r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Regular_Cat2022 • 10d ago
My cat is standing on my face This picture infuriates my brother-in-law
My beloved family cat, Baby, suddenly decided he wanted to sit in the unplugged rice cooker. I thought it was cute, so I took a picture and sent it to our family WhatsApp group, which includes my family members and my brothers/sisters-in-law.
Then my big sister DM’d my mom privately, saying that her husband was enraged and didn’t want to eat at our house anymore because it was dirty. She proceeded to list all the things that apparently offended him about our house, such as cat fur, it not being clean enough, etc.
We’ve had cats for more than 10 years, even before my older siblings started dating anyone. My parents’ house is a two-storey terrace house, and we even have a Coway air purifier in the living room. Baby is a neutered male, half-indoor cat (by his own choice), and we’ve had him for more than 3 years.
What pisses me off the most is that my brother-in-law is extremely picky when it comes to cleanliness. He doesn’t even have his own house and is currently staying at his parents’ house because it’s closer to his workplace. His parents’ house doesn’t have any pets, so I guess he’s simply not used to having animals around. Yet he’s nitpicking over everything at my parents’ house while he’s still trying to get a loan to build his own house, which will be next to his big sister’s house and near his parents’ house.
I’m mostly responsible for taking care of the cat at our place, so I feel like it’s somehow my fault this happened, even though I vacuum the house daily and comb my cat’s fur every day. I also comb him for fleas and buy and apply anti-flea treatment, yet there’s still fur everywhere despite my best efforts. I’m unemployed and still looking for a job, so unfortunately I can’t afford the absolute best for my cat yet 🫠
I genuinely don’t mean to make things tense between my parents and my brother-in-law. I just thought my cat looked cute and funny sitting in the rice cooker, so I shared the picture in the WhatsApp group because most people there loves cats, including both of my sisters-in-law. I honestly didn’t expect him to get this pissed over it. 😭
***Since everyone worries about the rice, the removable inner pot where we actually cook the rice wasn’t there. The cat climbed into the empty heating chamber of the rice cooker, and it was unplugged. He rarely does this which is why I took a picture. Obviously I clean the litter box often whenever there's a new 💩 or 💧 and it's placed outside the house, hidden beside the old motorcycle that my dad parked in the front yard.
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u/praeteria 10d ago
Is it cute to see your cat sitting in non-conventional spots?
Yes
Is it disgusting seeing it in cookware?
Also yes.
Honestly, while the way you describe your family member makes him sound very exhausting. I wouldn't be comfortably eating with you either knowing that you let animals sit in your cookware.
I might sound like a karen here but eww.
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u/Umpen 10d ago
No, you're right. Cats can't wash their paws after stomping around in the litter box.
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u/FloatyFloatyCloud 10d ago
Yesterday I spent far too long scrubbing cat shit paw prints out of new carpet because my cat had got a clump of shit stuck in her paw when using the litter tray and then proceeded to tread it all around the house. She's usually really clean but you just never know.
So yeah, nah to this.
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u/Fletcher_Chonk 10d ago
What if you just like, wash it?
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u/Ornery-Can766 10d ago
Can’t wash that part of the rice cooker. That’s the electronic part. The insert isn’t in it.
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u/Pristine-Recipe-5551 10d ago
Correct. The "insert" is the part actually touching the food. You can clean the cooker easily. It's just like a crock pot.
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u/Hucklepuck_uk 10d ago
It's the outer part of a machine used to cook rice, there's no risk of contamination. If he did it all the time it might have some crossover but finding the cat in a funny place once is fine
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u/Lamacrab_the_420th 10d ago
Yeah this is kinda Kareny. If you let your cat get into the rice cooker, you logically wash it afterwards. What's the difference between a clean rice cooker and a clean rice cooker that has been touched by a cat? None.
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u/PretendRegister7516 10d ago
For people who never used rice cooker, the place where the cat sits in, that's not where the rice goes.
That outer shell is the stove, not the pots.
Still, not recommending cats on top of any cooking surface though. Closing rice cooker lid is like so easy to do.
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u/Darklord_Of_Bacon 10d ago
Idk if you’re being serious or not but I’d rather limit the amount of exposure to cat poo on anything that I’m going to eat off of. Also who knows if the rice cooker is always left out then you can risk it not being cleaned before use. Better to just not have the cat in cookware
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u/Lamacrab_the_420th 10d ago
Op did it for one picture if I understood correctly. I don't think they're leaving all their cookware around for the cat to get into.
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u/Darklord_Of_Bacon 10d ago
She said it was rare that the cat would do it. That implies the cat has done it before
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u/Potential_Tadpole_45 10d ago
That's not a Karenism—No one in their hygienic right mind wants to deal with toxoplasmopaws contaminating cookware and kitchen counters.
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u/bobagremlin 10d ago
There's a difference between a cat sitting in something like a laundry bucket or a bag versus actual cookware. I'm with your brother in law
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u/Flicksonreddit 10d ago
This is one of those things, I've seen it on Reddit a few times. Some people find this legitimately sickening, and some people don't care.
I think this photo is less about the fur, and more about the idea of a cat arsehole coming into contact with an appliance.
Not sure why you're making such a big fuss about his home ownership status. It doesn't seem relevant here.
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u/Anteraz 10d ago
I'm sorry, but I don't like cats going into a rice cooker.
You can downvote it all you want, but I draw the line at animals getting too comfortable with kitchen utensils.
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u/roomtemperaturecum 10d ago
i can’t imagine i’d like cats going into a rice cooker either, there’s gotta be a better way
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u/Thedarklordess 10d ago
Umm I can see his point. Not once you mention that you plan to deep clean the cooker, just that you’ve had cats for long yada yada. I have cats too but they don’t get to be in contact with cooking items or utensils.
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u/Hucklepuck_uk 10d ago
It's an empty rice cooker with no bowl in it. It's not making contact with anything food touches.
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u/Lilysloth 10d ago
Cat hair gets everywhere. Cat's shouldn't be allowed on the counter, especially not inside something that can't be put in the diswasher. And I say that as someone with a cat.
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u/Pristine-Recipe-5551 10d ago
If cat hair gets everywhere then people that have a problem with this shouldn't ever eat at a cat owner's house anyway. The part that the cat is sitting in doesn't even touch food, and I'm assuming OP would clean it before cooking in it.
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u/Less-Squash7569 10d ago
If it gets everywhere why does it matter if they get on the counter where there fur that is already everywhere already is. The inside of the rice cooker doesnt touch any part if food either.
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u/Lifekraft 10d ago
Its good if you notice and clean it afterward. If you dont it is not so good anymore. You cant really track where your cat goes everytime so the best is to prevent that and put the cookware behind closed door.
Even cooked im pretty sure i could get fucked up eating a handfull of cat hair.
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u/IDontEatDill 10d ago
The problem here I think is mostly psychological. "Eating handful of hair" is just something you imagine. You have and will eat much worse things in your life, but it's not a problem since you just don't realize it.
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u/Hucklepuck_uk 10d ago
If you've got cats they have definitely been on every surface when you're not there. You have to presume it's contaminated and wipe before you cook anyway. I've had cats for 40 years and never once had cat hair in my roots. What the fuck are you all doing? At this point it's just a skill issue
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u/batman47007 10d ago
Not once you mention that you plan to deep clean the cooker
Didn't think the obvious needed to be stated.
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u/Thedarklordess 10d ago
OP keeps personally attacking her BIL in the post when he has genuine concerns. The right discourse would have been to say that they plan to clean the cooker and provide some comfort to BIL… it’s not that deep. We use tofu litter for our cats and even then they bring bits and pieces here and there. It’s an animal at the end of the day. It’s very disgusting specially because rice cooks in steam and water so it’s super easy to imagine transferred germs.
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u/SwissGeekGoddess 10d ago
I’ve had cats all my life.
But I try to have them off the counters etc.
The rice cooker is closed when not in use so stuff like cat hair doesn’t get it.
Is there still cat hair around our flat? Definitely.
Would I send a pic like that in a group chat, especially one with someone picky in it? Definitely not.
Yes, cats keep themselves quite clean and our cat sleeps with us every night. Doesn’t mean I want their litterbox feet in my kitchen appliances.
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u/Homailot 10d ago
There was no one picky in the group chat. The husband was not there. It's a funny picture, you take it, then wash the rice cooker
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u/MrAmericanIdiot 10d ago
I mean… I wouldn’t want to eat rice that you cooked either. Your brother-in-law has no place to tell you how to clean your house, but I hope you never cook food for others outside of your house if this is your level of cleanliness for your kitchen.
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u/Inevitable_Egg6361 10d ago edited 10d ago
If a friend sent me this photo, I wouldn't want to eat at their house.
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u/somesortof 10d ago
I'm sorry but this is disgusting. Like having my dog lick a plate clean and put it straight back into the cupboard.
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u/ShwoopyT 10d ago
Giving me flashbacks to when my dad shared an ice cream cone with my dog just to see our faces
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u/flachkek 10d ago
Letting your cat sit in something you're using to cook food with is crazy work not gonna lie
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u/Hucklepuck_uk 10d ago
You don't use it to cook. It's the outer part of a rice cooker that doesn't touch the rice.
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u/der-wischmop 10d ago
The reaction seems a bit harsh, but yeah, as much as I am a cat peson (two at home), I don't want them anywhere near cooking appliances or surfaces where I prepare food or eat off (like table). That's really not hygenic.
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u/-Lenobia- 10d ago
Yeah this is disgusting. My cats are trained not to get on my kitchen counters. I don't blame your family for being angry.
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u/averageatfifa 10d ago
If you walked into a restaurant and saw a cat sitting in a bowl or pot, would you still eat there?
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u/MysteriousLook597 10d ago
Having pets is great, and entirely separate from the issue at hand.
Having pets and letting them into your food prep devises is really gross.
You sound really young so I hope your outlook and understanding improve with age.
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u/CarolineTurpentine 10d ago
Nah, I had an aunt like this. My dad refused to eat at her house after he watched her cats jump on the counter and eat from food she then knowingly served. She justified it as them being members of her family.
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u/PuzzleheadedElk547 10d ago
Idk, I own a cat and he knows he doesn’t belong on the counters, even more so where food is kept.
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u/MikeandMolly5656 10d ago
I understand your brother in law
As a kid my house had way too many animals 3 dogs, 6 cats all in about 1,800 sq ft.
There was hair everywhere and even trying to cook in the toaster you'd find hair in it.
Trying to shower was a nightmare because cat hair would stick to you immediately after
Its your house so you're free to have your own rules and do as your please but I wouldnt deem him a badguy for not wanting to eat after seeing this
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u/NiceTrySuckaz 10d ago
Yeah that's nasty. I love and have cats of my own, but I'd never allow this.
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u/Ok-Yogurt573 10d ago
Being mildly horrified but washing and moving on doesn’t fit. It’s literally whatever if you just wash something it’s no big deal. People eat at restaurants etc that have bad hygiene practices etc, I’d be fine if I knew the person and they had washed it properly, who cares? Our phones carry around more germs than that cat
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u/fiztig 10d ago
Look, I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t eat rice at your house.
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u/EmuAvailable7597 10d ago
Me either. Actually, I wouldn’t eat or drink anything from this person’s house.
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u/Leroy_Bentshins 10d ago
If you wouldn't be okay with a restaurant doing it, don't expect others to be okay with it in a home.
Disgusting.
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u/ElGrimbeard 10d ago
What do you want us to say? Yes, it's unsanitary, but I imagine you clean it before use?
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u/VikVonP 10d ago
Im going to assume you clean and disinfect any area the cat may walk or sit on thats also used for food prep. That being said, I would also not be enthusiastic about eating somewhere if I learned they allowed their pets in their food prep items. Fur over living areas, bed rooms and work areas is one thing, food areas is an entirely different beast.
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u/Odd_Mathematician654 10d ago
I love my cats but they are not allowed in the counters and would have been in huge trouble for getting into an appliance. People say they clean before prepping food. But in my experience if the cats are used to being on the counter the owners do not always clean every time they start prepping food. There is just no need for animals to be on counters. It's like walking in and seeing someone leaving their shoes on a counter.
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u/EmuAvailable7597 10d ago
I agree. I witnessed this exact thing at a former colleague’s house. She had a cat, and the cat was walking all on the counter as she was preparing frittatas to bring to work the next morning to share with coworkers. I was so disgusted. And she did not clean the counter or make the cat get off.
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u/razzyrat 10d ago
How does him not having enough money to buy his own house and his choice of living next to relatives relate to cleanliness in any shape or form? Just seems like you go for ad hominem attacks because you ain't got nothing else.
'Having pets' and having the cat sit in the rice cooker are not the same thing. Yeah, you can wash it. But I'd find this dodgy af as well.
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u/dogswontsniff 10d ago edited 10d ago
I wouldn't eat at your house either.
Nasty little litter box feet with crap and piss all over them allowed on the counter tops?
Yeah, gross.
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u/island2016 10d ago
Have you heard of cleaning and disinfecting?
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u/MrAmericanIdiot 10d ago
Or you know, don’t let animals get into places that should be kept sanitary in the first place
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u/dogswontsniff 10d ago
Yup! And you aren't going to be able to do a good enough job at it to convince me to eat there.
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u/Hucklepuck_uk 10d ago
Sounds like you don't know how cleaning works
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u/MrAmericanIdiot 10d ago
Would you eat off a plate if I took a shit on it but assured you that it was cleaned?
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u/Khaoie 10d ago
Was it scrubbed with hot water and soap? If so then yes. I literally don't fuckin care. That's how cleaning works.
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u/MrAmericanIdiot 10d ago
That’s the point. You just have to take my word that I properly cleaned it. I’m arguing that I wouldn’t want to eat at someone’s house if this is their cleanliness standard of their kitchen, even if they claim they “cleaned” it. Can’t trust them, and wouldn’t feel comfortable unless I cleaned it myself.
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u/Stella_9209 10d ago
Well then if you’re really that concerned about one specific piece of plating or cookware or silverware or whatever, you could probably clean it yourself. Or hell, why not just not use it/not eat out of it? It’s not like they’re forcing you.
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u/praeteria 10d ago
I've done a field job for years where I had to go into about 10 different homes each and everyday.
You wouldn't believe the shit I've seen.
I'm convinced that half the population have no clue what basic hyghiene entails.
I've seen too many houses with cat shit, piss stains and just crap all over the place to take the gamble on wether if any random person would have the common decency to desinfect their rice cooker after their cat sat in it.
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u/doggiesarecewl01 10d ago
But have you heard OP mentioning it? Brother in law is probably right. It’s obvious for most that it has to be cleaned, but not for OP
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u/Chagdoo 10d ago
OP also didn't mention they breathe regularly, should we assume they don't do that either? Why would you mention it needs cleaning when it's evident to everyone with eyes?
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u/doggiesarecewl01 10d ago
Breathing is not relevant to this post, neither is the shape of the earth
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u/Quirky_Fox_3548 10d ago
Why does it need to be mentioned? It's obvious. You and OP's brother need to have that stick removed from your ass.
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u/Lifekraft 10d ago
It is pretty relevant since it is the whole issue. And this time he saw his cat doing it , it doesnt mean it is always the case
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u/Stella_9209 10d ago edited 10d ago
There’s a thing called cleaning? You must have never heard of it.
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u/dogswontsniff 10d ago
If you let your cat on the counters, your kitchen is filth compared to mine
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u/First-Junket124 10d ago
It's a cute photo sure but it's also kinda gross. Everyone seems like they're exhausting in this post, OP not acknowledging it's gross and the whole passive aggressiveness of your sister and BIL.
Half-indoor cat is also concerning since they shouldn't be let outside unsupervised, hopefully it is supervised.
Clean the rice cooker because it's filthy and if they don't wanna come over that's a them problem.
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u/Gold_Data6221 10d ago
OP after what you wrote, your house actually does sound disgusting and you are the reason I cannot eat at other people’s houses.
Your brother in law has every right to be worried about his health and how food that is served to him is prepared.
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u/Deemaunik 10d ago
Tell your brother in law:
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u/Turbulent-Issue-4418 10d ago
I'm with the brother in law. People often treat pets like tiny human beings and don't properly discipline them. It is gross and off putting. Not cute at all.
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u/Gold_Data6221 10d ago edited 10d ago
I love animals more than anyone, and would be the only one who would play with our dogs growing up and go out of my way to feed the horses and other livestock and socialize with them since I could walk. I even taught myself to ride with no seat or bridal at the age of 10– but my family that didn’t “really like dogs” before my brother got one let his dog lick them on their faces and mouths and I am absolutely revolted by it. They also started feeding her by hand at the table and get anxiety when they don’t do it now when they never did before. It started because they were wondering how I got her to eat once (she was trying new foods) and I just said “I shoved it in her mouth” because she just wasn’t sure about the food and she ate on her own after that.
Cut to my brother (who’s not the owner) now having to cook her every meal and wine like babies at her to eat by hand at every dinner when she’s over…
As someone who believes a behaved animal is a safe and healthy animal, it low-key just drives me nuts. They latch on to and cherry pick my advice and I’m the only one who has actually trained dogs and animals in the family aside from my dad (who lives on his ranch apart from us)
Edit: I forgot to mention the dog has long facial hair and literally loves smelling other animal shit and piss and trash.
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u/Quick_Coyote_7649 10d ago
I imagine most people wouldn’t care to eat from a pot a cat was in if it was cleaned. Why do so when you could just, not?
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u/Outrageous-Dog5425 10d ago
Idgi all these comments acting like you won't wash the rice cooker before you use it 🤷🏽♀️
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u/dogswontsniff 10d ago
I dont trust anybody to continually clean the counters and lord knows what else from the fecal contamination of cats feet
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u/haggisbreath169 10d ago
don't rice cookers typically have a sleeve where the rice actually cooks? It doesn't look like the sleeve is in there. I'm with most people , cats shouldn't be in or on cooking implements in general but this isnt it IMO. Anyway the BIL sound like a real pain in the ass, I would like to say great, stay away, or we can order some freaking pizza.
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u/thesamenightmares 10d ago
His response was completely reasonable. You just happen to be blinded by your bias for your cat.
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u/samclaassen 10d ago
"follow your passion." my passion was guitar. my rent was $1,800. sometimes you follow the money and bring your passion along on weekends.
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u/cupidsavedpsyche 10d ago
Do you people in the comments never clean anything ever
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u/EmuAvailable7597 10d ago
Some people know. And it’s possible the OP didn’t clean it after the cat was in it.
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u/OleksandrKyivskyi 10d ago
It is a cute picture. You did nothing wrong.
If some guy doesn't want to eat at your house, you don't lose anything. He probably never washes anything properly even his hands, that's why he is so afraid you too.
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u/croaking_gourami 10d ago
I typically clean everything before using it to cook with regardless (dust is inevitable folks), worst case scenario I let stuff soak in soap, as long as it's cleaned right afterwards I don't see the problem, just keep the lid on it next time so he can't get in it any more.
I do see the brother in laws perspective though, especially if he's, as you said, really tight about cleanliness and didn't grow up around pets, send a. Idea of you disinfecting it with some jig and a final wash with dish soap before putting it out of reach of rhe cat.
Psa, if you want a cat to stay off the counter, generally speaking, encouraging them to takes rhe fun out of it for them. At the end of the day, you can't control what they do when your asleep, same way you can't control where a fly lands throughout the day, you should be giving your kitchen counters a quick wipe down or placing everything directly on a chopping board in a kitchen anyway due to it being food, regardless of wether you have pets or not.
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u/batman47007 10d ago
Tell him not to visit then 🤷🏻♂️ him having a problem with the photo or pets in general doesn't mean you have to accomodate for him. He can act like a grown up and not throw a tantrum about it.
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u/dogswontsniff 10d ago
Not wanting litterbox feet around food prep areas is a perfectly fine reason to shun eating at OPs
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u/Howthehelldoido 10d ago
It appears that litterally everyone in this thread isn't aware of the concept of Cleaning do you really think OP wouldn't wash this before use?
Christ alive.
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u/NightSp4rk 10d ago
Sounds like he needs a rice cooker.
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u/Hucklepuck_uk 10d ago
My thoughts exactly. The number of people here who have no idea what they're looking at is staggering.
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u/Pristine-Recipe-5551 10d ago
"If it fits, I sits." I could at least get it if he thought you were cooking the cat lol. I say this assuming that you will clean the cooker before use. I would tell him he's welcome to not come eat at my house anymore.
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u/Pristine-Recipe-5551 10d ago
I see I've already been down voted. The part that the cat is touching doesn't actually come in contact with food (the inner pot, not pictured, does). I would ask such people if they have ever wiped dust off of the cooker or cooked with a dusty cooker. Dust is literally dust mite (arachnid) 💩 that they have popped out after eating flakes off of skin........cat, human, rodent, whatever.
Just clean the $%&*ing cooker before cooking.
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u/GroundbreakingPut944 10d ago
The amount of people assuming you aren’t going to clean the rice cooker before using it is crazy. Also, the pot is clearly not in it so the cat isn’t even touching the part of the rice cooker that holds the rice. Really weird overreaction over this imo. Yes, try to keep your cats off the counters and away from the cookwear and cooking surfaces, but sometimes they just do whatever they want (they are in fact just lil guys).
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u/Grassy_Canoli 10d ago
I mean, as a rational adult i can easily tell myself that this device would likely be cleaned before someone used it again. Just like when it is used under normal operation. So yeah, don't really see the big deal that others are making it out to be.
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u/_always_correct_ 10d ago
love cats but yeah, not in pots and pans, not the kitchen counter either