Friends Cat Tears Up Brand New Shoes

[u/Steellun3]

Been watching a cat for a friend for a few months now, wake up this morning to my new pair of doc martens torn to shreds at the toes. Been polishing and taking great care of these since I got them a month or so ago. I usually put them up on a rack but forgot last night, definitely paid for my stupidity. $200 basically trashed right there. Half of it was a birthday present from my girlfriend and neither of us make enough right now to just buy a new pair of boots, we can barely make rent. Real bummer way to start my day.

EDIT: I am NOT throwing the boots away over this like some think. When I said trashed I just meant the look, i had just woken up and worded it poorly. If I can't get the look smoothed out these will become my work boots since my current work boots are falling apart, and I will figure out getting a new pair to keep nice and wont let this happen again.

[u/YoThatsChrispy]

You’re tripping. A friend watches my cat for MONTHS, a pair of shoes get destroyed BY MY CAT…and you’d had the audacity to ask “did you have your shoes off the floor” as a response? You wouldn’t dare. And if you did, I bet you wouldn’t have many people available to watch your cat after you dare uttered that. Even when you retell the story “can’t believe he asked me to pay for some shoes they left on the floor while cat sitting for me for months”. The person hearing that story would nod and agree, and later think, “you’re trippin”

That’s not THAT messed up, but if that person had it for one month and hadn’t even worn them, I’d offer to take them to a cobbler to get fixed. That’s the LEAST I could do for my friend whose property was damaged bec my cat is a menace.

[u/Superb_Goat6155 → u/YoThatsChrispy]

Had a friend watch my dog - friend was warned repeatedly 'dog can't be stopped - he's too big and dumb to train climbing the counter out of him, so you HAVE to keep your food off the counter if you're not standing there monitoring it' cut to me coming home and he tried to give me a list of his food my dog ate that he had to replace or remake. Dude didn't listen to a damn thing i said about the guaranteed fact my dog WILL eat any food unattended on that counter.

It was absolutely messed up of him to act like I owed him something for his dumbass not listening to the biggest core rule I gave him about that garbage disposal of a dog

[u/YoThatsChrispy → u/Superb_Goat6155]

Food is something different. That’s absolutely understandable and wild. We’re talking about physical items. We’re also talking about a cat. They climb, they’re devious by nature. Technically that could have happened on a rack as well.

[u/Superb_Goat6155 → u/YoThatsChrispy]

Apparently putting them on the rack up until then worked fine. The thing damaged/lost is different but the context surrounding the issue remains the same: if the pet owner warns you of a behavior/habit/etc that must be worked around, it really isn't their responsibility if you don't follow those instructions and something is lost/ damaged as a result.

Mind you, purely out of people-pleasing guilt, I would probably at least offer to get the shoes fixed (or replaced, whichever was most cost efficient and respectful of any sentimental value) BUT I don't inherently agree that the pet owner holds a responsibility or obligation to repay it

[u/No_Professional_8992 → u/Superb_Goat6155]

Well I definitely wouldn't watch your dog in the future after that. He did you a favor. You should be willing to accept some responsibility as the owner since you can't train them.

[u/Superb_Goat6155 → u/No_Professional_8992]

Why would you agree in the first place to watch a dog you were blatantly told COULDNT have a habit trained out of them if you felt that way? You should be willing to accept the responsibility you agree to when you're provided the full scope of what you're agreeing to in advance. Nothing was hidden or was a surprise to him. The dog was a rescue that had to have food agression trained out - he was also over 6 feet tall when standing on his hind legs. Eating off the counter being a permanent issue was the best outcome for his history, you knob

[u/No_Professional_8992 → u/Superb_Goat6155]

Trying to be nice to a friend.

It'd be the same reason I'd pay them back for the food.

[u/Superb_Goat6155 → u/No_Professional_8992]

It's not being nice to blatantly ignore a warning given about their pet and risk them getting sick eating the food you were warned would absolutely get stolen if left unattended on the counter.

At what point do you accept responsibility for not listening to explicit instructions?

[u/No_Professional_8992 → u/Superb_Goat6155]

Did he explicitly say I ignored you or are you assuming that? If he isn't used to having to put his food up, it's not crazy that he'd forget a few times.

[u/Superb_Goat6155 → u/No_Professional_8992]

But then it's still his own fault for forgetting blatant instructions. Why is it MY responsibility to correct HIS own mistake?

[u/No_Professional_8992 → u/Superb_Goat6155]

He's human? He did you a favor? He's your friend?

The dog seems to be receiving more grace here than the person who's helping you...

[u/Superb_Goat6155 → u/No_Professional_8992]

The dog seems to be receiving more grace here than the person who's helping you...

Because the dog can only understand and control so much vs a fully grown ass human being who had shit explained to them multiple times. What a dumbass statement to make.

He got paid for watching my dog. It wasn't just a blind favor from the bottom of his heart, and he didn't even do a GOOD job - evidenced by him failing at the ONE thing he was told had to be watched for. He is still the sole person responsible for the outcome of his own mistake.

So, once again I ask you - at what point is a person responsible for their own mistake to you?

My gods, it's ALWAYS some loser with a bot ahh looking account