Thousands of internet commenters were left appalled after one mother exposed her fiancé for senselessly and purposefully leaving her daughter's cat outside to fend for itself.
In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/throwaway0999099 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said her soon-to-be husband complained about the cat for months before he was caught on camera forcing the animal from its home and into the wild.
Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for blowing up on my fiancé infront of his family for [letting] my daughter's cat out of the house?" the post has received more than 18,000 votes and 4,500 comments in the last ten hours.
Writing that her fiancé recently moved in with her and her 13-year-old daughter, the original poster said the new living arrangement was working smoothly until the teenager's pet became a problem.
"Everything was going well [until] he started complaining about [my daughter's] cat which is strange because the cat is so sweet and quiet," OP wrote. "Anyways, he went from complaining about the cat to making demands."
"He gave [my daughter] a list of places the cat can/can't go, things she's 'allowed' to touch [and] banned her from places like the kitchen and sofa," OP continued. "He ranted about this being his house too and how he expects things to change after we get married."
Following an argument with her fiancé about his "ridiculous" list of pet-related rules, the original poster said she was at work when she received a distraught phone call from her daughter informing her that the cat was gone.
The original poster sped home to help her daughter look for the cat and said that, after two hours of searching, they found their pet and learned how it got loose in the first place.
"A neighbor of ours brought [the cat] and told us that he saw [my fiancé] leaving her outside and getting in his car and leaving," OP wrote. "I immediately drove to my future [in-laws] home."
"The second I saw him sitting with his family I went off and blew up at him [in front] of everyone," OP continued. "His mom asked what was happening and I told her her son [let] my daughter's INDOOR cat outside...probably hoping for her to get lost."
"He said that he didn't mean to leave the cat out but after checking the [cameras] I confirmed it," OP added.
Blending families is often difficult for parents, stepparents and the children whose worlds are turned upside down and transformed into entirely unfamiliar living conditions.
But while Very Well Family and many other parenting and family outlets assure that nearly-all blended families face the same types of issues, each new conglomerate faces challenges unique to themselves—like a highly-debated and regulated cat.
Over the past few years, the internet has become rife with videos of previously-staunch fathers warming up to the cats (and other pets) they claimed they never wanted. However, in the case of the original poster's fiancé, there was no emotional turnaround and no viral clip capturing a moment of begrudging acceptance between man and animal.
Instead, his disdain for his soon-to-be stepdaughter's pet was made clear from the beginning and the only video involved was security footage of him shooing the cat out of the home he alarmingly claimed as his own.
House cats are usually best-suited for indoor lifestyles, despite their familial relationship with lions, tigers, leopards and other kings of the jungle.
Though many cats across the U.S. and rest of the world enjoy the best of both worlds, moving in and out of dwellings as they please, busy suburban areas pose many dangers to pets accustomed to having every need met by human beings.
Letting indoor cats outside can quickly lead to tragedy and when done intentionally, is both malicious and cruel.
Throughout the comment section of the viral Reddit post, Redditors acknowledged this cruelty and encouraged the original poster to seriously reevaluate her relationship before marrying the man that so easily tried to harm her daughter and beloved pet.
"[Not the a**hole]... but if you stay engaged to him, you will be," Redditor u/SDstartingOut wrote in the post's top comment, which has received more than 21,000 votes. "I hope he's your ex-fiancé, at this point."
"What he did is horrible," Redditor u/CakeEatingRabbit added, receiving nearly 10,000 votes. "But what it says about him is way worse. He doesn't just lack empathy, but also respect for you and your daughter."
In a separate comment, which has received nearly 14,000 votes, Redditor u/Pretty_In_Pink_81 offered a lengthy response to the fiancé's abhorrent actions and warned the original poster that this is just the tip of his behavioral iceberg.
"He thinks he can control you and your daughter...he has no problem hurting your daughter...he has no problem endangering the life of an animal," they wrote. "He knows that he is wrong, but doesn't care.
"If you continue with this man, you will be unhappy and it will negatively impact your relationship with your daughter," they added.
Newsweek reached out to u/throwaway0999099 for comment.
