Pexels/Reddit

Giving away something that belongs to someone else, even if it seems unused, is one of those situations where citing “good intentions” isn’t a good excuse.

A teenager who wanted to help a friend who had just gotten a new cat packed up some supplies and set out an old scratching post from the house without getting full clearance from his mom first.

To his credit, he did try to call first, but when his mom didn’t answer, he decided to proceed anyway.

The drama started when his mom caught him setting out the supplies on the Ring camera — and she made her distaste quite clear.

He thinks his mom totally overreacted, but Redditors in the comment section weren’t so sure.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

AITA for trying to give my mom’s old cat toy to my friend when she just got a new one?

My friend, I’ll call him Finn (18M), just got a new cat and needed supplies because it was very last minute and his mom wasn’t really on board with it at the time.

He asked for a litter box, cat food, and litter.

So he was more than happy to help Finn out.

I was willing to give all of that to them, and I did — I packed everything in a bag and waited for him to pick it up.

I thought they could use some toys too, so I called my mom to see if I could give some to them.

But when he didn’t hear back, he decided to improvise.

She didn’t pick up, so I just grabbed the old cat scratching post we had and put it outside for them to pick up.

I had to go to work that day and they didn’t know if they would be there in time to get it.

When his mom found out, she wasn’t happy at all.

When I was putting it outside, my mother saw me on the Ring camera and started screaming at me, asking what everything was doing outside and why that stuff was out there.

He tried to plead his case, but it only made his mother more upset.

I tried explaining that my friend just got a new cat and they were going to come pick up some stuff I had packed for them.

She immediately got mad and said I shouldn’t be touching her stuff.

He can’t understand why this is making her so upset.

I got a little mad because we just got a new scratching post that is exactly the same as the old one, so I didn’t know why she needed or still wanted the old one — it probably would’ve been thrown away anyway.

I put it back inside because I was tired of going back and forth, told my friend what happened, and now they don’t want to pick up the other stuff and had another friend get their supplies instead.

He knows his mom had no use for it, so it makes him even madder that she’s being so dramatic about it.

I’m really upset with my mom because there’s no way she was still going to use that scratching post, or that our cats were still going to use it.

I just think it’s really stupid that she was so mad and didn’t have any decency in her heart to sacrifice something for someone who couldn’t get it themselves.

I’m really upset, but AITA?

This young man’s intentions were good, although the execution was a little shaky.

What did Reddit have to say?

This commenter finds him in the wrong for two reasons.

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He really should have asked for permission first.

“Entitled” is the word this reader chose.

Some people like to hold onto things even when they aren’t in peak condition.

His mom’s reaction was a lot, but she still had a point.

Deciding that something in a shared household is basically unused and therefore fair to give away isn’t his call to make, and Redditors were pretty quick to point that out.

Sure, the scratching post was probably never going to see another cat again. But “probably” isn’t permission.

His intentions were genuinely kind. His friend needed help, and he wanted to provide it.

But sometimes good intentions aren’t enough.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a family who is resisting pressure from the HOA to remove their tree and lights.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.