your grandkids, or you politely take it back and stay home watching TV. I think we all know what I would choose. Regardless, everybody is entitled to set their own boundaries, and no one is obligated to do such a tremendous favor just because.

Sooo, while we all wait for wedding season to arrive, at least those of us who like weddings, we can have some fun with other people's mess-ups. And lastly, always remember folks, pleaaassee, listen carefully when people ask you for favors!!! 

 

Don't you think it's harder to name your pets rather than your kids?

No one questions the names parents give to their children, at least not out loud. They have the right to name them whatever they want, after all, they're raising those kids. However, it's not the same thing when it comes to your pets, I'm afraid. Since you don't have to actually give birth to them or teach them to navigate human society, they don't need a socially acceptable name like Mark or Shannon. They get names like Spike or Fluffy! . But just because they're animals doesn't mean their names shouldn't be meaningful and personal. Sometimes the names come from family stories, to pay homage to someone, or just because you really like how it sounds. 

Reddit user u/pandagidyne had a pet naming fiasco. After rescuing a female cat that his father-in-law named, he found out at the vet she was in fact, a neutered male cat. Of course, she had a name already, so the family changed it to the male equivalent. The thing is, now they just call him a totally different name, which happens to be the same as our Redditor's classmate. Needless to say, the classmate was not happy. 

Here's my question for the classmate: What's the big deal? The guy rescued a cat, the family named it, and it so happens to match your name. A funny coincidence, if you ask me, something to laugh off without giving it much thought. Don't worry, they're not obsessed with you, they're not chasing you, in fact, they probably don't care much about you. 

If it were me, I would go around with the biggest smile ever telling people I have a cat named after me. The point is, let them be happy and name their pets whatever they want. Is it your cat? No. Is the cat gonna live with you? No. Are you gonna get confused over who they're talking to when they call his name? No, because, most likely, it will never be about you. 

Now that I'm done venting, please, continue scrolling. If you ignore the classmate's attitude, the story is quite funny, and other Redditor's opinions make it even better. Actually, they're the best part (there goes something I never thought I'd say). 

 

You know how old houses can be a handful? 

Old houses can be beautiful, that's for sure. Still, they usually come with problems that we're not used to solving, since modern construction has already taken care of that for us. We don't need fireplaces in every room. We have security cameras. And we no longer need to use those ancient-looking keys that make you feel like you're going inside a Victorian castle. Those locks can turn into a pain in the neck really fast. 

Unlucky redditor u/Dollyboopboop, came across a temperamental lock while pet-sitting for her mom's friend. She was taking the dog out at night for her last bathroom break of the day. However, it turns out, she forgot the key and couldn't get back in. One of those old doors you can't open from the outside. The neighbour with a key wasn't answering the doorbell, and, oh surprise, the Redditor had also left her phone inside. So much for calling the locksmith. Thankfully, another neighbor, a married couple, saw her and the dog and were nice enough to get a ladder, climb through a window, and let her back inside. 

This got me thinking about the pros and cons of old houses and having pet sitters. For one, it definitely makes it safer. If no one can get in without the key, it takes your mind off possible break-ins, that's for sure. But if it's so tricky to get in, that can also be inconvenient. The pet sitter, on the other hand, honey, please just pay a teeny tiny bit more attention. Seriously, it'll solve problems before you know there are any. I'm sure she learned from this, though. And if she forgets her keys again, she will surely remember her embarrassment instead. Poor girl… I can't keep making fun of her, she expresses that she's quite mortified as it is. I'm sure she remembers this moment every few weeks, while she's walking in the street, or doing the laundry, or making dinner. The memory pops into her head out of the blue and makes her cringe. Who doesn't have one or two of those memories at hand to keep us humble? 

Last week, I got locked out of the house myself, if it's any help. Some time ago we changed our locks, and we never made any copies of the new keys. The only ones who have them are my parents, so, yeah… They went out, I went out, and the house was locked. I had to climb a window to get inside. Lesson learned; I'll make copies, I swear. 

But for now, read her side of the story here; just, pretty please, be nice to her. She's had a tough week.

 

Regaining a surrendered cat's trust is hard, but it's worth it. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing them content again.  

We always talk about how losing our cat is going to be the most painful thing in the world. We, especially owners of adorable senior cats, dread this moment every single day. Because how could we ever live without them? And as true as that is… the opposite is worse. For a cat to lose its owner is much worse. At the very least, understand what is happening when they pass. Our cats have no clue. One day, we're gone for "no reason", and they just feel abandoned.

A cat who has been abandoned, whether literally or through the loss of their human, is a cat who is going to have a really difficult time getting adopted again. Because chances are that after a loss like that, their trust in humans would be essentially gone. And if gaining a cat's trust is hard, then regaining it after it's gone… would take a whole lot of work.

Knowing that there are people out there who are willing to put in the effort is something that we do not take for granted. We're thankful for each and every one. And yes, it may have taken the cat in today's story a year for a single adoption application to come, but that one application, from that one unique person who had so much love to give, is all that he needed. This woman worked hard to gain this kitty's trust. It took time, it took patience, but more than anything, it took endless understanding. And eventually, it worked.

She heard the hissing and growling. She knew that he bit people who came to visit the shelter in the past. But she knew, in her heart, that it was simply a "misunderstood" cat. His previous owner couldn't take care of him anymore, so he was surrendered and lost all of his trust in humans. But it was all coming from a place of pain. He had so much love to give. He just needed to find the right human to give it to.

In honor of National Cat Adoption Month, here you have it - our favorite cat adoption stories from the past year! 

Listen, choosing your favorite cat adoption story is no easy feat. We have been working here for a long time. We have seen countless stories. And at the end of the day, every story of a feline finding its forever home is a cute one, it's one to cherish, it's one to appreciate and give love to. Each and every one. But some of them stick out. Some of them, even for us, who see hundreds of adoption stories a week, leave a mark. Like the story of a kitten flying through a window right into a person's lap and getting adopted. And the story of someone being handed a kitten at a drive-through Starbucks window, and the story of Wonton, the cat who fell out of a window 24 hours after being adopted, got returned to the shelter broken, and ended up finding her forever home with the worker who took care of her in the shelter. Some stick out. 

And for National Cat Adoption month, we thought that it was only right to put together a collection of our favorite feline adoption stories from the recent past. The stories that stuck out, that left a mark. The kind of stories that we hope will leave a mark on others too. The kind of stories that will make you smile and see that there is still hope for humanity. And more than anything, we hope that these stories will inspire others to adopt as well, that they will see all the joy that people experience with their new cats. And of course, as always, we would love to hear your adoption stories as well, so feel more than free to reach out, send us pictures, and leave a mark on our hearts. 

When does a fair arrangement stop being fair?

What worked perfectly when two single women were splitting everything down the middle stopped making sense the moment one of them started showing up with two kids and a sitter. This woman didn't make a scene about it. She just started saying no, which turns out to be its own kind of answer.

The things one does for love

Haven't we all done something like this in high school? Pretending to really like a band for someone to notice us, becoming a skater to belong in a group, dyeing our hair because our crush likes blondes…OK, I might have gone too personal there, but this is an example of the same type of behaviour. Instead of about a crush, it's about a father-in-law's approval. In the end, it's all the same, a never-ending search for love. I'm feeling romantic today, lol.

When it comes to kittens, the more the merrier. We know it may sound counterintuitive, but it's actually easier to adopt pairs of kittens instead of just one.

We've adopted cats of every age you can think of. Soft and sweet seniors, rambunctious kittens, playful teenagers, and the middle-aged (don't tell our cats we called them that) kitties who still had plenty of life left to live. Out of all of our expurrience, we can tell you that the easiest cats to adopt were the bonded pairs. Yes, even the kittens.

We know it sounds like crazy-talk. Kittens are known for throwing your life out of whack for nearly a year, destroying your furniture, keeping you up at all hours of the night, climbing your curtains, etc, etc. Their energy supply is endless, and we all know how impawssible it is to discipline cats. But, let us walk you through a little bit of "cat math" to help solve this prrroblem.

If you have one playful kitten with no one to play with, you have to play with them. But, if you have two playful kittens that play with each other, then they tire each other out, build strong bonds with each other, and learn healthy communication techniques at a young age. They essentially do the hard job for you, which is mental and physical enrichment. 

So, if you're in the market for another kitten, might we suggest adopting two, just like our cat mom did in Reddit's r/cats subreddit. They shared their story with the internet and the comments turned into a "bonded pair success story" section that just proved them right. Basically, there are lots of cute kitties below that were adopted together, and we can't imagine them being separated ever. It's pretty heartwarming.

Was she wrong to walk away from six years of friendship over this?

A woman offered to pay the cost of a trip she couldn't attend, only to watch her friend keep her refund and pressure her into funding everyone else's upgrade instead. The fallout says more about the friend group than the money ever did.

Cats make everything better. Even Tuesdays.

Everybody puts so much focus on how bad Mondays are that nobody stops to think about the effects of Tuesday. In my opinion, Tuesdays are worse than Mondays. You're still so far away from the weekend that you can't even see it, and you're exhausted already from Monday. It's like looking out into the horizon while stranded in the desert, with no oasis in sight. But luckily, we can carry our own purrsonal oasis with us. Like drinking ice-cold water during the summer heatwave or a gentle hug for your feline-loving soul. What could it be other than the finest feline funnies the internet has to offer?

From tweets to pictures, and memes to silly posts, this article has everything you need to get you through the terrible taste of Tuesdays. Wash your mouth and your brain clean of tiredness, gloominess, and stress with hilarious cats and even more pawsome puns. You'll be pawsitively overwhelmed with shenaniganry and silliness that you might even furget it's Tuesday. 

The goal of this post is simple: for you to enjoy yourself so much that, before you know it, it's already Wednesday. That means you're halfway through the week, and halfway is a much better taste than only being two-fifths of the way (yes, we can do math). You know how much we love cat memes here at I Can Has Cheezburger, so we wouldn't be prrresenting you with this option unless we thought it was a real winner. 

You deserve a good taste of funny, a healthy dose of felines, and to sail through this week like a cat pounding into a cardboard box. May Ceiling Cat be watching over you always.

Imaginary friendship

Is it just me, or is this a classic situation? I've been through this so many times. I hope I haven't done this to anyone, but it always goes like this: you get together with someone once or maybe twice, and they start believing you are their best friend, but you are not there yet, and you might never be. The problem arises when too much time has passed, and the situation has remained the same; then, both parties are responsible. You can't allow a situation like this to go on forever without doing anything. The other person is clearly not aware of how things are for you, and probably never will be, so it would be best if you just helped them a little. This Redditor shared a post inquiring about the best ways to gently decline a friend who has an imaginary relationship with us. Let's see where it goes.

Is it actually good luck for it to rain on your wedding day, or do people just say that to make you feel better? 

I truly don't know. I guess it would depend on the type of rain. Like, if it were a quick, warm summer's drizzle, that would be sweet, romantic even. If it were a monsoon, with winds knocking over tents, and rain falling on you like Niagara Falls, then you might want to actually think about moving everything indoors or rescheduling… Sure, that might be a bad omen, but you can't control the weather… It would be way worse if you forced all of your guests to power through horrible weather just so you can say your "I dos" outside. 

Lo and behold, there are still brides and grooms who will make their guests stand outside in the pouring rain for them for hours. Redditor u/Upstairs_Anybody_154 was forced to stand outside in the rain for 4 hours. Then she wasn't even fed properly! Like, if you can't provide a good experience for your guests, then have a smaller wedding. Dang. 

This poor couple and everyone else in the wedding party had to stand outside for the ceremony during crazy rain, got fed cold meals, and then were forced to take a bus filled with drvnkards, if they got on the bus at all! That's right, the bus driver was leaving wedding guests in the middle of nowhere in the rain because the bus was full. What kind of nightmare wedding is this?? The bride and groom didn't seem to notice anything wrong, though… I wonder if they're still together or if that really was a bad omen?

It only takes one look for adoption plans to change.

Walking into a shelter with plans to adopt one black cat doesn't always go the way you expect. Reddit's r/CatDistributionSystem subreddit is full of stories about cats changing people's plans, and this pair of tiny black littermates did exactly that. One kitten quickly became two after it became clear there was no separating this brother and sister.

The kittens were estimated to be about nine weeks old when they were adopted after being found on their own with no sign of their mother. They had already been through enough before arriving at the shelter, making the decision to keep them together feel like the perfect next chapter.

Their personalities made an impression almost immediately. The little male, Rhaegar, started purring the moment he was picked up and happily made biscuits against his new human's chest. His sister, Nyx, took a different approach. She climbed onto a shoulder, settled in, and calmly looked around like she'd already decided she was exactly where she belonged. Between the purrs and the confidence, the pair made themselves impossible to resist.

The original plan may have been to adopt one kitten, but leaving with two quickly became the only option. Keeping littermates together meant they could continue growing up side by side while settling into a new home together, and that extra bit of familiarity can make a big difference for young kittens.

Only a few weeks later, they've already settled into their new routine. They greet their human whenever they walk into the room, happily rub their heads together, and have made themselves an irreplaceable part of the family. Sometimes going to the shelter for one cat ends up being the first step toward bringing home exactly the family you didn't know you needed.