What is the best way to deal with a neighbor who doesn't understand boundaries? To set them straight and clear. 

A person shared on r/AITAH their doubts about letting a neighbor keep getting inside their backyard to look for her cat. The cat runs free around the neighborhood, but has a tracker on. When the owner can't find it, she checks the tracker pointing all the time to the same neighbor's house. She goes in to check, but the cat is never there, so now she demands to get full access to her neighbor's house and garage. The neighbors are naturally not happy with this request, since the cat is actually never there and the intrusions are making them late for work. 

No wonder the neighbors are considering not letting her into the backyard again. This person seems not to understand the fact that you can't demand unrestricted access to other people's houses. Besides, she might be a little paranoid. Cats wander away; they like their freedom and strolling around their neighborhood. It is not the most usual thing everywhere, but apparently it is where they live. It's hard enough to keep cats locked inside the house, so if it's customary to let them loose, why does she think it's missing? If she's so worried about it, perhaps she should take to keeping her pet inside and be done with the issue. 

Neighbors can be nice and helpful, and help us look for our pets when they go missing. However, the only person responsible for a pet is their owner. We can't go through life asking people to go out of their way to help us find our wandering cat. If they have trackers, that's a big help, but we should also make sure they are working properly, so we can be sure of their safety without becoming an inconvenience for others. 

You have the neighbors' full perspective below. Do you think they are right to restrict her access to the house, or should they let things keep happening the same way? 

When should you go above and beyond at work, and when should you know to stop? When is your extra effort simply being taken advantage of?These workers gathered in a viral thread to share the thing that made them stop putting in the extra effort.

 

We're often led to believe, or directly told, when we're growing up that our extra effort in life will be rewarded. It's a nice idea, is a great ideal to learn and goes great in a children's book. But it is an ideal that is not upheld in reality.

Don't get me wrong. Working hard is important. And it will get you far, but "grinding it out" at the wrong time in the wrong place—for the wrong people. Thoughtlessly, endlessly, without adjusting. Well, that's just poor judgement, and comes from bad advice.

Workers being disengaged is often seen as a "them" problem, a personality issue… burnout. But it's important to recognize and acknowledge this fact: 

Apathy is something that is arrived at, rather than started from.

Everyone starts out passionate for a job. Why would you accept it if you weren't?

Welcome to your weekly recap of all things cat! 

Caturday is finally, finally here, and we cannot wait to do… absolutely nothing. Yep, nothing. That's what this day is all about. Today, we embrace cattitude like no other day. Today, we look at our cats, and we emulate them purrfectly. We nap, we nap again. We snack, and we snack again. We hiss at whoever calls us on the phone when we don't feel like talking. And maybe, just maybe, if something in our house is out of place, we just knock it to the floor. For mental health purposes. But before all of that, we have to start the day on the right paw, with a recap of all the cat things that we missed this week. That is what the weekly Caturday meowgazine is for. 

Here, we have for you the cutest cats of the week, the funniest cats of the week, the silliest cat memes that people shared, the wholesome cat stories that captured everyone's attention, and everything in between. The most viral things that you might have missed throughout the week all in one place, ready for you first thing on Caturday morning. Have a purrfect day, everyone! 

Is money that important when it could mean that you stop spending as much time with your sister and separate her from her niece? Is it truly just about money?

We are always focusing on who's wrong and who's right when we argue, when the real problem lies in the cause of the argument itself. We are so busy blaming each other for discussing instead of trying to fix it and go back to normal. As if the most important thing about a dispute is who was right instead of getting to a middle ground. That seems to be the case even in the story below.

Is it really that important whether you are right to not pay for your sister's food or if you are wrong by being so fixated on something so dumb? Isn't it more important to talk to each other, understand what you are feeling, and try to work things out? Why is it so hard for people to compromise? To move the focus from who is wrong and focus on trying to make things better. If they had done that, there wouldn't be an argument now.

It also got to me the fact that the thought of separating the family over something as dumb as this had occurred to these people. They are so fixated on being correct that they don't even realize that this is not a valid reason to grow apart from your family. Money is just that, paper with value, but not more value than family. Especially in this case, where the amount is so low as to be causing a discussion this big.

The truth is that both of them are wrong, and instead of continuing to fight over nothing, they need to get over their pride and start to compromise and talk to each other. Fix things, be open about the real cause of the argument, because I'm sure the problem isn't really money, and most probably is just the change of one of them having children while the other one hasn't yet. So get over it. Family is more important than any of these. There is no reason to distance each other over something like this. 
 

She was used, thrown out like trash, and desperate to find a home where she would truly learn what family means. 

The cruelty of some humans will never cease to amaze. Here we are, people who love animals as a whole and cats in particular, doing everything that we can to make sure that their lives are as good as they can be. Here I am, creating whole neighborly friendships over the neighborhood cats that I feed, meeting new people who care too, bonding over each and every adorable stray cat that walks into our neighborhood, taking them to the vet for TNRs, paying money out of my own pocket. Here is my best friend, fostering cats, helping them get ready for their forever homes, insisting that every cat get a truly good family. And I know that the people in our audience, the ones reading this right now, are trying their best to help in every way they can too. Because that is what decent people do.

And then, there are people like the ones in today's story. People who treat cats like trash and then abandon these cats like trash too. People who don't deserve to experience looking at a cat, let alone anything else. The kitty in this story did nothing to deserve being bred and abandoned. She was just unlucky enough to meet one of the bad humans. It's amazing that she didn't lose hope, that she actually went out of her way to find other humans and try to trust again. And it's just as amazing that this couple, two days before their wedding, amongst all the preparations and nerves, was ready to take this poor kitty in, adopt her into their home, and give her a real chance to learn what a real family means. 

Blended families can complicate routines, but no partner can tell a father that he is not allowed to bring his daughter into their shared home during his custody time. If that's the case, then the father should change his partner and prioritize his kid. 

The child's place in the household must remain unquestionable even if your partner doesn't like the custody schedules or the choices a daughter makes on how she wants to spend her time with her father during custody time. In today's story, relatives from overseas are staying at the grandparents' house, so the father brought his daughter to their house so she could spend time with them. He thought it was a perfect opportunity for her to bond with cousins who live on the other side of the world. 

It seems she liked it so much that she even preferred to spend her birthday there with her cousins. Great choice, anyone would say. How lovely that she was apparently enjoying the time with her cousins! Well, there was one person who didn't think the same. And that is the father's partner. She said their household routine was disrupted and that the daughter rejected their home for choosing to spend her birthday at the grandparents' house. 

There were other ways to express disconformity with that, if she wished to do that. The partner could say that she missed having them home, or that she hoped to spend one of those weekends together. But under no circumstances can she punish a child for enjoying time with visiting relatives. And she didn't even request more balance; she literally told the father that he is no longer allowed to bring his daughter into their shared home because of this. That demand is completely unacceptable. A child's right to feel welcome in her father's home isn't something that can be negotiated. 

Now, what we know for sure is that the father has a big relationship problem to confront.   

When the feline fate calls, a cat person will answer.

If a cat adoption story feels like fate, as if destiny made a specific person meet the one cat who needed a forever home - and they had their place in their house and heart to give them one - it's most likely true. Well, mostly. It's usually the work of the mysterious CDS - the Cat Distribution System. It's that strange and secretive order, or body, or organization (nobody knows!) that's made ot match the cat in need to the right person. The match is usually purrfection. And that's exactly what makes us think that this one orange shelter cat found his home through the hidden helping hands of the CDS.

You see, it's really not every day that a cat who's considered for euthanasia is saved in the nick of time because a vet tech finds him similar to her previous cat, who has recently crossed over the rainbow bridge. Was their fateful meeting a coincidence? Maybe. Is it too purrfect to be true? Perhaps. But is this a story worth telling because of the sheer happiness it can bring to any cat person who reads it? Absolutely. And this is exactly why we love to be the beacon of wholesome adoption stories, where cats find their forever homes, and the collective joy of the online cat community grows - one adoption at a time.

But this is not the only reason why we think that this one adoption story is worth the spotlight. It's not just the vet tech who saw something in the eyes of this senior cat, who was afraid and alone at the shelter, that made her take him home and save him. It's what he had to endure before arriving at the shelter. You see, many cats brave tragedies - and this one had to witness the worst one of them all. This cat's previous owner suddenly passed away (to say it gently), and he found himself at the shelter - after being a house cat - because no one wanted to foster him. That's a true tragedy to endure.

But the cat gets his happy ending. That's all we care about.

Nobody keeps a spreadsheet of who brought the salad or who brought the beans at a company potluck. Employees contribute what they can, and everyone shares. But arriving with containers and treating everyone's food like a free meal-prep service is a different matter. 

 The incident happened during a company potluck as a going-away celebration for a coworker. There's a social agreement during these kinds of celebrations. It's alright if a few people contribute nothing; it normally causes no problem, but most coworkers bring something for the next potluck if they don't do it for the upcoming one. Well, the protagonist of this story, Bob, never brings food despite attending several potlucks throughout the year. 

His lack of contribution is just the beginning. Bob not only brings nothing but also brings several containers to fill with food his colleagues prepared because he "doesn't feel like cooking at home." Naturally, a coworker sees his behavior and questions him. But Bob couldn't care less. Although this coworker explains that the people who purchased the ingredients and cooked might want to bring their own leftovers home, Bob continues packing. 

Potlucks rely on generosity, okay. But Bob is not only accepting generosity. He is assuming ownership of food that was provided for the group. The mere act of asking would have changed the situation. If the cooks had said they did not want anything returned, Bob could have taken leftovers without creating resentment. But he didn't even consider asking before packing everything. He clearly deserved to be called out. It was important to draw that line to preserve fairness so that future office gatherings can remain enjoyable for everyone. The ones who put effort into the potluck at least deserved to be asked first. 

Therapy talk is ruining us

Once upon a time, we all benefited from going to therapy. It was a perfect time when people were actually working on themselves and not trying to learn buzzwords to throw at other people's faces when they were frustrated about something. Therapy has now become a place to absolve oneself of responsibility and learn to direct it onto other people. Of course, we can all benefit from learning to distinguish what belongs to us from what doesn't, but that's about it; some things should definitely be our responsibility, and we should work towards assuming that responsibility. It seems as if this Redditor's friend didn't, and she is also trying to push her narrative onto him, at least in my opinion. What should we do when a friend pushes us (maybe unknowingly) into this entanglement? Is it always a deal-breaker? Or could it be that the person isn't able to manage things properly, only for the time being? Either way, situations like these push us to make a decision.

What the friend said is valid and reasonable; it's true that in times of distress, people might need extra help and attention, but that definitely shouldn't be an obligation to the one who's listening; that's the controversial part, and that's where I think the friend is making a mistake, it's ok to understand you're sad and you need more help than usual, but you can't make it everyone else's problem. Should her friend try to have a conversation about this, or should she just 'demote' her? Maybe she can try talking first and 'demote' her later if it doesn't work.

Cats have basically taken over the digital world, but ironically, ploughing through it all to find the good stuff isn't always easy.

Every self-respecting cat lover needs their daily fix of pawdorable fluffy feline content, and honestly, that goes double for people who don't even consider themselves "cat people". Cats have ruled the web for ages now, and that's because their appeal stretches way beyond the dedicated feline fan base. It's basically universal. As lifelong cat enthusiasts, none of this shocks us one bit. Cats are ridiculously adorable, their antics are comedy gold, and they've got an unmatched talent for pulling an "aww" or a laugh out of anyone watching. Their internet realm makes total sense, because deep down, everyone's a cat person, whether they've realized it yet or not.

Still, with such a massive ocean of cat content floating around out there, how's anyone supposed to find the good stuff? Which clip deserves your click, which cats are the cutest of the cute, what video will actually make you laugh out loud, and which rescue story is guaranteed to wreck you emotionally... the questions never end! That's exactly why we're so proud to run I Can Has Cheezburger, delivering cat lovers everywhere (and the not-yet-converted too) nothing but the internet's finest feline finds, around the clock.

So don't worry about this week, we've got it handled. We've rounded up the purrfect cat pawsts to carry you through to the weekend without breaking a sweat. Because let's face it, any week goes down easier with a ridiculous cat video or a tear-jerking adoption story on your screen. We're obsessed with that stuff, you're obsessed with that stuff, and we're always thrilled to put the internet's best cat content front and center where it belongs.

Maybe cats aren't so mysterious after all…

I'll admit it right away: I've always been a dog person. Growing up, I never really understood the appeal of cats. Dogs wear their emotions on their sleeves. They're excited when you get home, they follow you around the house, they want to play, and they somehow manage to turn every ordinary moment into a celebration. Cats, on the other hand, always seemed impossible to read. They looked like they were silently judging everyone from across the room, and I could never figure out whether they wanted attention or wanted to be left alone.

Part of that probably comes from how I was raised. My parents never liked cats, so we never had one. They always said dogs were friendlier, more loyal, and easier to understand. When that's the only perspective you hear growing up, you don't really question it. You just assume cats aren't for you. Looking back, I realize I never gave them much of a chance.

As I got older, though, a lot of my friends became cat owners. Every time I visited them, I'd hear the same speech about how misunderstood cats are. They'd tell me their cat greeted them at the door, followed them from room to room, or insisted on sitting beside them while they worked. I was skeptical at first because it sounded suspiciously dog-like, but after meeting enough different cats, I started to understand what they meant. They're affectionate in their own way. You just have to earn it instead of expecting it immediately.

Even so, if someone asked me to choose, I'd still pick a dog every single time. That's probably never going to change. But I've also learned that cats have something dogs don't. They're effortlessly funny without even trying. The strange sleeping positions, the dramatic expressions, the random bursts of energy, and the way they somehow become the center of attention in every photo make them perfect internet celebrities.

Whenever it is time to celebrate Harry's birthday again, the Potterheads come rushing in.

There's nothing quite like a community of people coming together to celebrate a day that means a lot to them. Sure, it happens when a family member or a friend celebrates a special occasion, but we care more about days that are special to a fandom. Fandoms are the ones who truly know how to make random days into holidays that mean the world to the community, and they know how to make it fun.

When it comes to the Harry Potter fandom, boy oh boy, do we have special occasions to celebrate. For years, Potterheads have reported at Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station in London on September 1st to hear the Hogwarts Express announcement, or made themselves homemade butterbeer to celebrate the international Harry Potter Day on May 2nd, also known as the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. We love mentioning important dates like Voldemort's birthday, the day that Harry got his first Hogwarts letter, and the release dates for all seven books and eight movies. 

But the one day the Harry Potter fandom celebrates the most is July 31st, which is Harry Potter's famous birthday.

Harry's birthday is a day that has significant meaning in the books, starting from his 11th birthday, which led Hagrid to burst into that shed with a memorable birthday cake and an even more iconic announcement ("Yer a wizard, Harry"), and ending with his 17th birthday, which finally made Harry an adult wizard, allowed to perform magic outside of the school.

Harry has seen some crazy birthdays in his time as a student, and probably some more crazy ones past the ending of the last book, and the Potterheads are here for each one. So, in honor of Harry's 46th birthday this year, we wanted to celebrate in the best way we know of: through some magical memes about the best series in the world. Scroll through them while you're celebrating this awesome day in you're own way.

The forecast called for rain... and an extra helping of cat cuteness.

Rainy days are no match for a little feline charm. One cat is puffing up in disbelief after touching a wet sidewalk, another is strutting around in a tiny raincoat like it's the latest runway trend, and somewhere a fluffy orange troublemaker is convinced the weather should apologize personally. If cats controlled the forecast, every storm would end after exactly three raindrops.

Tiny raincoats deserve a round of appaws all on their own. Bright yellow, cherry red, or covered in little ducks, they somehow make every cat look even more dramatic. The raincoat might say "ready for adventure," but the face underneath usually says, "This had better earn me extra treats."

A rainy afternoon is also prime time for embracing the cozy life. Blankets become five-star resorts. Windows turn into entertainment centers filled with birds, squirrels, and raindrops to keep a watchful eye on. Every nap somehow lasts a little longer, and every stretch becomes a full-body event worthy of admiration.

Then there are the fearless felines who decide puddles deserve further investigation. One cautious paw reaches out, touches the water, and immediately retracts as if the puddle committed a personal offense. The offended expression that follows is pure cattitude. Rain clearly wasn't part of their plans.

When the clouds roll in, cats remind everyone that staying cozy is an art form. A warm blanket, a dry place to loaf, and plenty of opportunities to judge the weather from indoors sound like a pretty purrfect plan. The rain can keep falling outside. Inside is where the real meowgic happens, complete with sleepy stretches, twitching whiskers, and enough fluff to brighten even the grayest day.

Do you prioritize what your bank tells you or what your ex, who totally humiliated you, wants you to do for him?

Breaking up is hard. You think the relationship is going to last forever, and you end up discovering that it didn't even work for more than a while. It happens. And the bright side is that you get over it, you grow from that experience, and, when you are ready, you can move on to a new relationship that may or may not end up being the love of your life. Because failed relationships are just that, experiences that make you learn and evolve, one step before finding the love of your life –or realizing that you want to be alone.

In the story below, we encounter the story of a woman who was completely humiliated by her ex-boyfriend when he told her the relationship was over because they weren't financially in the same place. Even though she had no problem supporting him in the past when he couldn't even provide for himself. All this to end up discovering he was cheating on her with a coworker he officialized with a couple of days after they broke up. So he not only used her in the past for her money, but he also had no problem humiliating her to everybody they knew by showing up with a new girl not even a month after they ended things.

Now he came back, out of nowhere, and all because of HIS mistake. This guy seems to love doing things wrong. He had to send money to buy a condo, and he sent it to this user, his ex-girlfriend. It ended up bad for him, of course. But can't he do anything correctly? He broke things for the incorrect reasons, officialized with the new girl WAY TOO SOON, and now he sent the money to someone he shouldn't. That is karma. He did everything so wrong that the universe paid him back by doing one more thing wrong. He deserved it. All of it. From losing the condo to losing money, and being stressed for days over this banking issue. Karma is hard but fair. 
 

This little kitten wasn't about to wait for an application to be approved.

Just as one cat lover started thinking about fostering kittens, the Cat Distribution System made the decision a whole lot easier. Before they even had the chance to bring it up with their partner, a tiny stray appeared on the porch, curled up beside their two resident cats as if he'd already decided he belonged there.

The little visitor had clearly been through a lot. His fur was full of burrs, twigs, spider webs, fleas, ticks, and all the evidence of life outside. He was heartbreakingly skinny, but from the moment he was found, he never stopped wanting attention. With every meal, every nap on a warm heating pad, and every gentle cuddle, he seemed a little more comfortable than the day before.

After finally making it to the vet, the news was encouraging. Aside from a few common issues that come with living on the streets, the tiny kitten was expected to recover well. Even though he was much smaller than he should have been for his age, he had a healthy appetite, an even healthier purr, and all the signs of a kitten ready to leave his rough start behind.

He still doesn't have a name, but he already has plenty of people rooting for him. It's hard not to smile at the timing of it all. After spending days wondering whether fostering was the right next step, this little guy showed up on the porch and answered the question himself. Whether he ends up becoming a forever family member or the first of many foster kittens, one thing is certain: he picked exactly the right house to ask for help.

When does helping family turn into being taken advantage of?

One woman thought she had a clear plan: move out so her brother's wife could move into the apartment they shared with their father. But just before the move, her brother insisted she continue paying rent for a home she would no longer live in because he and his wife couldn't afford it alone. When she refused, he accused her of not caring about family, forcing her to rethink both their relationship and her plans to move.

But, from my perspective, there's not much thinking that needs to be done. I like how she's very clear about not paying rent until the wife gets her thing together… that would be a problem for her brother, not her. And he may not want to take on that responsibility, and it's throwing it at his sister for her to deal with it. She's doing more than enough by having to move to a completely new city, find a new job and new friends, for her brother to start his married life.

Also, why don't they move out and find a place for just the two of them? I assume it's because they can't afford it, but they are forcing a whole family dynamic so the two of them can be in that room… Feels weird how this is going on, and feels very entitled for the brother to request these big changes to his family. 

She's a very good sister and accepted this life-changing decision so he's brother can live happily ever after with his new wife… and she's getting blamed for not helping by paying rent for a place she cannot enjoy. Feels uncomfortable, and I certainly hope she keeps her head up and doesn't accept his brother's terms.

Gather round, cat parents, because this one's an impawrtant thing you must familiarize yourself with - in case the worst happens and your cat gets lost.

No one ever want ot think of the possibility that their cat is going to just disappear one day. It's the nightmare of any cat pawrent. And we don't talk about a senior cat who crosses the rainbow bridge - that's no less sad, but at least this is an anticipated event you can mentally prepare yourself for to some degree. But yes, it's still one of life's saddest events. It's just that losing a cat in any way is sad - especially if it's sudden. You have your cat, you love your cat, your cat loves you, and just like that… where is the cat? When a cat goes missing, it's a tragedy full of searching and stress. And the even-sadder reality is that some people take advantage of this harsh situation.

As this one cat owner discovered the hard way when her cat went missing, some people care for absolutely nothing when it comes to the distress she was in (and her cat, probably). They lie, they cheat, and they try to extort money out of the worrying pawrents, using the difficult emotional state they're in to get it. Luckily for this cat pawrent, she had the right call to turn to the online feline family and ask: Is this a scam? Because the resounding answer she got was that, yes, this one's absolutely a scam, and she should stay away from these people. Her searching energy needs to be reserved for actually finding her cat, and give these scammers zero attention.

What happens, usually, is that scammers try to find lost pets posts and then contact the person searching for their beloved lost animal companion. They claim they have it (which is so much easier with faked AI images in this day and age), and then ask for a monetary reward to give the pet back. Note that they'll never ask for cash, and outright refuse it - because they don't actually have anyone's cat, dog, or whatever pet. They'd do anything to twist the worried pet owner emotionally, saying they'll have to put the cat back on the street. But luckily for this one woman, she realized the cat was never at the scammer's place. And what's even better? The cat came back home safe. We love a happy ending.

Lobster is too buttery

One should feel free to consider whether a partner's attitude is something we can tolerate. No attitude is off limits once we've taken the whole picture into consideration. But having read too many stories like these, I think we are starting to have really unachievable standards towards our relationships. This could be a case of unrealistic standards or one of a simple mismatch; that's for the boyfriend to decide, but we all definitely have traumas, and we can't expect our partners not to have them. Do you think he is being nitpicky, or should he really reconsider this relationship?

One mother is struggling to set boundaries after her adult daughter moved back home without asking and settled in as if nothing had changed. While her parents continue covering groceries, utilities, and other expenses, they also feel they've lost the privacy they finally regained after she moved out. Now they're wondering how to ask her to contribute without damaging their relationship.

This story was pretty funny to me because I'm sure that my own mother would feel this same way. I moved out a couple of years ago, but my two sisters still live at home, so our situation is not quite like this, but it could potentially be in the future. I don't like how the daughter pretended that was still her home, as she comes and goes as she pleases, and also expects her parents to cover her food and every single thing, like she did when leaving full time there.

The situation gets more complicated when she decides to leave there only a few months a year, when she's not at school, since the house is closer to her work. If she can afford to live alone and has her own place, then the parents should intervene and demand that she move to her house as soon as possible, and only come around to visit, like every adult child when they decide to move out.

When I was about to leave my house and rent my apartment, my mother told me very explicitly that if I left, I couldn't come back and live with them (of course, unless a situation happened and I had nowhere to go). And although at first it was something that was hard to hear and it impacted me, with time, I realized they were doing the right thing.

Let your inner soul cat shine today.

Some cat people simply adore cats from a distance. Others have it far worse (or better, depending on how you look at it): they're actually run by an inner soul cat, some feline puppeteer pulling the strings like a bonus character straight out of an Inside Out sequel.

If you happen to fall into that second category, you already know the drill better than anyone could explain it to you. There's the never-ending pull toward a 16-hour nap schedule, the relentless and borderline spiritual quest for the one purrfect sunbeam to melt into, and of course, the snacks. Always the snacks. That craving isn't really you talking - it's your inner cat, narrating your every move. It's your inner cat pacing the room for no reason, curling up mid-thought for an impromptu nap, and swatting whatever important thing you were trying to remember clean off the mental counter, purely because it felt like it in the moment. Chaotic, a little unhinged, and completely unbothered by the consequences. That, more than anything, is what it truly means to be a cat person: equal parts loving cats endlessly and quietly being run by one from the inside.

But just as we mentioned, being a cat person comes in two flavors. Yes, your soul might be steered by a slightly feral and deeply dramatic inner cat, but that's honestly not a bad thing at all. If anything, it just means your love for cats runs deeper than most, woven right into who you are. And loving cats? That's never a flaw. That's never something to apologize for. Loving cats, inner soul cat and all, is simply a pawfect way to move through life.