pixabay | nastya_gepp

Teen Feels Conflicted After Running Away From Home To Save Her Cat

Updated September 8, 2021

When a child becomes a teenager and starts developing their own values and view of the world, it's not uncommon for them to start butting heads with their parents' way of doing things.

And while a lot of the arguments that result from this clash can be over petty matters, it's easy to underestimate how serious and fundamental to the whole family dynamic these issues can be.

Although some may find it easy to assume the teen is the one being unreasonable in such matters, stories like the one we're about to go over illustrate that the truth is often more complicated than that.

Although the 17-year-old girl we're about to hear from has long had issues with her stepdad, a recent incident has also strained her relationship with her mother.

pixabay | StockSnap

As she wrote in a Reddit post, her family has a special needs cat named Muffin whose medical issues have become expensive.

This has led her stepdad to want to have the cat euthanized, but the teen believes she can support the cat even though money is tight.

In her words, "According to my stepdad, if we were stranded on a desert island she’d be the first one to go."

But when she said that doesn't describe their situation, he snapped at her and told her not to talk back. Although her mom told her she doesn't want Muffin euthanized either, she's afraid to stand up to him.

But while this issue simmered for a while, it came to a boil one night when the teen caught her stepdad trying to sneak out the front door with Muffin.

Paramount Pictures via YouTube

As she put it, "I only got him to stop by throwing myself in front of the door."

Worried that he was up to no good and that he'd try again, the teen then fled with Muffin to her boyfriend's house and has remained there since that night.

However, she soon learned that this decision enraged her mother, who said that she will receive no financial support for college if she doesn't come back.

pixabay | nastya_gepp

The teen explained that this isn't such a big problem for her because she has a full ride scholarship and has amassed some decent savings by this point.

Add that to the fact that her boyfriend's family has agreed to let her stay with them until she goes to college and she's confident she'll be able to pay for school and Muffin's needs.

Instead, what has made her cry for hours is the worry that she'll lose her relationship with her mom, which has her doubting whether she made the right decision.

And while the Reddit community she reached out to is firmly on her side, they believed that the teen's mom can't be trusted any more than her stepdad.

As one user put it in a lengthy comment, "She knows his intentions - and she claims it bothers her... But as soon as he gets caught trying to do something to the cat, instead of trying to calm things down and point out that the cat is now out of the house and no longer his financial problem - her reaction was to threaten you - as if this is somehow your fault.

"Your mother is lying to you and she is complicit with his efforts to get the cat put down."

Another user provided some advice to protect her scholarship, as her parents will have renewed power over her if they manage to sabotage that.

In their words, "ASAP you should update your contact details with the college you’re going to attend. They could intercept some important mail that could lead to you losing your full ride."

But ultimately, commenters emphasized that she's not the one who jeopardized her relationship with her mother and that she isn't the one who needs to repair it.

h/t: Reddit | EndOfDaysCredit

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