Roommates, especially those that have lived long enough with each other, should at least know how to read the room. Receiving a verbal answer–when asking about certain topics–should not be enough to understand the other individual’s sentiment.
A kind-of-controversial dilemma does not always equate to heavy topics–sometimes, even sort-of-mundane things can cause tension in a relationship.
Roommate relationships can be somewhat tricky–this does not necessarily mean that you have to walk on eggshells whenever the other person is around, but making decisions you would want for yourself should always pass by a processing line where you consider its effect on other people as well.
But what if both parties want to have a pet–yes, they agreed on a dog, but one of them wants a cat instead? How do they solve this dilemma?
This Redditor in particular posted on the platform about this exact predicament. Their biggest question: will they be an asshole if they brought home kittens, knowing well that their roommate favored having a dog?
Let’s see what happened:
OP and their roommate have been living with each other for years now, which means that they are probably well-adjusted and know one another better than other roommates. They both wanted to have a pet and decided on a dog–no rush though!
They unintentionally found kittens after helping a friend move, and OP wanted to adopt them. The roommate, however, was not happy about it, since they had a bad experience with another person who did not take good care of their cats.
Seems like the roommate was not direct about their thoughts and feelings toward OP’s decision–they were very vague about it. This causes OP to think that keeping the kittens they found is not such a bad idea after all–and that the roommate is just okay with having them around.
“Pets should be approved by every member of the household.” Is OP the asshole for trying to think that adopting the kittens will not affect the roommate?
OP tries to argue that their roommate is good with the experience that a pet might bring–good or bad. They think that it is selfish to think that the other party gets to choose the pet they want to have–what about OP?
This Redditor thinks that the roommate does not want to keep the cats. They are politely declining the offer, and they just don’t want OP to receive a cold, hard NO.
This one thinks that OP is an asshole for trying to break the rule with living with roommates.
A simple answer. OP will be the asshole!
Although they agreed on having a pet, they both want two very different things.
The vague answer that the roommate is giving is not helping.
There are many things to consider with having pets. Unless you keep them in a closed space and absolutely make sure that your roommate will never stumble upon them, you will be the asshole!
Here is OP’s argument. Is this a valid reason for them to get the kittens?
OP just has to settle it with their roommate. Their conversation did not seem to be clear.
Short and concise. All people involved must say yes.
OP said yes to the dog, but now they want cats. YWBTA–to the cats and in general.
“Dogs are grosser than cats”– is this not a terrible reason?
Dogs and cats are just too different from each other. Both parties really have to talk it out.
A different opinion: not an asshole. Just be responsible of your pet.
Simple and valid. Cats.
Well, this Redditor just seems like they have a dislike for cats. Cat discrimination!
Take care of your cats well. OP is accountable for everything regarding these kittens.
The bottom line of this whole post is the communication between roommates. It can sometimes be hard to know what the other person really wants or feels.
Taking a step back and really assessing what both parties want will eventually lead to a compromise–one that will make both of you feel content.
Comment down your thoughts, or share this article for all your family and friends to see!