A small family business has been firing employee after employee for years, handing new hires the workload of two senior people with no training or guidance, and responding to the inevitable beginner mistakes with formal disciplinary meetings. One of those meetings just happened to the person still standing, and it did not go the way the company planned

What would you do if you were promised more money from your workplace, but they only gave you an extra 3 cents per hour? 

That's right — if you're earning an extra 3 cents an hour, you're only making an extra $1.20 per week, which will buy you exactly one item from the dollar store. That wouldn't buy you a beverage… not a sandwich… you could maybe buy a single roll from the grocery store. 

However, a 10% raise on a $26.35/hour job? Now that'll buy you a lot more rolls or dollar store items! 

This person got an honestly ridiculous email from their HR department and let's just hope they ironed out this silly situation

Blep mode makes every cat 10x cuter. 

Cats with a blep look like they accidentally added something extra to their face and just went with it. A tiny bit of tongue shows up and suddenly they look way cuter and a little ridiculous at the same time. Nothing else changes, but it somehow feels like a completely different cat.

It can happen anytime. Sitting still. Watching something across the room. Right after grooming. They'll just exist with that little blep, completely unbothered. No rush to fix it, no reaction at all. Meanwhile, it turns into the only thing you can focus on.

The size of it is what makes it so good. It's barely there, just enough to notice. It softens their whole expression and gives them this slightly goofy look without trying. They can be locked in on something and still look like they forgot what they were doing for a second.

It disappears as quickly as it shows up. One moment it's there, the next it's gone. They move on like nothing happened. You don't, though. It's such a small thing, but it sticks. Just a tiny blep doing way more than it should.

When you start your first job ever, you must question everything that happens if you want to determine whether you've found a goldmine or should leave the moment you find something better.

In any job, you must keep your eyes open for any red flags every single day. But the problem is, when it is your first job, you might not know if an action is common workplace behavior, or if it's a red flag waving straight at your face.

The question is, is the behavior of the manager in the story below a red flag or normal conduct in the workplace? It seems like the newest hire needs help with the answer to that question.

Cats walk into a room and forget how to act. 

Cats have a special kind of social style that can only be described as a little… pawkward. They want to be involved, but not too involved. They'll walk into a room like they've got somewhere important to be, then immediately forget why they're there. Full confidence on entry, zero follow-through.

Interactions are never smooth. You reach out to pet them, they lean in, then suddenly change their mind mid-pat like the whole thing was a misunderstanding. One second they're all about attention, the next they're acting like you crossed a line. It's not purrsonal. It's just their vibe.

They also have a habit of inserting themselves into situations without knowing what to do once they're there. Sitting a little too close, staring a little too long, then slowly turning away like they were never part of it. Classic meowfunction in real time.

Even with other cats, it's not exactly seamless. There's sniffing, pausing, more sniffing, then someone walks away like that was enough socializing for the day. No clear outcome, just vibes.

Still, it works for them. Awkward moments, weird timing, mixed signals, all part of the charm. They may not be the smoothest socially, but they make it their own.

It's normal for an intern to make some mistakes, but it's not every day that they make such a colossal mistake that it shuts down the entire company for hours. This poor intern, however, truly takes the cake. He truly reenacted the nightmare everyone has before their first day on the job. That dream where you make one small move, and it's the biggest mistake you could've made. 

This intern wasn't used for anything too seriously. As an IT intern, there was a lot of room for error. So he was given easier tasks like making sure the client's computer is plugged in, password resets, etc. Things that would be hard to mess up, and he did great with that. Everyone seemed to like him enough, he wasn't malicious in any way. However, he did seem to be kind of a slow learner, which can be frustrating in the field of tech.

He must have known he wasn't progressing fast enough and decided he needed to make a big splash and do something that sets him up to be seen as a go-getter employee worthy of more responsibilities. However, he chose the wrong splash… Instead of doing something positive for the company, he ended up unplugging its main life source… 

A tiny meow from inside a car led to something unexpected. 

A tiny kitten ended up in one of the most random places. Inside a loaner car at a dealership where the boyfriend works. This person's boyfriend and his coworkers kept hearing meowing and actually stopped to check instead of brushing it off. After looking around, they tracked the sound and found her tucked up inside the car's splash shield, completely hidden and easy to miss.

Getting her out took some effort. The boyfriend had to take part of the car apart just to reach her. She must have been stuck in there for a while, surrounded by noise and movement. Once she was out, she didn't act scared or aggressive. She was immediately sweet, just a small kitten who clearly needed help.

They brought her to the vet the next day, and somehow she came out of all of that totally healthy. Now she's out of the car and onto something much better. She went from being stuck and hidden to being safe, cared for, and noticed. It all came down to someone listening and not ignoring a small sound. That one decision changed everything for her, and now she gets a real shot at a good life.

A homeowner installs a fully approved EV charger, only to have the parking space taken and charger blocked by a neighbor who is convinced it's environmentally dangerous

Everyone has opinions, but it doesn't mean they're right. Even when they're wrong there's a sliding scale of the ones that are more plausible, like you can kind of follow their logic and see how they got to their conclusion, but then there's the ones where you literally want to put your hands to your head and declare, "What?!" as the confusion crosses your face.

No matter how you feel about electric vehicles and your reasoning for it, it's just a fact that taking someone else's parking space because of your own personal feelings about something and actively impeding their ability to go out about their day is just a pitifully sad thing to do. If you're going to get that worked up about the fact that a car gets plugged in there's clearly some other severe emotional issue going on. 

Cats are heavenly, so enjoy them on this purrfect day. 

Sundays – the day of rest, of recovery, of mental preparation for the week. It's a day where scrolling cat memes never felt so good, and this batch is particularly angelic. To feel like you're floating is unlike any other feeling. Few things give us this; falling in love, being in goo company, eating cheesy pasta, and cats give us this otherworldly sensation, and that's something to be cherished. Cats are particularly angelic because they have a certain softness. Despite their chaotic midnight zoomies, there's a quietness about them, a luminous glow of sweetness that seems to simply drip from them. They're untouched by the heaviness of the world. They're gentle, kind, and just purrfect. Imagine them all adorned in white greeting you at heavenly gates, it all makes too much sense. They're symbols of protection and guidance, they're pure and watchful, and they exist in a beautiful way beyond the human eye. Their love is tender, meaningful, and heavenly. Enjoy these gorgeous and angelic cats. 

Despite being friends for 20 years, this man realized that his 2 friends were overcharging him for vacation Uber fees. 

Friendships change over time, but oftentimes, we know how our friends are with money. 

Some friends will be super responsible, spending responsibly and paying people back ASAP. 

Others do things like losing their wallet 3 times a year, "forgetting" to Venmo the people who bought dinner, and whining about being broke all the time.

It's not that you don't love your friends, but you know deep in your heart, which of your friends are financially responsible and which friends you need to keep a sharp eye on. 

Do cats understand us? It's an age-old question that all cat pawrents deliberate with at one point in their cat-raising lives. But luckily for us, we live in the age of information, and we can access the worldwide hivemind of the online feline family, to hear about the collective cat parenting experiences from around the world. So when one cat pawrent shares their pawdorable experience with their cat purroviding more care and compassion than they could ever anticipate - it's no wonder the thread turns into a wholesome feline fest of adorable stories that show: cats do understand. They care, they take charge, and they help.

Being an older sibling means standing up for your younger ones, even if they're making mistakes. Everybody has to make their own mistakes in order to learn from them. It's a sibling's job to just be there when they need you. 

When this little sister decided to do a surprise wedding for her third marriage, her older sister advised her against it. She has children and as only recently started seeing this man that she wants to marry. She claims it just "feels different" this time, so she's marrying him no matter what. So, the older sister had a decision to make. Alienate her little sister and shame her for her mistake, or tell her how you feel, but still be supportive. Of course, she let her know this was a bad idea, but if she is going to do it no matter what, she will support her. So now she is roped in to not only being the only family member who knows about this wedding, but she is also now the officiant. It doesn't help that the little sister is surprising everyone at a family dinner for her 30th birthday, where she will be switching up partying plans and turning them into wedding plans. 

So, her family will be going to, what they think, is a birthday party, only to be then sideswiped with the fact that they are at this woman's wedding for her third marriage… 

When you start to meet more than few cats, you start to understand that most of them are highly unusual in the best of ways. Some have no concept of purrsonal space, some only drink from blue water glasses, and others turn out to be unlike any cat you've ever met. Some cats and hooman pairs are just meant to be.

You can never truly know the purrsonality of a cat upon meeting it. Cats are naturally shy creatures, and they are known for taking their time to get used to new people and places. It makes sense, after thousands of years of evolution teaching them that the cautious cat usually survives the longest. Even though the worst thing they'll have to survive in your house is being fed 5 minutes late for dinner, their genetics don't understand that.

But what we've found more often than not is that when a cat truly opens up to you, and your family, it's one of the most rewarding expurriences. To us, ironically, the best cats have always ended up being like dogs. Loyal, affectionate, and with a rare desire to make you happy, not just themselves. It happens when the purrfect hooman meets the purrfect cat, then meowgic unlike any other happens. 

Cats are like haikus: Short, sweet, and to the point. 

Felines aren't like dogs, and instead of wagging their tails in complacent glee, they tell us how it is, no matter what. A cat is the kind of creature that would always be honest with you, even if the truth hurts. If they don't like your hard-earned garden of exotic orchids, they'll knock those pots right off the counter. And if a cat is displeased with the amount of kibbles you think they need for dinner, they'll be meowing until the sun rises for breakfast. 

Like a splash of cold water to the face, a cat's demeanor is both shocking and refreshing. 

They may attack our ankles and meow at 2 AM, but cats are snugglebears with cute meowments too. Cats surprise their humans with a head nudge, a tail flick, or simply by curling up in our laps, proving that they're not here to always be our overloads, but our friends as well. While they may rule with an iron paw and an unyielding sense of supremacy, cats mostly just want to be treated like the sweet, feisty babies that they are. 

Equal parts spicy and sweet, it's the perfectly mixed elixir of a cat's inherent "catness" that makes every human swoon. 

Found in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven or sprinting to the front of the glass at their humane society adoption event, it's a cat's immediately enormous purrsonality that fills the room and fills the hearts of their humans. They may be smol in stature, but a cat's aura is as mighty as their will, proving that they are truly descendants of the king of the jungle, the leopards in the trees, and the mighty snowcats of the frosted tundra. 

Now, your cat may be a chunky, fluffy baby, but they have visions of predators, dreams of apex lineage, and the glory of every cat that came before them. Bow, human, to your meowghty overlord, the cat. For kitties and all of their truths make us better humans at the end of the day, forcing us to reconcile with our time, our money, and our overly expensive plants. 

He was trying to do something nice for the office, but nobody respected his espresso machine. 

Coffee lovers gag at the thought of the cardboard-flavored swill they serve up in the company break room. Ancient drip coffee machines that have never been cleaned leave a strangely haunting aftertaste in their mouths, like the taste of overworked fatigue and workplace desperation. In a pinch, some cafe aficionados may pour themselves a cup of Joe, but even the over-poured coffee creamer and sugar won't cover up the flavor of disappointment. 

That explains why this guy offered to bring his own coffee maker into the workplace. 

He had spent years at his desk dreaming of the creamy espresso, the frothy milk, and the perfect cup of coffee he could make from the comfort of his own kitchen, and a lightbulb went off in his head one day when lamenting with his colleagues: Why not bring my machine into work? There's no reason this man couldn't enjoy a good cup of coffee from his office chair, yet when he raved and cooed about the joys of his machine, his coworkers insisted he share the good word with them, too. 

At first, things were hunky-dory, but soon the office entitlement took over, and this refreshing amenity was being treated more negligently than the 15-year-old Mr. Coffee in the break room. 

It was never refilled, it was never wiped down, and most importantly, the office never brought their own coffee pods. At $1 a piece and in this economy, 12 coffees a day made this man's wallet ache more than his heart. A true coffee lover would never stand to watch their machine be treated with such distaste, and just because he had made a kind gesture to the workplace, it didn't mean he had to uphold it beyond its expiration. 

Nothing would stand in the way of a coffee lover and his good cup of the day, but he certainly wouldn't be extending the benefit to his ambivalent coworkers any longer. They proved where they stood when they raided his desk's private stash of coffee pods…

Sometimes, the ones that need the most love are actually the most loving.

We know how tempting it is to go out and adopt a kitten. Believe us. If there's one purrson who's a sucker for kittens, it's us. Our neighbor had an oopsie litter a few years ago and they asked us to take one, and we took three. But everybody wants kittens. Those big eyes, tiny mews, and awwdorable little faces… they're practically impawssible to resist. But if you look past those kittens and search through the other kitties that are looking for love, you're likely to find more than one senior cat who would just like to live out their life in a nice, cozy home.

Our feline fan spent one whole year trying to earn the trust of Tabs, the crusty, feral, senior cat who loved his lawnmower. After months of trying to get close and lots of treats, Tabs eventually allowed an ear scratch, and then Tabs decided to become their resident guard cat. After about another year of living on their porch, his pawrents decided to retire him to the cushy indoor life, and we're happy to report that Tabs is loving his new life of luxury. 

Despite his rough appearance, Tabs is actually a cuddle bug. Don't judge a book by its cover, especially not a senior cat. Everyone deserves a Tabs in their lives, and we can honestly tell you that it's one of the most soul-nourishing and fulfilling things to give a senior cat some peace in their final years of life. It's hard, don't get us wrong, because you get attached and then they leave you, but the sweetness outweighs the sadness.

If you let knowing that you'll be sad because of something stop you from doing it, you're missing out on a life of pawtential love. And cats like Tabs are practically bursting with love.

What kind of person asks for someone to do them a solid, only to throw them under the bus the first chance they get?

This employee was kind enough to take a risk by helping her coworker out. The coworker said she was running just a few minutes behind due to a family emergency and asked if the employee would clock her in early. This way, the coworker wouldn't get in trouble with their manager, which would inevitably add another conflict to an already overwhelming week full of obstacles for her.

In theory, showing up five minutes late would not have caused an issue. The coworker likely would have been able to sneak inside and start work before their manager even had his morning coffee. However, she was more than just a few minutes behind. She was over 30 minutes late.

Naturally, the manager, who certainly had his morning coffee by then, had some questions about where the coworker was and why she was already clocked in. Guess who was ultimately blamed? 

There is nothing that improves our mood faster than a collection of purrfect cat memes. 

Funny cat memes are one of the pillars of our mental health. We mean that. We think that scrolling through some silly cat memes every single day is good for the soul. It doesn't take a long time. It's just a few minutes out of your day. And it is basically the one and only guaranteed way to start your day with an instant smile. Of course, that is important all the time, but especially during times like this, when it's much, much easier to come across frustrating things on the internet than anything wholesome and funny. 

Cat memes are always there for us. It doesn't matter what is happening in the world. It could be the end of days, and people will still continue making and sharing cat memes online. It's one of the best things about the internet. It's just that here at ICHC, we decide to save you some of that scrolling, and we put together all the cat memes that you could ever need in one place, without all the drama that is usually around them on social media. You're welcome, friends. 

Freddie the Tesco cat is an icon in his community, but for a moment, Tesco underestimated just how important he was to his friends, and they banned him. Except the community protested, and his ban did not last long. 

People who are not cat lovers really don't understand just how important cats are to us, the people. Everywhere we go, if there is a cat, people around him are smiling. Maybe not everyone, but a lot of them. Because it's hard not to. Cats are just… cute, and people smile at them. And if the cat is friendly, which Freddie very much is, then people truly cannot resist the cuteness. 

Of course, there is Buster the junkyard cat, who walked in one day, never left, and became one of the reasons that people come to the yard. There is Indy the museum cat, who has become an icon not only in her community but online as well. And nearly everyone knows about bodega cats. Those are all iconic in their communities. They are part of our world, and we love having them in it. Freddie was less famous online among all of these cats, but he's on par with them now, after the protesting that people did when he was evicted from Tesco. 

Blending six-day-old spaghetti into fresh sauce to "thicken it" is definitely… a choice

What starts as a questionable kitchen shortcut quickly turns into a much bigger conversation about trust, timing, and why "you didn't notice" is not always the comforting argument people think it is.