I mean I’d just punch that lady…the cats are going to be fine but children are easily traumatized. All she had to do was talk to the parents and let them know what happened so they could discipline their kids.
Children famously not traumatised by quick-to-violence rage parents.
I doubt you would, and I’m interest in seeing how you perceive water being thrown in a child as traumatizing, when it isn’t considering traumatizing to do it to an animal. Please fire up your brain cell and let me know tough guy.
Yeah you right unless I get a sex change first then I’ll punch her
What a gentleman.
You’d punch her over a harmless bit of water? Helicopter much?
My neighbors daughter had one of those water guns. I told her if she shoots at me, I’ll get the hose and retaliate. She grinned, shot at me, and ran away laughing.
I talked to her dad, he nodded, and when she came back for more mischief, she got wet.
For me it is fine, that bastard will think twice next time.
The bastard who let’s their pet roam and fuck with other peoples property?
Is cat sitting on a fence driving with other people’s property? Are you maga, or have some other mental disability?
If his Dad’s reaction is any indication, he likely won’t.
Except the cat owner is willing to go to bat for the cat
If nothing else that kid will understand he’s picking a fight with more than a cat
I want to believe that, but how will the owner accomplish that with the dad intervening?
Sounds like they already did accomplish that
i think i still remember where i was the first time i saw this posted
Lucky for me I’m one of today’s 10,000 and have not seen this before.
always my favourite reply, and always my favourite comic. be well, my friend.
Were you walking with your dinosaur next to Jesus on the beach when the footprints disappeared?
yes.i don’t know if it matters, but i was also wearing sandals with socks on.
What was Jesus wearing?
Nothing at all.
nothing at all
Stupid sexy Jesus.
Date & location please.
18F/CA ;)
18F? Were you born a granny (or old person)?
sorry, force of habit. i’m actually a middle aged dude from canada. (i hope you have a good sense of humour)
it was actually a few days into my first year of college. i remember waking up, seeing it briefly on the news before making my way to school (remember, this was before cell phones and a lot of web stuff). when i got to school, i remember standing just inside the door by the bar watching it all unfold on one of the big, ugly CRT televisions they had mounted in the lobby area. i called my dad, but i don’t remember the conversation. back then i was still a dumb kid in the dial-up internet days, and i was on a big Nostradamus kick. i remember my ex-girlfriend called me up all freaked out because she remembered me talking to her about some shit i read that sounded a lot like what happened at the time. (i don’t believe that stuff now, but it was all really freaky as a kid at the time)
It’s fine. Taking at face value you’re supposedly 18 I was remembered of my kids talking about the old days - i.e. 10 year olds talking about stuff merely 2 years ago (Ok to them that’s like a is decade to us). So that granny comment was tongue in cheek as well… :-)
For me, it was 3rd and Market. It was November 22nd, 1963 at about 1238pm. I was walking past Sal’s Electeonic Emporium when I saw the commotion on the TVs in the display window.
i can only begin to imagine the pandemonium. oh, my god…
We really thought it was about to be World War III.
sad when we found out it was just an old gay ye
Okay, you lost me here. Clearly, I’m not up to date on current events and references.
oh, sorry. so sorry. kanye west made a tweet the other day. that’s all i’ll say. google it, okay?
Some say the neighor is still pounding on the door. But that kid went in Congress.
yeah, and now he’s albert freaking einstein!
Idk,
Shouting “Hey, don’t do that” loud and clear may be more effective.
-
kid may have thought they where alone and will get jumped from getting caught.
-
May alert the parents their kid is up to mischief.
-
Doesn’t potentially start an escalation war with neighbors
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Doesn’t carry the small risk of the child falling or otherwise getting hurt with you as an easy blame.
Think of it like this: Does the kid now understand the “evil” of their actions to try be better next time. Or will they feel vindicated by their parents support against your “evil”
“Teach the bully to be more careful before they torment animals.”
You’re probably in the right here, but at least they’ll know what it’s like to be assaulted with water.
You’re right, but this is fuck around and find out territory. I would want the escalation to make it clear where I stand with my cat.
The code of Hammurabi clearly states an eye for an eye.
Or will they feel vindicated by their parents support against your “evil”
Then that’s a parental problem, not a problem caused by the action.
-
We’ve a lot of cats coming through the garden. I wouldn’t mind if not for my dog, who does and goes insane when she spots a cat. So I’ve been thinking about getting a super soaker to chase them away. I think that’s pretty harmless, and perhaps they learn to skip our garden after a while… What do you lot think?
I think they taunt you by shitting in your flowerbeds while you’re not looking.
I know they do!
I know that’s how I taunt my neighbours.
As a cat owner I approve using a a super soaker. I use a mini-soaker on my own cats in rare cases (being bengals they love water but despise being sprayed) - they probably catch on quickly and should bolt when they see you reaching for it soon.
That being said throwing a whole cup at a cat or making it soaking wet is not ok.
Thanks 🙂 I don’t intend to use one of those canon sized ones, I was thinking a mini like you said. Just a little squirt should do the trick 😇
Why not simply work on training your dog to be less reactive?
Working on that. Still would prefer cats to skip my garden though!
Naw, that’s a good boi — I don’t want the neighbors’ cats on my property.
Hahah simply. I’ve only trained a handful of dogs, so professional dog trainers sound off here but there are dogs that are more or less untrainable. Sure difficult dogs can learn a few manors or tricks, but either because an abundance or lack of intelligence they’re not going to ever be a show dog. Depending on the dog maybe the best they get is just not as reactive instead.
Cat a cat trap. Take them to the shelter to get spayed or neutered and adopted.
I don’t think kidnapping someone’s cat is going to solve anything
If they’re collared or chipped they can be returned to their irresponsible owners, and if the owner is so irresponsible they their unfixed uncollared cat is roaming freely than good riddance.
As a parent, if my kid did that, I’d likely side with the neighbour. I would put it (very loosely) in the category of “natural consequence” punishments.
It fits the crime, it discourages the crime, it forces empathy with the cat, and it does no real harm.
This is my favorite answer. I’d argue that he got less than the natural consequences of his actions. In nature, when one assaults another, even with something as harmless as water, it’s usually reasonable to interpret it as a threat, the response to which is usually violence. That kid is lucky he didn’t get a face full of claws. I’ve gotten a lot worse from gently touching cats that, as it turned out, didn’t want to be touched. Boundaries are important.
Natural consequences doesn’t mean “law of the jungle” here. It just means linking cause and effect in a proportionate manner.
I tend to use a lot of “natural consequence parenting”. Basically, the response should flow from the cause. If you throw water over your friend, you can’t then complain if they throw water over you. You learn that, while it’s fun when expected, it can be deeply unpleasant when unexpected.
It’s a lot more effective than random generic punishments. The trick is shielding them from excessive results, while allowing proportional ones to play out. E.g. swinging on a chair will get a warning, but often not stopped. When they fall, there’s an “I told you so” before/with the cuddle. If there is a risk of a more serious injury however, e.g. the corner of a table where their head may hit, then I step in and stop things.
As a native social media pedant, I’d just like to take a moment to split hairs and point out that’s the literal definition of that phrase.
With all that said, I’m glad you’ve taken that approach. They’re very lucky to have you. I wish I could’ve had more adults like that in my life as a child. Here’s to you and your contribution to supporting the next generation. May they pass on those values, too.
That’s why I clarified. There’s 2 ways to read the phrase, one a lot harsher than the other.
It seems to be working well. It also results in me being surprised a lot of the time. I’m ready to deal with a scuffed knee, or a bruised ego. Instead they either get back up and try again, or just pull it off. At that point I need to mentally correct for their new capabilities.
The key thing is, I’m not looking after a small pet, I’m training a future adult. They need to both instinctively understand how the world works, while packing as much awesomeness and magic into the formative years as possible. Letting them learn and practice is a big part of that.
It’s not really about the proportion. The rest you have right. Things (good or bad) may happen as a result of your behavior (good or bad). Those things are natural consequences. We talk about it a lot in the context of punishing behavior, but natural consequences can also reinforce behavior. Of course, if we design those consequences, they’re no longer natural.
I don’t have kids but this is pretty much how my dad raised me. It made me really respect when he gave me a hard no for something, it meant “no really the risk majorly outweighs the reward” and even if I didn’t understand it at the time I trusted it. I got a lot of I told you so after varying seriousness of injuries lol. Eventually I learned that the soft warning meant I was going to have a lot of fun but I needed to be ready for if it went sideways. Now I’ve got a pretty healthy sense of my own limits and when to start gauging risk/reward
That’s basically the goal I’m aiming for. It’s also worth remembering to always give an (age appropriate) explanation with the “no”. If you’re using a hard no, then there is something they don’t yet understand. Explaining it lets them integrate that knowledge into their future risk management.
The only downside is their confidence is high enough to terrify me! The job of containing and shaping that confidence, without damaging it gives me plenty of grey hairs.
I think it depends a bit on where the cat is. If my cat is in somebody’s yard and the owner does not like it, it’s perfectly fine to spray my cat with water. In fact I do the same to my neighbours cat to prevent cat fights. If my cat is on neutral territory, I would be more pissed.
Agreed, there are 1001 context points that could change things around, one way, or the other.
I like that approach. But when the parent only has their kid’s half of the story, it’s understandable why they would be pissed. I think most of us would be. Why did they do that to my kid? I’d want answers amd I wouldn’t be happy about it.
I suspect most kids who would throw water at a cat like that would not be very good liars about it. Also, adults tend not to dump water on kids for no reason. I would definitely take the time to pick apart what happened, before going full papa bear mode.
I might be pissed, but my instinct would be to find out who I should be pissed at first, before going on the war path.
Many people are not like that.
Unfortunately so. I know I’m slightly weirdly wired.
I agree with you personal. I meant more that people are irrational and if dad comes out back and the kid is soaked and crying, the kids most likely going to say idk she did this to me for no reason
How DARE you interact with my poor, helpless cat, who I lovingly toss outside to slaughter songbirds, pick up parasites, and maybe get flattened by a car. I don’t generally give a single solitary shit what happens to it out there, but this splash of water is TOO FAR.
On one side, I like to prank cats. on the other, I hate other peoples children.
blocked, mauuu
I think most people just have no idea how terrible outdoor cats are for native wildlife. It should be illegal, just like how you can’t let your dog wander around freely.
Everyone here balancing the ethics of getting wet like it’s assault.
Water melts snowflakes and wicked witches, everyone else need not worry.
All living things should be used to being wet either all the time or somewhat regularly. To think beyond that, wow, society has its teeth in you and you are lost.
Those 40 acid tablets I had in my back pocket though
Tetris11 was carrying 40 acid tablets that got destroyed by water. 40. That’s as many as 4 tens, and that’s awful.
I was gonna feed them to the ducks 😢
“I hope you’re free for about a month, man!”
“hey man, am I driving ok?”
“I think we’re parked, man”
You’ll be fine in 12 hours.
It is assault, though.
Kid acted maliciously towards the cat. It’s not like the kid accidentally knocked a bottle of water and some of it splashed the cat. No. There was a conscious decision to torment the cat by deliberately throwing water over it.
Punishment fits the crime here.
I’ll remember to call the police every time it rains.
The cat could panic, run away and get lost. Small a actions can have big consequences.
Good. Get rid of pests.
If only it was that easy to get rid of you.
If you’re worried about your cat running away you shouldn’t let it roam free.
Or the cat could secretly be a wicked witch, who then vows to make an evil AI to contact aliens in order to slay all humans in revenge. Who knows what monstrous things could happen as a consequence of getting a cat wet???
I never thought of it that way.
battle snare drum to a montage of buying Super Soakers, ending with a one-liner to camera…
…It’s time to get some pussies wet… and witches. But mainly the pussies because the aliens. Damn it, I ruined the one-liner.
Like, I agree with the tit for tat. But don’t let your cat outside.
Who tf gets a pet cat and doesn’t let it outside? If you don’t have space for a cat don’t get one.
cats destroy native wildlife… at least in australia, it’s a huge problem
https://invasives.org.au/our-work/feral-animals/cats-in-australia/
(whilst this article references feral cats, there’s obviously minimal difference between feral cats and roaming house cats as far as wildlife destruction goes)
Who tf gets a pet cat and doesn’t let it outside?
People that love their cats and don’t want them to die young. Outdoor cats live an average of 2-5 years, indoor-only cats live an average of 10-15 years. By allowing cats outside, they’re exposed to pathogens, parasites, and dangers that they wouldn’t otherwise experience. In my area, there are coyotes, bobcats, rattlesnakes, hawks, and owls, all of which will quite happily make a meal of a cat. There are also cars; they don’t tend to be able to stop on a dime.
Sounds like a perfect environment to not own a cat. Don’t get get a cat if you live in an area that can’t accommodate them - they aren’t a universal pet despite the fact people treat them like they are.
Under that criteria, there are a grand total of zero areas that can accommodate them. Same goes for dogs.
But that’s a stupid criteria, because cats are tamed, and thrive indoors.
Hope that helps.
Don’t get get a cat if you live in an area that can’t accommodate them
What is an area that can accommodate pet cats lol
Worldwide domestic cats kill billions of songbirds annually. Many songbirds are insectivores that prey on mosquitoes and flys helping to keep their numbers in check.
The current problem of insectivores is a massive massive lack of insects, not cats.
Habitat loss, bioaccumulation of Neonicotinoids and predation by invasive species (domestic cats included) are top three issues for declining numbers of songbirds in the US.
Edit: added region
Even the studies most friendly to your position put the conglomerate that cats are counted it in 4th place - e.g.:
- Habitat Loss & Degradation (40-50%)
- Climate Change (20-30%)
- Pesticides & Chemical Pollution (10-15%)
- Predation by Domestic & Invasive Species (5-10%)
- Collisions (5-10%)
- Disease & Parasites (1-5%)
- Illegal Hunting & Trapping (1-3%)
- Light Pollution (<1-2%)
Let’s be very generous and concede cats could contribute 5% (sorry magpies, crows, etc pp. - you contribte almost nothing)
I don’t argue this point because I am way to fond of cats. I don’t even agree with the above scale - at least when it comes to (formerly) common birds such as house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and common blackbird (Turdus merula). Their main problems are Usutu virus and loss of insect biomass.
I am shit-scared about the loss of insect biomass. I am old and observant enough to have recognized the Windshield phenomenon by myself. I concur with the Danish study hinting at a 80% decrease from 1997 until 2017 (I actually think it is higher now). I live in major city with nice parks - the decrease is observable here too.
If the food supply of songbirds has declined by at least 80% that is your biggest problem right there - and it does not only affect songbirds and not only insectivores.
Over-emphasizing cats in this situation is a smoke screen/ red herring akin to BP pushing the carbon footprint of the common man.
Major environmental effects of climate change be it sea level rise, ocean acidification, drought, intensifying storms and temperature rise are all changes to abiotic conditions. Changing abiotic conditions leads to changes in biotic conditions. A habitat is defined by the combination of biotic and abiotic conditions. Therefore climate change should be included in habitat loss.
People with coyotes for neighbours.
I’m not gonna shame people for outdoor cats… but you’re being a little obtuse here.
usdefaultism
huh? I’m not from the us?
Aren’t coyotes a us thing?
Only in dog whistles mate. Coyotes live all over north america.
https://urbancoyoteresearch.com/coyote-info/north-american-distribution
Letting it roam freely risks it getting hurt and without you being there to help it. It’s not very responsible.
It’s also how house cats have been living for about 10000 years.
And they’ve been dying in some horrific ways during that time. Now there’s also a lot of extra, human caused dangers. A responsible pet owner wouldn’t subject their pet to such dangers.
Please elaborate your claims about past and present dangers for pets, I’m curious about specifics.
Also how are you mitigating the risk of “such dangers” for pets and children?
Well you might have heard of cars, highways and other such human created things that haven’t existed during all that time.
Here’s one study where they examined the welfare concerns over unrestricted/unsupervised outdoor access (and other concerns). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7070728/#sec5-animals-10-00258
Also how are you mitigating the risk of “such dangers” for pets and children?
I wouldn’t allow a cat or a small child to roam around unrestricted. It just seems due to the inherent threats pretty irresponsible.
The study weighs the pros and cons of outdoor and indoor keeping. It also offers some ideas how to mitigate the cons. It’s an interesting study, you should ask someone to explain it to you.
The study mentions that risk factors of outdoor keeping vary by location. There is no mention of historic risk and therefore no assessment how these may have evolved.
Americans will use anything but the metric system
“he just threw zero point one liter, or one deciliter water on my cat”
In this case by cup it probably actually refers to a pint glass of water (two measuring cups), but in any case not an exact measurement, so it doesn’t make sense to give exact measurements. Its describing the vessels of transportation, not the amounts.
I meant the term basin, just pointing out how I didnt intuit what that was.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basin
A) an open usually circular vessel with sloping or curving sides used typically for holding water for washing
B) chiefly British : a bowl used especially in cooking
C) the quantity contained in a basin spilled a basin of water on the floor
Not only is that not a measurement the US uses, the only geographical location mentioned in the definition is “chiefly British.”
So, uh, “no.”
OP sounds like they might be British. The spelling of “neighbour” and the use of “Mental” kinda give it away.
Or one of many English-speaking countries that use that spelling!
That the risk you take with an outdoor cat. It’s not even like water is harmful to it.
I used to have an outdoor cat and if that happened I would have shrugged it off and expected him not to go there again.
That the risk you take
Well someone might just hit your car, that’s the risk you take by driving, nobody got hurt, they shouldn’t be held accountable. I would have shrugged it off and started taking the bus.
This is fun, we can remove all accountability from everything that’s not harming someone directly!
Well, you don’t have to let your cat go outside. In fact is kind of reckless to do so.
Well, you don’t have to drive it’s kind of reckless to do that too.
That’s the risk you take with an outdoor brat. It’s not even like water is harmful to it.
I used to have an outdoor brat and if that happened I would have shrugged it off and expected him not to go there again.
I mean… yeah
What’re you in The Bloods, you can’t say cat? C’mon 5, what’s brackin’?
What are you saying?
Never talked to any gang members huh?
Well, the joke is that Bloods can’t say things beginning with the letter C, like “Cat,” and the above comment repeatedly used “brat” to replace “cat” as would be done by a Blood. For instance, they don’t say “cracking,” they’ll replace the C, making it “bracking.” Crips will do the reverse, saying C where there once was a B. Yes it’s ridiculous, but that’s what they do, and the joke requires knowledge of this to understand. They also have numbers ascribed to their gangs, 5 is bloods, 6 is crips, so “what’s brackin’ 5” would be something said by some Damu out there to another (a Damu being a member of the bloods, damu means blood in Swahili iirc, and tbf he’d actually say “what’s poppin 5” instead but brackin’ was necessary for the joke.)
Yes it is silly. Now enjoy my favorite old Blood music video from the 47 Miller Gang, If U Blood Throw It Up
Oh my god i wrote mine after you wrote yours.
Yours is way better. Kudos.
Both takes are 100% correct
“Nobody got hurt, just LET ASSHOLE BE ASSHOLES! MUH FREEDUMS!”
Nah, I’m a firm believer in ‘Fuck around and Find out’
It’s cruelty. Can we chuck water over you?
Only if I am walking on your fence
But why is it a problem if it’s not doing you any harm?
I am not saying it’s something you should do if someone walks on peoples fences.
deleted by creator
I think calling a splash of water from some dumb child “cruelty” delegitimizes actual cruelty. It’s shit behavior for sure, but don’t compare it to someone who tortures animals for fun.
They didn’t compare it. You are putting words in peoples mouths now.
It’s the risk you take letting your kid go outside. It’s not even like water is harmful to it.
I used to have a kid that went outside and if thst happened I would have shrugged it off and expected him to not go there anymore.
If it was funny to do it to the Cat… It was hilarious doing it to the kid.
Can confirm.
I have a robot that clears snow on my driveway (it’s a diy build,). One winter, we were having problems with a couple teenage boys chucking snowballs at cars.
Their dads conspired to teach them a lesson.
They recruited me and S5-SY (the robot, pronounced “Sassy”,).
So they played some mind games to get the kids to think it was their idea to record themselves-live- chucking snowballs at the “defenseless” robot.
In the video, the robot turned to face them, drove itself into the snow bank and turned on its sweeper to give them the worst white wash of their lives.
Is the lesson “why throw snowballs at cars when you could be having a snowball fight with a robot instead?”
actually, I’m pretty sure the lesson they learned was they got more of the attention they wanted when they were funny rather than jerks.
Their friends thought the were in on it and were laughing. not sure how they passed that off, since their faces were 1 part confusion 1 part shock and 2 parts “fuck that’s cold”
I’m sorry, you can’t just say “I built a robot that clears snow”, like it’s no big deal! Do you have more details? Also, please link the video of it blizzarding the teens!
I don’t have the video (and wouldn’t link other people’s kids anyhow.), sorry.
In any case, I’d drop a how-to, except that it’s actually rather kludgey. just getting a driveway dialed in took about two weeks. (movement is largely dead reckoning in similar manner to using an FDM printer in relative mode.)
her working-side is a snow sweeper brush- you can buy replacement brushes online and not the whole snow sweeper, for the record. the big drum-shaped brushes. she uses a hub-mounted motor to drive that and her two driving wheels. a couple car batteries and and her control box provide counterbalance and mass (for traction,) while her 3rd wheel is a caster wheel.
she uses an inductive charger in a cradle, with everything basically sealed in a water proof enclosure/chasis that was 3d printed.
there’s a base station that’s mounted high up under the garage’s eaves that has a camera deciding when it’s time to go out. (she struggles with heavy, wet, snow, but this gets compensated for by going out more often when it’s warmer. the base station also provides localization and object avoidance.
building was simple enough. I’ve a giant home-build 3d printer, PETG works, Polycarb is better if you can afford it. For sealing the enclosures, I made my own silicone rubber gaskets using silicone caulk and aquarium tubing (force the caulk into the tubing using the caulking gun. if you want it hollow, use an air compressor blower nozzle to blow out the tubing after it’s full, if you want it solid, don’t, but after it’s cured in the tubing, use the blower nozzle to get it out, either way.)
the other thing to consider is the sweeper arm. It can just be set rigidly for simplicity (and that’s a 100% valid and probably smart choice to make…) or if you add the ability to extend on both sides, you can give the brush a cant so it pushes the snow to one side or the other… reducing how many trails you leave.
Some flashy lights are important (and raised up so people can see them in cars!)
Oh. also. she hums like R2D2 when she’s working.
Cruelty met in kind.
plot twist: kids a radical ecologist, keep ya cat indoors.
Exactly. There are endangered birds and amphibians who call my garden home. I do not want cats going in there and killing them for sport.
Get a catio! Don’t destroy native wildlife.
I agree with the “don’t be shitty to animals” sentiment, but I’m honestly a little surprised no one else has bothered to consider how shitty that cat might be. If it was always shitting in your yard, picking fights your cat or dog, using your bird feeder as a cat feeder, and tearing up your flower beds, then a cup of water is a pretty benign deterrent that still has a chance of being effective.
Lol minus the birdfeeder thing you just described dogs.
Cats bury their shit, tend to avoid dogs / fights with bigger animals, and I’ve never seen one dig up a flowerbed.
Cats bury their shit
In your flower bed, which is how they get torn up. Then when you go to fix them: smelly shit
tend to avoid dogs / fights with bigger animals
That’s cute, cats in my area love fighting everything
If they’re caught in the act, sure. A great cat training tool is a spray bottle of water. But from the story it sounds like the cat wasn’t doing anything at the time, so even if it is a nuisance animal, no correlation is made with an act and a punishment. Not true on the kid, he got something right when he did his malicious action, so if he has any intelligence he might connect the two and not do it again.
