Charging every single tenant a flat $500 cleaning fee on the way out, no matter what condition the apartment is in, is not a policy. It is a hustle with a paper trail.

Now I know a personal story doesn't exactly count as good news, but with how rare good news is today. Why don't we just agree that it wouldn't hurt to hear a story of tenants receiving(!) money from property managers and landlords. Thank you very much. This day already feels a little better now.

This whole thing works because moving is already a nightmare. You are coordinating a truck, a new deposit, overlapping leases, a change of address on seventeen different accounts, and somewhere in the middle of all that, a landlord slides in a charge that feels wrong but not wrong enough to blow up your entire schedule over. Five hundred dollars is a lot of money. It is also a lot of money to spend lawyering up to get five hundred dollars back. Corporate property managers know this math better than anyone. The fee exists because the fee works.

We could never understand people who abandon cats. But at least we can be thankful for the people who save cats who were abandoned, giving them the forever home they deserve.

Abandoning a cat is a cowerdly exist from the options of either raising a cat, giving them to a shelter, or finding them a home where they could live permanently. Just leaving cats outside and running away is hideous, and definitely worse if a cat needs to brave a blizzard outside alone. This is exactly what an abandoning person expected from a litter of four kittens, apparently, by leaving them in a box next to a fast-food dumpster, with a cat cage nearby.

First of all, how dare they? Second of all, how dare they?! Abandoning kittens is such an evil act. Usually, when it happens, it's because a person has a female cat that they don't bother to neuter, and don't care to leave her roaming in the streets. Then, the cat gets pregnant, the neglecting owners have no idea what to do (because, you know, they don't know how to care for cats, evident in their female cat getting into all this trouble in the first place) - so the right thing in their mind is getting the kittens in a box and dumping them somewhere. Just… great.

But with all that pent-up rage we have over the subject, we must acknowledge the good in the pure hearts of people who rescue cats. As avid cat lovers, we're so grateful for people who take from their time, energy, and pockets to save cats in need. Whether they volunteer in a cat shelter, or adopt abandoned cats - we salute these people with hand and paw. These people need an online standing ovation.

A homeowner battles a developer and utility company attempting to remove century-old trees from their property for cheaper overhead power line installation.

While having mature trees is a bonus to any property, casting cool shade that can be enjoyed and offering solace and screening from neighbors' prying eyes into your backyard, they can quickly become massive problems for a land owner and their neighbors.

One thing you learn quickly about having trees on your property is that trimming and pruning are not quite as simple as cutting a few branches off every now and again. It takes some serious know-how and a calculated approach to ensure the long-term health of the tree, and a tree that has been poorly maintained represents a troublesome issue at best and a potentially dangerous hazard at worst. 

Still, trees, and mature trees especially, are one of those features of a property that simply can't be replaced. It's not as if you're going to wait around for 50 to 100 years for another one to grow. Even if you were to plant one today, chances are you're not going to be there to see it reach maturity.

This guy doesn't want anyone on his lawn, no matter what! 

Some people are way overprotective of their precious lawn. They spend a lot of time, effort, and money keeping their grassy space green and thriving. Then, they demand that no one enjoy it. Heaven forbid you step foot onto a warm, grassy lawn in your bare feet and enjoy the feeling of being a human on planet Earth. 

People like this cranky neighbor would put their lawn in a museum case if they could. 

But since he can't do that, he's got another way of keeping folks off his property

Hey, you up?

Sleep is absolutely crucial to our health and well-being. It doesn't matter if we're man, woman, child, or anything else, we need sleep. These crucial hours of rest give us not only a keen and productive mindset, but it helps us actually feel happy, motivated, and rational. Ever cry for no reason and you just can't figure out what caused the tears? You may have just been tired. And they say that driving while sleep deprived is just as dangerous as if you had a few to drink. The point is that we all need and love to sleep, but it doesn't always work like that for everyone. Some of us are not as lucky when we shut our eyes. To effortlessly drift off to dreamland may be harder for some, the mere lambent light of another room could stir our peace and quiet. And what about cats?

Cats need sleep too! They need their rest and digest, but it may not be when you're having yours. In fact, it's probably nowhere near the time that you're resting. It's more likely that they sleep all day while you're working, just to start their evening of zoomies around 6 pm, and have a peak of energy at 3 in the morning. Yeah, you didn't know it could be so daunting to be a cat owner, did you? But what is there to do? They're too cute for us to care. We choose sleeplessness over catlessness. 

Everyone in the neighborhood knows him as "The Street Cat," but he's new to someone special. Someone who was simply in their own garage, but saw this patient orange stray waiting for pets. And before you know it, he's in the home snuggling with his chosen hooman, holding paw and hand, and given a new name. 

You heard it here. The Street Cat hissed at everyone and everything, except his chosen hooman. He waited patiently outside the garage for pets, and then settled comfortably in his room and demanded cuddles all the time. The guy took this orange to the vet, and there was no chip. He finds out from the neighbors that this orange isn't new, he's the decided stray around these parts. The human didn't take no for an answer; he checked missing cat websites and did everything he could to make sure he's definitely without a home. He didn't want to just toss him to a shelter after feeling so chosen, and after bonding with this cuddly orange. He has a cat at home already, but decides to take the orange in. 

His other cat likes to sit on his bed and cuddle, or watch him play video games. It's never easy to feel replaced, but this guy lets his first cat know she's still baby, but that she has a new brother now. The orange and baby are curious, friendly, and non-hostile to each other. An occasional growl or hiss, but other than that they're a-okay. Something incredible about this orange cat is that he has a very distinct and definite love language, and it's physical touch. No matter what they're doing together, little orange Sammy likes to put his paw somewhere on his new owner. 

"I told him to slow down, get things clarified in writing, and, at a minimum, not sign that version. He laughed and signed it anyway… I'm not spending my weekend cleaning up something he mocked me for warning him about"I always thought everyone needs a dentist friend, an accountant friend and a lawyer friend. Not in order to take advantage of them but just to feel safe and informed with some of the curveballs life throws at us sometimes, and also, to have a sparkling smile, which is also important. I'm 1 in 3 by the way, so if you're an accountant and/or dentist reading this, let's grab a drink.
The guy sharing this story is none of the above, but what he is is the one and only person in his friend group who actually has the mental capacity to read the documents. Not a lawyer, not a paralegal, just someone who has spent enough time around contracts to know that the fine print is where the whole story lives. Everyone else treats him like a human notary service until the moment his advice becomes inconvenient, at which point they become the fun police.

This story is yet another piece of proof that cats and dogs can be absolute best friends. 

To this day, people believe in the myth that cats and dogs hate one another. And yes, it is a myth. Sure, cats and dogs are very different. Their behaviors and interpretations of those behaviors are sometimes not only different but opposite. The simple wagging of their tail means two completely different things. But just like we, as humans, are able to get along with people who are different than us, cats and dogs can be friends too. In fact, cats and dogs can be best friends. 

In today's story, the cat and dog are so bonded that after the dog had to go through a procedure that left it a little worse for wear than usual. And the kitty was concerned. Constantly, the cat was offering comfort to the dog, and then, out of nowhere, it started doing something special, something beyond merely offering comfort. 

Another week, another purrfectly pawsome collection of the best cat tweets of the week! 

Here we are, Monday morning, and we can simply feel that there is another week of madness ahead of us. Based on previous evidence of the last… four years, that is probably true. And although at this point, there isn't a lot that is holding us together, one thing always helps. Maybe cute cats and silly cat memes don't save us, but they sure do help us keep ourselves sane in the little stressful moments throughout the day. 

This is why we are here, every single week, bringing you the best and most viral cat tweets of the week. Because we don't want you scrolling through twitter and all the madness therein in search of those cute cat posts that make you smile. We want you to get what you need without having to sift through the rest. In other words, we do the hard work for you, putting together the best of the best into one collection, first thing on Monday morning, so that you could truly start your week on the right paw - with an honest smile on your beautiful face. 

Does this resident stand a chance, or should he just pay the HOA fines?

This young resident had recently moved into the neighborhood, all but three months ago, and yet, he is already fighting against the local homeowner's association. No, the citations he received had absolutely nothing to do with any negligence on his part, nor did they have anything to do with a refusal to comply with the written policies in the HOA bylaws.

In fact, the homeowner acknowledged that when he first moved into the suburb, he was keen on avoiding any conflict with the organization and thus studied up on the rules and regulations. Unfortunately, those attempts to stay away from neighborhood drama proved to be futile, as all it took was the disgruntled neighbor next door to stir the pot.

Cats can develop obsessions over almost anything, but there seems to be quite a concentration within the cat community over specific types of trash that they are obsessed with.

We have heard of cats who are obsessed with clothes, boxes, bags, water fountains and more. But cats who have a specific thing for trash is a new one for us. Likely due to the fact that the items they get their hands on can be commonly found around garbage areas like the ones that many of them are adopted from. Giving these once street cats a fond memory of their previous outdoor life, while enjoying all the perks and purrs of indoor life. And in this list of cute cat children we have a detailed collection of the waste items that cats so deeply desire.

So before you hurriedly search online to buy a trash can with a lock, take a moment to scroll through these funny cat children and see if there are any commonly loved trash items that might be found in your home too. Then you'll know what to make sure you hide from your cat…
 

If you thought the CDS would not strike in the middle of a construction site, then you have misunderstood just how surprising and determined the CDS can be.

It is true, the Cat Distribution System, much like the cats it handles, knows no limits for rationality and reason. It acts on its most intrusive thoughts, and while they are usually right, they can happen at any time, in any place. And for this lucky couple it turns out the CDS wanted to gift them a housewarming present just before they moved into their new home in the form of a stray cat who was also looking for a home.

A perfect pairing in the eyes of the CDS no doubt and a rather welcome addition for this couple who it seems were looking for something to dote on. Leaving us with a very successful and sweet CDS adoption story and one more feral feline off the streets. What more could you want?
 

If a "gift" comes with strings attached, is it really a "gift" at all?

Undeniably, having access to money and a comfortable living is one of the greatest advantages in life. Giving you not only a head start, but the security to take risks that others quite literally can not afford. And then, when and if you inevitably fail, there's always a secure safety net waiting for you to land in and try again. 

But, if you've ever been granted an opportunity like this only to find an axe of expectation (which is a legendary item, btw) hanging over your head, you know just how stifling and claustrophobic it can be. Sure, you have that leg up of having access to their money, but you're similarly being forced to walk a path that is not your own and pushed into decisions and a future that you do not want. 

The strings that came with the gift are quite literally controlling you, and you are now just a puppet with little say over your own life. 

(The first part of the original story begins below. Keep reading for the update, which starts on item #14)

One cat's trash is another cat's meal.

Stray cats are like raccoons or opossums, becoming opportunistic eaters and foraging on the discarded waste of humans for a snack. Yet unlike other city mammals, house cats were never meant to dig through trash with their pink toe beans, and their dainty paws were never supposed to scavenge amidst the garbage. Although every cat is a capable, mighty survivor, wouldn't they prefer a life of luxury in a warm cat bed on the windowsill with a dribbling water bowl, unlimited kibbles, and a catnip toy to play with whenever they want?

Cats may seem like the hardy street critters of the city, but they're far from it. 

Their sensitive tummies deserve more than remnants of chicken bones and dried-up banana peels; cats deserve to eat wondrous treats like canned food, kibble gravy, and the occasional sliver of cold cuts. Stray cats remind every cat lover of the lavish luxuries that kittens deserve in captivity. Although they may not have the same roaming freedoms as their stray counterparts, house cats enjoy lives of extreme comfort amongst their lifelong servants, and they wouldn't change it for the world. 

Surrounded by love, warmth, and comfort, even before a stray cat realizes it, life inside with the humans is the dream scenario. 

So when Rahul the trash cat was caught munching on plastic bags of rotting refuse, the homeowner couldn't resist a rescue. It took months of coercion and weeks of building trust with him, but when the summoning sweetness of delicious cat food drew him in, he was given a taste of the good life. Scared at first, Rahul was a timid cat, but over the course of several slow introductions and gentle back scratches, he learned that he could trust the strange woman who carried his garbage buffet outside. 

Rahul no longer has to eat trash to survive, and instead of nursing his wounds with bacteria-covered paws, he can stretch out on his heater-bed knowing that a human has him covered. He's taken care of. He's loved. And he'll never be in danger of eating garbage again (at least, not just for recreation). 

We all make mistakes on the job sometimes, but it's what you do afterwards that determines your fate. 

Whether you've been at your job for 10 minutes or 10 years, you're bound to make a few mistakes here and there. As they say, you usually just make smarter mistakes as you continue through your career. It really is one of the most effective ways to learn! If there's a sign instructing you to not do something, you can accept it, or try it yourself, and find out exactly why you're being warned away from something. 

What would you do if you saw someone abandoning their pet right in front of you?

Just like you have to pass a test to be a police officer or a firefighter, we think you should have to pass a test to be a pet owner. We see all these adorable videos of puppies and kittens on Instagram, which give us a beautiful, but false, narrative of the purrfect like of a pet owner. It's not all cuddles and cute meowments. It's coming home to your new chair completely ruined from scratching, it's waking up at 1, 3, and 5 AM to calm down your kitten or take your puppy out to use the bathroom.

Because of this, people don't understand how much your life changes when you get a pet, even a cat. And because people don't understand this, when they realize how much they will have to sacrifice in order to give their pet the life it deserves, many will take the cowardly way of abandoning their pet and never looking back.

Thankfully, there are usually some helpful heroes around who will rescue and give them a proper home, but this could all be solved if we properly educated people on what it truly means to be a pawrent.

Did this employee overreact when he cancelled his coworker's going-away party, or was he more than justified to do so?

No one likes to feel taken for granted in the workplace, especially if you are someone who goes out of your way to be nice to people. This employee fronted $500 of his own money for a beloved coworker's upcoming "surprise" going-away party. His team had communicated weeks in advance about going all out for this person, since they were genuinely going to miss him and were enthusiastic about his next chapter.

However, despite the fact that everyone on the team mutually agreed to pay $35 each for the party, none of them responded to the employee's requests for that money. At first, it seemed like the kind of thing where they kept forgetting or were always in the middle of other, more important matters. But then the employee reminded everyone a second time. Then, a third time, and so on and so forth. Clearly, when push came to shove, no one was actually willing to pay that $35, which meant that the author was going to have to potentially front the entire $500 fee himself.

It was this level of ingratitude and lack of respect that caused the employee to let out his petty side.

We all have that one best friend with whom we can communicate solely through sending memes. These feline funnies are for them.

We all have different ways of communicating with different friends. You have that one friend who will call you out of nowhere and talk with you for three hours on the phone, that one friend who only replies to your texts every other Wednesday at noon, the friends in your group chat that are obsessed with sending stickers of their cats, and then you have that one friend where words aren't even necessary. They are your bestie that you bonded with over sass, side eye, and all things cat-related. 

No need for any "Good morning", or "How are you doing today?", you simply send them a cat meme about how you're feeling in this moment, and they keep the chain going by sending you back one they know you'll find simply hissterical. It's the one relationship that requires minimal effort, but gives you maximum giggles. 

Even though there are thousands of memes on the internet, it's hard to find the one that's purrfect for sending to them in purrticular. Well, look no further, because we've gathered the 23 most purrfect feline funnies for that one special purrson who will appreciate them the most. Well, actually, look below, because that's where they all are.

If you don't come in to work on your day off, are you really a good employee?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Yes, you don't have to give in to your boss's every whim and demand to be considered a good employee. Being a "team player" doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your entire personal life for the job, and if your boss expects you to do just that, the best thing for you to do is simply ignore them.

The young employee in the story below currently works at an electronics store as he decides what it is he wants to do in life. He has Tuesdays off every week, and in the four months he has been working at that store, his boss has called three times asking him to come in on his day off.

Every single time the boss called, the 19-year-old employee told him he had plans and couldn't come in, and it seemed like the boss was fine with it. However, the last time it happened, the employee was called in to the boss's office the next day for a reprimand. The boss lectured that if this employee wanted to succeed in life, he must be a team player, which apparently means he should come in on his day off when he is asked. Then, the boss went on to say that he himself has missed birthdays, vacations, and all sorts of other plans because he was oh-so-needed at work.

Safe to say, the employee was not impressed with this lecture, but he didn't want to argue with the boss. Keep scrolling to read the rest of the story…

No one noticed the moment cats stopped being pets and started being in charge.

At first, no one suspected a thing about the cats. Sleeping 16 hours a day, staring at walls, launching surprise attacks on absolutely nothing. Completely harmless. Definitely not suspicious. Meanwhile, behind those tiny pink noses and toe beans, a full-scale world domination plan was quietly unfolding.

Every household became a base of operations. Living rooms turned into surveillance zones. Windowsills became lookout towers. That "random" 4 a.m. sprint across your face? Night training. The objects getting knocked off tables? Gravity testing. The long, unbroken stares into your soul? Mind control calibration. Nothing is accidental. Everything is part of the plan.

Communication is already in place. Cats gather on rooftops, sit in perfect furmation on fences, and exchange information through slow blinks and tail flicks. You think they're just sitting there. They're actually coordinating. Expanding. One neighborhood at a time. Dogs tried to intervene, but honestly, they were way too easy to distract.

And now, the final phase is here. Hoomans have willingly surrendered. We open doors on command. We provide food exactly on schedule. We apologize when we're in their way. The takeover didn't need chaos or destruction. It just needed patience, persistence, and a whole lot of purrsuasion.

The cats didn't plan to take over the world. They simply waited for us to hand it to them.