Would you be upset

Okay I was downstairs watching a movie atleast since 5 and the kids left a little bit into it. Well when the movie was done I came upstairs and I had sat in my room for a bit and I heard Pixie meowing and after a bit of calling her I thought I should go make sure she hadn't got shut up in the closet well the closet was open and she was still meowing and it sounded like it came from the bed so I go to look and meows again and this time I checked the dresser and sure enough she is in the second drawer I open. I tell my dad about it and he says oh well like its no big deal. I call my sister the call drops she calls dad and he goes well I guess she called to tell you the kids locked the cat up in the dresser and they were both laughing about it. I told him he would want to know who did it if they did it to his dog and he rolled his eyes. Well my sister calls back and they are laughing about it again and he told her what I said about the dog and then tells me my niece said she did it because she wanted to be able to pet the cat when she came back. Would you be upset and expect that she atleast be given a time out or just say its kids being kids?

I would definitely be very upset.....the kids will be kids excuse is ridiculous! This is kids not respecting another life, and it sounds like your dad may not be the best influence

Why was NO one keeping a close eye on the children?

That is kids being kids, but I don't mean it as in she should get out of punishment. She definitely deserves a time out. I mean to say that with that excuse it sounds like she didn't know better, and a time out will teach her. I would be upset with your sister though, for both not teaching her daughter how to treat animals as well as being inconsiderate of your feelings about that. Perhaps she thought the dresser drawer wasn't so bad because of how cats like small spaces, but she should still sympathize with your feelings instead of ridiculing them.

I don't think it's kids being kids. Me and my siblings never did that. If we ever did... I'm afraid what would have happened to us.
Our pets are treated like our family. Another person. They aren't hit, hair pulled, ear pulled, anything. Any kid who does that is gonna get spanked. For sure. I'd definitely lay into some kind of punishment for them. I'd definitely be upset over that. Probably furious.

Originally Posted by Leto86

I don't think it's kids being kids. Me and my siblings never did that. If we ever did... I'm afraid what would have happened to us.
Our pets are treated like our family. Another person. They aren't hit, hair pulled, ear pulled, anything. Any kid who does that is gonna get spanked. For sure. I'd definitely lay into some kind of punishment for them. I'd definitely be upset over that. Probably furious.

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Exactly, thats how you were trained as a toddler. If no one had taught you any better chances are you wouldnt know what was wrong and what wasnt. That is part of raising children, teaching them what is okay and what is not.
I would be upset, but having known how your family acts instead of going to them and expecting them to do something, I would start teaching the kids on my own. Help them understand how to behave with cats.

Also not be to devils advocate or anything, but Shelly (moms cat now) and one of her cats in the past would sneak into drawers any time they were open and would end up getting shut in them accidentally on a regular basis... always a fun game of search for the cat after!
Although now Shelly has figured out she can climb into the drawers from the bottom even when they are closed! Is there any chance she may have done this to herself and not known how to get out?

Originally Posted by sharky

Why was NO one keeping a close eye on the children?

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Their mother was here and I was downstairs and their mother kept sending them to their bedroom because they were getting on her nerves and well we had already had one argument because she kept putting them up to grabbing my breasts and such as that and I had told her I didn't like that and she simply cussed me and told me to get real. And I honestly got mad enough to go downstairs to get away from them and being as how Pixie usually stays under my bed when they are here I didn't even really start to notice she was missing till a little while after they had been gone.

If I had a sibling whose child did that to one of MY animals, in MY house, I would tell my sibling that her children aren't allowed in my house either until they have adequate supervision (her mother watching her like a hawk around my animals) or know it is wrong to do things to animals like that.

That is just wrong. Instead of comparing the cat to a dog you could've compared it to a child "You wouldn't allow your child to be stuck in an enclosed area just so you could keep it handy or close by, why is it any different with a cat or any other living breathing animal?"

ugh, people! sorry I am so frustrated for you..

Originally Posted by capt_jordi

Also not be to devils advocate or anything, but Shelly (moms cat now) and one of her cats in the past would sneak into drawers any time they were open and would end up getting shut in them accidentally on a regular basis... always a fun game of search for the cat after!
Although now Shelly has figured out she can climb into the drawers from the bottom even when they are closed! Is there any chance she may have done this to herself and not known how to get out?

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No my niece told my sister that she did it so that she could pet Pixie when she came back the next time.

Originally Posted by Lady Rowan

If I had a sibling whose child did that to one of MY animals, in MY house, I would tell my sibling that her children aren't allowed in my house either until they have adequate supervision (her mother watching her like a hawk around my animals) or know it is wrong to do things to animals like that.

That is just wrong. Instead of comparing the cat to a dog you could've compared it to a child "You wouldn't allow your child to be stuck in an enclosed area just so you could keep it handy or close by, why is it any different with a cat or any other living breathing animal?"

ugh, people! sorry I am so frustrated for you..

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Not my house it is my father's and right now I cannot afford to move out and I don't have my own car as mine is messed up and I am using his and where I live a car is not optional. And so I am hoping at the first of the year and once I pay some bills off I can get my own place. And hope that my dad's eyesight doesn't get worse in the meantime.

It might not seem fair, but can you put a lock on your bedroom door and when the kids are over lock Pixie up until they are gone?
Their mother doesn't keep an eye on them and is teaching them terrible habits. I wouldn't trust any of them (the kids or their mom) to be honest.

Originally Posted by Tavia'smom

Not my house it is my father's and right now I cannot afford to move out and I don't have my own car as mine is messed up and I am using his and where I live a car is not optional. And so I am hoping at the first of the year and once I pay some bills off I can get my own place. And hope that my dad's eyesight doesn't get worse in the meantime.

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ahh that sucks, hopefully you can talk to your sister, tell her that it really hurt you that your niece did that and maybe could explain to her child that it isn't okay to make decisions on how to handle others animals the way she did, and explain to her that the cat's will be there for her to play with regardless of where the cat is.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

It might not seem fair, but can you put a lock on your bedroom door and when the kids are over lock Pixie up until they are gone?
Their mother doesn't keep an eye on them and is teaching them terrible habits. I wouldn't trust any of them (the kids or their mom) to be honest.

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I agree, since you know the kids will misbehave make sure your cat is put away when they are around.

Well my dad is talking abou fixing the heater into the duck work and if he does that I might move to the basement and when they are not behaving lock myself and Pixie down there. and who knows maybe dad will make it into a small apartment for me. It has a fridge down there all it would need is to be moved around an made into a real kitchen area and maybe get one of those japanese screens and it would be alright.

No that's not just kids being kids. When I was a kid, even a very little kid, I would never have done something like that to any animal. Since you don't get a say over who's allowed in the house and who isn't, is there anywhere you could lock her in a room, to keep her safe when the kids are there? Also maybe you could teach your niece to respect animals, and how to be responsible for animals? Since her parents obviously aren't capable of doing that.

I don't think the child should be punished, as she obviously doesn't know any better. At her age, it would make perfect sense to put the kitty in the drawer for next time, if nobody has ever taught her that kitties shouldn't be closed in drawers. Perhaps if you kindly explained to her next time she comes that kitties don't like to be locked up in dressers, and it made the kitty sad that she got closed up like that, maybe she'd actually learn something, instead of punishing her for something she doesn't understand. That wouldn't teach her anything at all.

Originally Posted by rad65

That is kids being kids, but I don't mean it as in she should get out of punishment. She definitely deserves a time out. I mean to say that with that excuse it sounds like she didn't know better, and a time out will teach her. I would be upset with your sister though, for both not teaching her daughter how to treat animals as well as being inconsiderate of your feelings about that. Perhaps she thought the dresser drawer wasn't so bad because of how cats like small spaces, but she should still sympathize with your feelings instead of ridiculing them.

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Originally Posted by Willowy

I don't think the child should be punished, as she obviously doesn't know any better. At her age, it would make perfect sense to put the kitty in the drawer for next time, if nobody has ever taught her that kitties shouldn't be closed in drawers. Perhaps if you kindly explained to her next time she comes that kitties don't like to be locked up in dressers, and it made the kitty sad that she got closed up like that, maybe she'd actually learn something, instead of punishing her for something she doesn't understand. That wouldn't teach her anything at all.

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I have to say I agree. From the sound of it; your niece must be quite young and she cant learn unless someone teaches her. I remember a friend of mine in school telling me how when she was little her mother caught her trying to put the cat in the refigerator because it was hot out and she didn't want her cat to get too hot. Wrong yes, but completely innocent.

There is a boy at my church who for some reason is afraid of cats. He came to a BBQ at my parents house and when he started to act scared of the cats I took him and showed him the cats and talked to him about them. He got brave enough to pet them. He may never be a cat fan; but he knows more about them to not be so scared of every single cat.

Take the time to teach the kids. If they will not learn, I would shut your kitty somewhere safe when they visit and save everyone the headache.

Originally Posted by Tavia'smom

Well my dad is talking abou fixing the heater into the duck work and if he does that I might move to the basement and when they are not behaving lock myself and Pixie down there. and who knows maybe dad will make it into a small apartment for me. It has a fridge down there all it would need is to be moved around an made into a real kitchen area and maybe get one of those japanese screens and it would be alright.

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Just make sure you get a carbon monoxide detector down there if that happens.. Honestly I think I'd lock myself up away from your sister and her kids, too. Awful disrespectful bunch. They all treat you terribly.

Originally Posted by My4LLMA

Also maybe you could teach your niece to respect animals, and how to be responsible for animals? Since her parents obviously aren't capable of doing that.

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I don't know if you've missed her past post about the sister. She teaches her kids to slap, call names, and just generally be disrespectful/abusive towards the OP. If a kid is taught that a person isn't someone they have to listen to or even be nice to, there's no way that child would listen to anything that adult tries to tell them.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Just make sure you get a carbon monoxide detector down there if that happens.. Honestly I think I'd lock myself up away from your sister and her kids, too. Awful disrespectful bunch. They all treat you terribly.

I don't know if you've missed her past post about the sister. She teaches her kids to slap, call names, and just generally be disrespectful/abusive towards the OP. If a kid is taught that a person isn't someone they have to listen to or even be nice to, there's no way that child would listen to anything that adult tries to tell them.

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Thank you all really for the support. And Kaylee normally listens if everyone else is gone but if her mom or my dad is here and I tell her something she says it doesn't matter. And it is all I can do to not want to shake my sister. Because my niece will be the one to suffer for acting that way.
And I have to really watch her with Pixie, but my dad got upset with my sister today. She was walking and not paying attention and his dog was just accidently in her way and she went off and started cussing that poor dog and threatened to run her over and I don't really remember what he said other than she wasn't hurting his baby. But the look he gave her could have killed. I don't know why she is like that she takes spells of being nasty to everyone but is nastiest to me and throws it in my face that she thinks I am damaged due to liking animals the way I do.

Originally Posted by Tavia'smom

I don't know why she is like that she takes spells of being nasty to everyone but is nastiest to me and throws it in my face that she thinks I am damaged due to liking animals the way I do.

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Was she always like that? Did your parents spoil her? Otherwise I would wonder if she didn't have some sort of personality disorder because even if you're exaggerating her behavior, if one tried to look at it more neutrally - something just doesn't seem right about the situation.

I don't know how you manage. I'm a person that can only be pushed so far, and do not like my personal space invaded.

BTW, my mention of wondering whether she could have a personlity disorder is because some of what you describe reminds me of a bi-polar step sibling. Hers seemed to start in her teens, though nothing was done then. It runs in her mothers side of the family