AIBU dss is trying to change the cats name

[SnowWhitesSM]

I am so flipping irritated. He told dh a few weeks ago he was changing the cats name. Dh didn't really pay any attention. He kept on with it and a couple of weeks ago I said (very nicely) that we can't change the cats name as he answers to his name and it will confuse him. Dh said to dss he can give him that name as a nickname.

Tonight he keeps correcting anyone who calls the cats bloody name. I'm not sure why I'm so irritated 😤

I think I need to find lots of things to keep me occupied until Monday morning

Your annoyed because this isn't about the cats name. It's about control and "ownership" over the cat.

I would kindly point out that until he pays for vet bills, cat food and a home to house a cat. He will need to start calling the cat by his correct name.

If I was feeling particularly narky, I would probably start calling DSS by a incorrect name too and correcting others when they tried to correct you. And if DSS started saying I don't like it point out he's doing the same to the cat. Sometimes kids need to be taught empathy.

Wine will help

I've been trying to ignore it hoping that dss will forget about the new name. I'm trying to ignore most things but bloody hell this is grating on me big time.

Does he live with you? (DSS, not cat 😸)

I would give DSS a new nickname and see how he likes it. Too annoying.

Cats generally respond to whoever feeds them, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Our cat has a few names and answers to them all

How old is he? DSS not the cat. I would find this annoying. The cat already has a name.

Is this a situation where if he was your ds rather than your DSs you would just say 'oi, stop it' but you feel as if you can't?

Cats use a vast amount of their intelligence keeping the food coming. Whatever name the foodbearer decides on will not be forgotten

Ignore this whim of DSS. He'll be thinking about something else in a few days.

I think it's funny (sorry)
Here have some and

The look my cat gives me when I call him by his brothers name (his identical brother)

Cats know there names unless there are dreamies involved then they answer to anything

I actually quite like the idea that you start calling DSS by a different name, show him how annoying it is

Why is he doing it?

How old is he?

Dss is 8. If he was my child I could say oi stop it. But I can't, well I could but then DH would look at me with wounded eyes so I won't. I will just ignore it and

The cat definitely knows his name, he looks at either me or dh when we say his name. Dss doesn't usually pay the cat any attention apart from to say bye.

I will hopefully laugh about this in a few years, until then

Finding dss a new name would be funny.

What could I call an 8yr old boy? He's renaming the cat chubbs..

At 8 he's old enough to be told to stop it. Tell him it isn't his cat, he doesn't pay for it. Give him a new name you know will annoy him until he stops.

Your DH shouldn't be pandering to this nonsense either.

Is it chubbs becuase of his weight/size? In which case its even more out of order to bully a family member because of this.

I'd choose something really babyish.

@Pandaly

Is it chubbs becuase of his weight/size? In which case its even more out of order to bully a family member because of this.

I'd choose something really babyish.

He can't bully a cat but it's OK to bully an 8yo child?

I think there are bigger battles OP. Let the boy call the cat what he likes. If the cat doesn't like it he won't answer.

I would literally every time dss corrects someone on the cats name say “no dss that’s just what you choose to call them, cats name is x” and repeat every time.

Oh how annoying. He’s trying to assert some control. My DSD was like this. I had no kids at the time and found it very frustrating not knowing how to handle it. Looking back, I see now that giving her control of something would have helped. Can you give him a job or a responsibility to do that he’s in charge of? I don’t know what that would look like, but I think it would help.

Is it chubbs becuase of his weight/size? In which case its even more out of order to bully a family member because of this.

Bullying a family member?! Give over, it's a cat!

This is just a kid being daft, it's what they do. I'd laugh and ignore. Certainly wouldn't get annoyed about it.

No the cats not particularly chubby. I think its a case of dss trying to find some control in the house. Thats why I'm trying to let it go as the cat won't answer to a different name so I just need to quell my irritation! I am deffo going to find a nickname for dss that would annoy him

He needs to be told that he can’t rename it because it’s not his cat. It’s that simple.

If he was my child I could say oi stop it.

It's your cat so I reckon you still can

@black2black

Oh how annoying. He’s trying to assert some control. My DSD was like this. I had no kids at the time and found it very frustrating not knowing how to handle it. Looking back, I see now that giving her control of something would have helped. Can you give him a job or a responsibility to do that he’s in charge of? I don’t know what that would look like, but I think it would help.

Gosh, imagine, an 8yo wants to have a little bit of control on his father's home. I wonder why that could be?