Whenever I went abroad, my house and pets were usually taken care of by one of my grandmas. Granted, by the time we got back, they'd be a lot chunkier than when we left, but at least they were safe and happy.
Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have that same experience. After all, leaving our belongings — and most importantly, our pets — in someone else's care is always a gamble. While everything can go smoothly, it can also turn into a complete nightmare, just like in today's story. A couple left their home in the care of their 19-year-old relative, and well... here's what happened.
Read more: Reddit
Any homeowner knows the struggle that comes with trusting their place to someone else while they're traveling — it's nerve-wracking
Image credits: magnific / Magnific (not the actual photo)
So when a couple went abroad for a while, they decided it would be best to trust a relative, a 19 year old guy, to watch over their home and pets
Image credits: senivpetro / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Since the 19-year-old was newly licensed, the couple never gave him permission to use their car, and instead tucked away the keys among their belongings — but it wasn't enough
Image credits: diana.grytsku / Magnific (not the actual photo)
After rummaging through their personal belongings, the young adult found a key and got a way to make the car run
Image credits: OP / Imgur
He ended up crashing the car and told a web of lies to his family members, who immediately put the blame on the owners for allowing him to drive, which they never did
Image credits: magnific / Magnific (not the actual photo)
After telling him he was no longer to care for their home, the 19-year-old was taken to the house to pick up his belongings, and now the pets were entrusted to a pet sitter
Image credits: wirestock / Magnific (not the actual photo)
However, while getting his things, the man restarted the nightmare all over again
Image credits: OP / Imgur
The sitter went over to the couple's place to care for the pets, and ended up not finding the cat, which sent everyone into emergency mode
Image credits: pch.vector / Magnific (not the actual photo)
After everyone searched for the missing indoor cat, the woman's mother finally found the kitty, and it became obvious the 19-year-old let the cat out
Image credits: Direct-Caterpillar77
Thankfully, their support system ended up being able to find the wrecked car, find the cat, and care for their home after one young adult practically sabotaged their trip
The Original Poster (OP) in today's story is a woman who went abroad for a month. She and her partner decided it would be best to leave their home in the care of a housesitter, so they asked their 19-year-old nephew to look after not only their belongings, but also their pets. However, it wasn't long before they received a concerning phone call.
Apparently, the woman was told that someone had crashed into her partner's car. After speaking with other family members, though, she realized there was another version of the story. The rest of the family had been led to believe that the couple had given the recently licensed 19-year-old permission to drive the car, which supposedly led to the crash. But it turns out, he stole the car keys himself.
Eventually, a friend found the car and took the keys, but the situation only escalated from there. After telling the housesitter that he was no longer allowed to care for their home, the couple told him he could only enter the house to get his things. But when new pet sitters arrived to take over, they realized that the couple's black-and-white cat was missing, and chaos ensued.
By that point, the woman was convinced the 19-year-old had something to do with the cat's disappearance. Family members, friends, and just about everyone they knew joined the search, while animal tracking services were hired and the police got involved. Thankfully, after several days, the OP's mother managed to find the injured cat and bring him home safely.
Image credits: zinkevych / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Nowadays, pet-sitting services are everywhere. But naturally, most of us would rather leave our homes with someone we know. After all, it's not easy to hand over your house to complete strangers, especially when pets are involved. Interestingly enough, research suggests that informal pet care actually comes with a higher risk of pets escaping and property damage, mostly because relatives aren't trained on protocols.
And then there's the emotional side of things. Losing a pet, even while they're in someone else's care, can be incredibly traumatic. In fact, psychologists have studied pet loss and found that it often triggers a unique type of trauma marked by hypervigilance, guilt, and intense distress. Basically, the owner's mind is constantly bouncing between hope that they'll find their pet and fear that they won't.
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending, at least for the cat. The partner's car, though? That's a different story. The OP says her partner doesn't want to file a complaint because he doesn't want to leave his nephew with a criminal record. At the same time, legal experts explain that without a formal police report, insurance may not cover a stolen car that was later crashed under standard policy terms.
Understandably, her partner doesn't want to ruin his nephew's future, but he also put their family through an incredible amount of stress, and netizens were quick to point that out. Many thought they should sue, while others hoped the cat going missing was just an accident rather than something intentional. But what do you think? Should they go ahead and file a formal complaint?
Hoping the 19-year-old didn't get away with only a slap on the wrist, netizens flooded in with comments hoping the couple sued the man
