Should I Have Dematted My Neglected Sisters Cat? | AITA

AITAH for dematting my sister's cat? A neglected feline, matted and in discomfort, prompts a heated debate over proper pet care and grooming responsibilities.

Damjan

Published in Interesting
23 Dec 2025

Should I Have Dematted My Neglected Sisters Cat? | AITA

In the world of pet ownership, the bonds we form with our furry friends can be both rewarding and challenging. However, when neglect comes into play, it raises serious ethical questions about who is genuinely responsible for their well-being.

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In a recent Reddit thread, one user shared their experience stepping in to help their sister's cat, who was suffering from severe matting, after repeated attempts to get their sister to take action were ignored. The original poster felt compelled to take matters into their own hands, purchasing a dematting tool to address the cat's condition when their sister failed to act.

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While their intentions were clearly to alleviate the cat's discomfort, the aftermath of their actions sparked a fierce debate about proper pet care and the definition of animal neglect. The sister expressed outrage, accusing the poster of animal abuse and insisting that the mating was not a serious issue.

This situation has opened the floodgates for a lively discussion, prompting Reddit users to weigh in on the responsibilities of pet ownership, the ethics of intervention, and the potential harm of neglect. As opinions vary, the community is left to ponder: who is really at fault in this tangled tale of fur and family?

Join the conversation and share your thoughts!

Original Post

First I want to say is that I don't really consider it her cat she just picked it out but she doesn't feed it or do anything like that. I recently noticed the cat was very matted on his back.

I let her know about it last month but nothing was done about it. I ended up buying a dematter for him And dematting him it wasn't fun for him and yes I was pulling his hair.

She asked me not to do it because she was going to just use scissors on his hair. I waited a couple of days for her to do it and she didn't.

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So I just dematted him I tried to do it as fast as I could and yes I was pulling his hair but I got rid of all the matts. And the.

I gave him a bunch of fresh catnip after and he watched birds out the window. And I left him alone.

I let her know I removed the matts. And she asked if it pulled his hair and hurt and I said yes some.

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And she started flipping out on me and wouldn't leave me alone. She told me to never do that again and I said actually I'm going to do what I want.

Don't neglect your cat you do nothing for it I'm gonna do what I want. And she started screaming about how I was an animal abuser.

She said it's not like the matts were going to k**l him and that it's just like having dread locks and it wasn't a big deal that he had them.