Between tiktok and temu it can feel rather overwhelming to find the purrfect toy to treat your cat child to. So we went out and did the leg work for you to find out which cat toys are just gimmicks and which are pure playtime gold.

Of course we got these recommendations from the pawrents in Reddit's r/CatAdvice subreddit who have spent their hard earned cash to get these toys and let their feline fur babies play with them for quite a while before giving us their impressions of them. After all, you cannot judge a cat's interest in an object until a decent amount of time has passed and they are still into using said object. You see, cats can change their likes, dislikes and interests on a whim, all too happy to keep things moving along like the changing styles of fashion. So when you stand to shell out a significant amount of money to make them happy you had better be teaching them something worthwhile.

Thankfully, the pawrents of the cat community came together to tell us about the best things they have bought their cat kids that initially appeared to be a little too hyped up. It just goes to show, in a way that you do not usually get to see, that you can never judge a book, or cat toy, by its cover. 
 

Tipping culture: the good, the bad, the ugly.

When you go out, do you tip? Do you do it according to how much you spend? Did you ever avoid going out because you didn't have enough for a 20% tip? Do you think tipping is a choice or an obligation? Is tipping a direct response to the low salaries servers have? Is tipping the product of a company that pays its employees less than minimum wage? Is it the customer's responsibility to give the server a good salary? Do servers only rely on tips? Should they also be tipping out cooks, buzzers, and hostesses? Is there a right answer?

Tipping culture has become a little insane. Before, it seemed like a gratuity customers gave out to good servers for a job well done. But that has changed. Now it seems horrible to go out and not tip. This has gone so far that now servers even expect a tip of 20 to 40%. The worst part is, servers rely on these tips as if they were their sole income. Truth is, companies and big chain restaurants have been taking advantage of tips to avoid paying servers a proper wage. Some even pay them less than $3 an hour, as they have tips to cover the rest. This has gone so far that now most places even have to tip out the back, meaning that of the percentage that they get, they have to divide it between the line cook, buzzers, hostesses, etcetera. This also means that now tips are not seen as something you get for good service, but an obligation on the client's part, as it represents most of the salary to every employee in the restaurant.

In this Reddit thread, the debate on whether this is acceptable or not gave us different perspectives. Especially when taking into account countries outside of the US, where even though tipping exists, it is not required and is never for more than 10-15%. The main question that all this brought is: Is tipping a gratuity or an obligation? And if so, wouldn't it be easier to just update prices so that restaurants can ensure their employees have a minimum wage salary?
 

It is not often that we hear about a cat and a second family member getting the boot from the family home, but in this story that is precisely what happened. And we have to say that it made for one heck of a rescue tale.

Reddit's r/cats subreddit is about the most generic place to enjoy cat content. Everything from cute cat pics to crazy cat stories can be found there. But the story that we brought you from there today is a totally different style to what you would normally expect to find. For unlike even your standard rescue story, this tale tells of the displacement of not only a cat but also a hooman from a family home. A truly uncommon occurrence especially that they would happen one after the other.

Sadly, the cat was the first one to be given the boot and bolted as far away as her little legs could carry her. This meant that when the cat's hooman sister was also asked to leave, the feline was not present and so began a frantic search on the part of the now homeless young woman. But much to her amazement she fell into some serious good luck, and before long she would find herself reunited with her soul cat living a life far away from the folly of their previous family. 
 

What constitutes a good employee? Is it going above and beyond to make your workplace better, or is it dutifully following orders as fast as possible?

Once you have worked for enough managers in enough workplaces, you realize that doing the job properly is not necessarily what they look for in employees. Sure, they might want you to get the job done, but their standards are usually slightly… askew.

When they present you with an assignment that has a deadline, for example, they might not particularly care that the assignment is completed properly; all they care about is that it is finished by the deadline or before. You can tell them that the job can't be done in time if they want it actually done, but they won't care. 

This leads many employees to one important conclusion: they don't need to overwork themselves to actually do a good job. All they need is to follow the orders as plainly as possible and call it a day. Don't work hard; work smart, and you will find yourself awarded "best employee of the year".

The person who posted this story on Reddit was hired as a retail worker two months ago, and for those two months, they did everything to do their best. But one complaint after another, this worker realized that doing their best is not what their managers are looking for. They just want the job to appear done as fast as possible.

So, instead of restocking shelves and organizing everything so it would look good, they just shoved products onto shelves and dumped the rest into the warehouse. The worker stopped caring about old products being expired, they ignored shelves that looked like a disaster, and didn't mind the broken items anymore.

And all of a sudden, their manager started praising them for working faster… It is simply all part of the game. All you gotta do is learn how to play it.

Some cats don't need a costume to look distinguished.

All it takes is one tiny patch of fur under the nose, and suddenly you've convinced yourself this cat has a pension, a favorite diner booth, and has been giving unsolicited advice to the neighborhood squirrels for the last decade. Before you even notice the color of its eyes, you've already imagined an entire life story. That's the power of a good feline mustache.

Every mustached cat brings something different to the table. Some are rocking a perfectly trimmed pencil mustache that makes them look ready to crack a case. Others have thick, fluffy facial hair that belongs on the captain of a fishing boat. A few have markings so perfectly centered they look professionally groomed, while others have delightfully lopsided onese that add even more charm. No matter the style, each one deserves a standing ovation... or at least a respectful slow blink.

Of course, appearances can be deceptive. The same cat looking like it should be reading the morning newspaper is probably about to sprint across the house because a dust bunny caught its attention. It might try to leap onto the counter, completely miss, then pretend that was the plan all along. One second it's a sophisticated gentleman worthy of an oil painting, and the next it's chasing its own tail like it's never seen it before. The mustache never loses its composure, even when the cat absolutely does.

That's why these whiskered felines are so amewsing. They manage to look wise and completely clueless at the exact same time. Their built-in facial hair gives every yawn, loaf, side-eye, and dramatic stare a little extra character, making ordinary cat moments feel anything but ordinary. If there's one thing we've learned, it's that a tiny mustache can turn an everyday kitty into a legend without changing a single thing about the cat underneath it.

This tiny orange kitten found his way home by following the most unexpected tour guides imaginable.

A community cat caretaker shared Jupiter's unusual arrival with Reddit's r/catdistributionsystem subreddit after spotting him in the most unexpected place. While sitting on the porch and feeding the neighborhood cats, they watched a line of ducklings run past the house. There was no mother duck in sight. Instead, a tiny orange kitten was following closely behind them, apparently trusting the ducklings to lead the way.

The kitten, later named Jupiter, was only around six or seven weeks old. Beneath all his fluffy fur, he was painfully thin. He hissed when he was first picked up, but that attitude disappeared as soon as food came out. Jupiter quickly realized he was safe and turned into his rescuer's newest best friend.

He is now staying in foster care while he gains enough weight to be neutered and adopted. Jupiter is eager to meet the resident cats, though he has to remain separated until he is fully vetted. Judging by how badly he wants their attention, he may have been alone for quite a while before joining the duckling parade.

Luckily, he did not have to wait long for company. About a week later, some girls in the neighborhood found a black-and-white kitten who was slightly older than Jupiter. She was named Venus and placed in the quarantine area with him.

Jupiter was thrilled. Venus was less impressed.

He immediately became obsessed with his new roommate, while she responded to his excitement with the patience of someone who had not agreed to this arrangement. Both kittens are getting vetted, and Jupiter's main job for now is eating as much as possible.

The ducklings may have disappeared, but they deserve some credit. Their tiny follower ended up with food, shelter, a new friend, and a much better chance at a happy life.

The presence of ghosts

I'm not sure ghosting is an effective tactic, and it's not necessary to go to the extreme opposite and tell the person you dated only once what exact attributes they had that turned you off. To me, the best option is to say something along the lines of: 'I didn't feel the connection, but I had a great time; nice to meet you'. It's kind of rude to avoid communication like that and assume people will interpret your silence correctly, silence is a profoundly ambivalent signifier and people can interpret it as a 'delay in an ongoing communication' which would result in them waiting for you to reach out, or stepping in and contacting you again, or the ghosting could hurt their sensibilities and make them think they did something wrong. Of course, it's not one's responsibility what other people interpret from our silence, but it's always better to overextend ourselves a little, only in the name of 'aftercare'; it doesn't have to be too extensive; it's just a short, quick text that could be written by an AI. C'mon, it can't be easier.

Wash day is not wash day if your cat is not sitting on the laundry basket, turning it into their new bed. Our laundry assistants don't understand how to separate colors, but neither do most humans. Scroll down to spend wash day with 23 feline supervisors taking a nap on your warm pile of clean clothes. 

Of course, cats believe they are helping throughout the entire process. The washing machine naturally requires a thorough inspection. Cats peer through the round door, watch clothes tumble behind the glass, and occasionally climb into the empty drum to investigate where all the socks disappear. Their hoomans know to check the machine carefully before starting a cycle, but these curious inspectors remain convinced that wash day could not proceed safely without them.

Laundry baskets are even more appealing. Whether they contain dirty clothes, clean towels, or absolutely nothing, cats will find a way to occupy them. A basket offers everything a feline could want in a resting spot: high sides, soft fabric, and the opportunity to prevent a human from completing a task. If there are several baskets available, your cat will inevitably choose the exact one you need.

Then comes the freshly folded laundry. You may have spent twenty minutes arranging everything into neat piles, but your cat sees a collection of warm, comfortable beds prepared especially for them. One strategic leap can unfold an entire stack of shirts, cover clean clothes in fresh fur, and return laundry day to its natural state of chaos. At least their nap will be exceptionally cozy.

Few things bring gentler energy to the middle of the week than a kitten discovering the world. Wednesday is already here, and these kittens' tiny paws and clumsy adventures offer cat lovers just the right amount of lighthearted midweek humor to get through it. Ready for a silly little feline break?

Your weekly kitten delivery has arrived when you need it the most. Yes! Just in time for the middle of the week. Wednesday can feel like an awkward waiting room between Monday's responsibilities and the freedom of the weekend, but don't worry, the Cat Distribution System has sent reinforcements. And is there anything better than a perfect combination of softness and silliness? Kittens are the only creatures on earth that can offer that kind of energy. 

That could be why humans feel so connected to them. Kittens allow themselves to be silly and vulnerable at the same time, and it doesn't have to feel serious or frightening. Their softness is not something they hide, but is simply part of who they are. Showing a vulnerable side is something adults often find difficult. We could learn from them and accept that we sometimes feel confused and curious, and admit that we can make mistakes. A kitten can attempt an ambitious jump, miss completely, and continue exploring without allowing one clumsy moment to ruin the adventure. We could try embracing that openness. We spend so much time trying to look capable that we forget how comforting it can be to admit when we are tired and when we need to ask for affection. We all need it. 

Behind the kitten humor, these kittens also remind us that needing rest doesn't make us lazy, trusting someone doesn't make us weak, and showing our softer side doesn't make us any less brave. In fact, it's the other way around. Showing softness requires a lot of courage because it means admitting you can't handle everything alone and accepting it's OK to need other people's help. So be like these kitties, allow yourself to be vulnerable, and never miss an opportunity to make life a little sillier and more playful.

Does making someone's present harder by helping them build a better future make you a bad person?

Nobody likes saying no to a family member you love, especially when money is involved. There's this unspoken expectation that if you can help, you should help. But financial support isn't always the same thing as real support, and I think people forget that. Sometimes, the kindest thing you can do for someone is refuse to become the reason they stay stuck.

In this case, the brother isn't refusing to help because he's selfish or because he wants to watch his sibling struggle. He's looking at the bigger picture. According to the post, there are entry-level jobs available that his brother is qualified for, but he doesn't want to take them. Handing over $1,000 might solve this month's rent, but what about next month's? Or the month after that? If nothing changes, this quickly stops being a loan and starts becoming an expectation.

There's a difference between helping someone who's fallen on hard times and helping someone avoid making a difficult but necessary decision. Most of us have taken jobs we weren't excited about just because bills don't wait for the perfect opportunity to come along. It isn't glamorous, and it certainly isn't anyone's dream, but being an adult sometimes means accepting that the ideal job can come later. Rent is due now.

What also stood out to me is how quickly the family turned the 24-year-old into the villain. It's always interesting when people volunteer someone else's wallet before opening their own. If they feel so strongly that the unemployed brother deserves financial help, they're more than welcome to contribute themselves. It's much easier to be generous when you're spending somebody else's money.

Ironically, refusing the loan could end up being the most supportive thing this brother ever does. A thousand dollars would buy temporary relief, but finding steady work would buy independence. That's a much more valuable gift, even if it doesn't feel like one in the moment. Setting boundaries doesn't mean you don't love someone; it means you're refusing to confuse love with enabling. Sometimes the people who care about us the most are the ones willing to have uncomfortable conversations rather than offer comfortable solutions. And judging by the comments, plenty of people on the internet agreed that this wasn't about withholding help; it was about encouraging someone to stand on their own two feet.

Companies have figured out that gratitude is cheaper than payroll. Six boxes of pizza for forty people costs about a hundred bucks and a mandatory lunch slot everyone still has to clock into

A raise costs actual money, forever, compounding, showing up on next year's budget too. So management does the math and picks the pizza every single time, then writes an email calling it appreciation.

It's hard to move in when someone else's mistakes cost you everything.

After spending more than a month preparing a major client campaign, an employee discovers the entire project has been deleted just one day before the final pitch. A coworker claims it was an accident, management brushes it off, and despite scrambling to rebuild everything overnight, the team loses the account. To make matters worse, that same coworker later gets the promotion they had both wanted.

I'll never understand those employees who mess up others' work so they can look good. In this case, Jenna deleted a very important file from the OP, about a project she had been working very hard on. I don't believe that it was accidental. I really don't. Especially when we later find out that she landed the promotion that both of them wanted. So I'm very sure Jenna did that on purpose so she could look good with the boss.

The worst part of all is that the manager didn't think about Jenna's behaviour whatsoever. Instead of finding out why she did it and why she has someone like that on her team, she wanted to find a solution for the problem as quickly as possible, since the very important meeting was the day after. I mean, I understand that first we need to fix the issue and later move on to the conflict of interest, but I'd never let that slip, and I'd have had Jenna interrogated. 

I'm sure that's the part that hurt the OP the most. Not feeling backed up in a situation like this. And, of course, I cannot imagine how she must have felt when she realized that Jenna got promoted. A promotion that the OP could have gotten if that presentation had gone well. That's just the most unfair thing ever.

What's the line between being considerate to your friends and letting them walk all over you? 

Everybody appreciates it when their friends do nice things for them. Everyone needs help sometimes, and friends are usually there to lend a hand when it's needed the most. Whether it be money issues, family issues, work issues, or whatever you can think of, good friends stick by your side and help you through life. 

A Reddit user posted on r/AmIOverreacting about a friend who tends to take advantage of her disposition to help. Sometimes when they go out to eat, this girl "forgets" her wallet, leaving her friend to pay the whole check, while promising to pay her back later, but never really does. It reached a point at which the friend started to feel irritated by that behavior and refused to pay for her this time. Of course, this girl got offended and said she was embarrassed by the whole situation, and the rest of the friend group supported her. 

It's really hard to deal with situations like this with your friends. You always want them to feel comfortable and supported by you, but "supporting them" doesn't necessarily mean financially. Even less so if they are not being considerate towards you. Taking advantage of a friend's generosity is never right, and it can be disloyal. 

Another thing that calls for attention is the fact that the other friends felt the need to interfere in a matter that was not related to them at all. On money issues, it's usually better not to give an opinion unless you're asked directly. And generally, if you're going to pick sides, try to do it fairly without making anyone feel guilty for something that isn't their fault. 

Keep scrolling to read the full story, and share - Is there anything either of these friends could have done differently? Besides paying what you're owed, that is. 

This "emergency" repair feels different when everyone has known about it for nearly 20 years.

A Washington homeowner was stunned to receive an $18,500 HOA assessment with only two months to pay. The charge was tied to major repairs for the community's water system, but the board later admitted it had known about the problem for 18 years. After years of fee increases and little communication, residents were threatened with liens and interest for nonpayment.

I'm not lying when I say I'm new to the whole HOA situation. Aside from living with my parents, I've been a tenant and have always dealt with my landlord directly. So, as you can expect, these types of stories astonish me, because it feels like a huge scam from top to bottom. And I think it most likely is. 

According to the OP, there has been a water plumbing issue, and the HOA wanted to get it fixed. So, essentially, they sent all the residents the invoice with the repair cost. Apparently, the water problem was an emergency, so everyone had to pay as soon as possible so the issue wouldn't get worse and end up flooding the whole complex. 

By now we have our first red flag: there was no discussion involving this issue, and the HOA demanded everyone pay ASAP. For the writer here, it would take him five years to be able to finish paying that huge amount of money, and that seemed impossible. So that's when he decided to take the bull by the horns and get deep into this issue. And what he discovered is going to end up in a huge lawsuit for the HOA.

They dropped their cat off at the vet's for a flea treatment, then never came back for it. By choice. 

As someone who has been in a position before where I had to drop my cat off for treatment and leave, I can say this: it was a terrible experience. I was young, I had just adopted my kitten, it was her turn to get spayed, but there was no place to do it in the city, and I didn't have a car back then. So I had to leave her. At the vet's. For the entire day. And I was losing my mind. All I wanted was to go back there and get her back. The fact that she wasn't in front of my eyes and within earshot for this treatment had me paranoid. Getting her back was so relieving. Getting a car changed things, and I never had to do that to her again, but I know what it's like. And I know, according to the vets, that she was just as stressed as I was. Never could I imagine taking my cat to the vet and abandoning her there. Couldn't imagine leaving her anywhere, obviously, but especially in that stressful environment.

Unfortunately, as told on r/CatDistributionSystem, that's exactly what happened to Cecilia. Except it was somehow even worse than that. Not only did this cat's owners abandon her at the vet's, they also had the audacity to get mad and insult their cat when they were called and confronted about not coming to get her. The workers at the vet's didn't try too hard to change their minds after that, deservedly so. Instead, they called someone who they knew loved cats and would love her, and that person immediately knew that she was going to come home with them. 

After so many years of being a loved and spoiled housecat, no cat should be abandoned at a shelter like they're nothing. 

Everyone knows that older cats in shelters have a harder time getting adopted. What not everyone knows is that an "older cat" at a shelter is a cat anywhere older than 1 year old. Seriously. A 1-year-old cat is basically a baby in our eyes, but apparently, not in the eyes of the rest of humanity. Everyone wants to adopt a kitten, and in a way, we get that. Kittens are adorable. Theoretically, you would get more time with a kitten than you would with an older cat. Bonding is easier with a kitten than with an older cat. We understand why. We just wish it wasn't true. Senior cats make amazing pets, and we wish more people knew that. 

And if a 1-year-old kitten has a harder time getting adopted, you can only imagine what it would be like for a 14-year-old cat, one who has been a loyal cat to a single owner for all these years, who has only ever bonded with this one person, and who's never felt more betrayed by humans in her life after her owner passed and his family didn't want her. That's the story of today's cat, and it is heartbreaking. 

It's a good thing that there are some people out there who do understand that senior cats make purrfect pets, because this person didn't just stumble onto this sweet abandoned cat. She was actively searching for a senior cat to adopt. Because some people know. Some people understand. Some people actually respect and appreciate what older cats bring to their lives. The comfort, the stability, the appreciation in return. This is a cat who knew the comforts that a life with humans provided, and now, she knew what it was like to have that taken away. Getting it back - from a person who cherishes her and cares for her as much as her previous owners is something that she knew how to appreciate, and before you knew it, she learned that love from a human is possible again. 

Wouldn't it be great if, before you decided on a career, you had a chat with someone who works in the field you like to get a sneak peek of what it would be like?

This Reddit thread about a cabin crew employee insisting that people ask him questions about his career is amazing. Not only does he provide thorough answers to most questions, but he also offers tips for people getting into this field. All the information he shared could probably be found on the internet or learned through the job, but the fact that he opened up a space to discuss his career and to help aspiring people is great. That got me thinking, wouldn't it be great for teens and young adults to get access to things like this?

Imagine being in the last year of high school, doubting whether to follow your passion or not. Thinking, is it going to be how you imagine it, or is it going to turn out fine? What if you had someone you could ask? Places where people aspiring to a certain career can talk to people who already work in that field. This would not only lower the cases of career path change, but also give young adults the chance of getting a sneak peek of what their life would be like. 
I believe that some initiative on this should be done in schools. The exchange is a great way to help lost teenagers find their way into the adult world. Also, it would be a shame-free zone where they are allowed to ask everything they have doubts about, and professionals will be able to guide them and help them set up for that kind of career. 

In the meantime, I found it really interesting that, even though an exchange like this isn't exactly common, the internet is providing us a great space to have it. You can access talks and interviews of people who have been working for years in something that you want to pursue, and that is invaluable. I firmly encourage you to take advantage of that. Learn, ask, and start to know more about the field you want to get into. You won't regret it!
 

Spooky season might be a few months away, but our house is always open to certain ghosts… "ghost tabby" cats, that is!

Everyone knows about your standard cat colors, like orange cats, black cats (also known as "voids"), tabby cats, pure white cats, and tuxedo cats. These are your everyday cat "breeds" (they're not really breeds, but it's just easier to define them that way). Then, you have your rarer cat types, like the sultry Siamese cats, the hairless Sphynx cats, purrfect Persians, soft Russian blues, the meowjestic and fluffy Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest Cats, the adorable Abyssinian felines, and even cats called "flamepoints", which have a tinge of red to their heads, paws, and tails. If you're a real cat connoisseur, you already know about all these kitties, but have you heard of the rare kitten rescued below?

On a 90+ degree day, one purrson found this 2.4 lb. kitten outside in their yard. With an owl circling above, they knew they couldn't leave the kitten outside, so they scooped up the tiny baby and brought them inside. Upon looking closer, they were absolutely stumped about their unique appearance! With black hair and white roots, this kitten looked like a "reverse polar bear" (in case you didn't know, polar bears are actually black and are just covered in dense white fur). 

They posted pictures of this awwdorable kitten online and found out that this type of cat is called a "ghost tabby". As you scroll down, you'll see that you can see some phantom stripes on their body, giving the appearance of a normal tabby, but with black and white instead of black and brown. Others call them "smoke tabbies", but we prefer ghost tabbies because, well, it just sounds cooler.

Plenty of pawrents chimed in with their ghost tabbies as well, so prepare yourself for some spookily cute felines below!

When does being a team player turn into being taken advantage of?

A recent master's graduate accepted a low-paying job to gain experience, only to be assigned the responsibilities of multiple coworkers without additional compensation. After being asked to take on sales duties without commission, she resigned immediately. Shortly after that, she discovered her employer had posted three separate job openings to replace the work she had been handling alone.

When I come across stories like this, it really helps me to put into perspective that some companies tend to exploit their employees. How can a manager expect a new hire to do the work of three separate people? Without increasing their salary. I don't know what was on their minds when they asked that.

What stands out the most to me is that the employee was actually nice and accepted the workload that was put in front of her. Of course, she demanded the compensation she thought was appropriate for her experience and amount of work, but before resigning, she did not complain and fulfilled her responsibilities. And, instead of rewarding that flexibility, management seemed to view it as an opportunity to keep adding more work without increasing her salary.

Now, imagine being this employee and, after quitting, realizing that the company posted three different positions for all the work she was doing, essentially confirming that the workload she had been carrying was never meant for one person in the first place. At this point, it becomes difficult to argue that they underestimate the amount of work involved. Sometimes the fastest way for a company to learn an employee's value is to watch them walk out the door.

Shouldn't shelters be working harder to get cats adopted instead of keeping them apart?

It's hard enough out there for cats and other pets to get adopted without shelter red tape getting in the way. In fact, if you ask us, the shelters are too focused on unimportant things for potential pawrents, like work schedule or the size of one's house. What they should be focused on is the quality of life the pawrent will bring to the cat, and that they know how much of a commitment bringing a four-legged friend into your home is. If there was more education about pets and ownership, we're 100% sure that there would be fewer abandoned pets in the world.

So why are some shelters so picky when it comes to adopters? Some animal welfare organizations can add their own adoption policies on top of the national standards, making the whole process downright confusing. Our foster cat mom today might lose the two kittens she fostered since they were born because she can't show up at the exact hour after they're ready to be listed for adoption. She even cancelled her family reunion in order to be available to pick them up, but the shelter is treating her like some stranger instead of the woman who fostered and fell in love with this bonded pair of kittens.

I understand that it must be very difficult to work in an animal shelter. You see so many souls in need of help, and not everyone coming in there always has the best intentions. However, it should always be their priority to connect animals in need with people who want to love them. Keeping them apart helps no one, and can cause more suffering than you might think. Why should these kittens go to someone else if she can't be there at the exact time they are finished? Just hold them for a few days, she already proved that she was ready for them by nurturing them when no one else would.