Cruel Roommate Hides Cat All Night While Owner Panics, Gets Instant Karma When Wi-Fi Is Cut

Living with roommates after college can be hit or miss. Sometimes it turns into lifelong friendship. Other times, it becomes a lesson in patience you never asked for.

For one woman who moved across the country for a new job, her living situation quickly turned into a nightmare that crossed a serious line.

What started as petty insults escalated into something far worse, and her quiet revenge ended up earning a lot of support online.

Here’s The Original Post:

A Bad Match From the Start

After graduating college, the woman accepted a job in a new state and moved in with a man she barely knew. They were vague acquaintances who had met only a few times before deciding to share a house. Almost immediately, it was clear they were not compatible.

Her roommate was rude, condescending, and openly disrespectful. He frequently made snide comments about her intelligence, often tying those remarks to the fact that she had been in a sorority during college. He talked down to her, corrected her chores, and insisted that everything had to be done his way, implying she simply was not smart enough to understand basic tasks.

The tension led to several heated arguments. Eventually, both of them stopped trying altogether. She lived in the basement, while he stayed on the second floor. Outside of coming and going, she avoided shared spaces entirely just to keep the peace.

The Night Her Cat Disappeared

The situation took a terrifying turn one night when she came home and realized her cat was missing. This was not a cat who wandered off quietly. He was a large, food obsessed cat who never skipped a meal. The moment she could not find him, panic set in.

She texted her roommate to ask if he had accidentally let the cat outside. There was no response. She searched her room, the common areas, and every place the cat might hide. Still nothing. She could hear that her roommate was home, so she messaged him again, begging him to check his room or at least confirm whether the cat had gotten out.

Once again, he ignored her.

Because the neighborhood was rough and it was already dark, she could not safely search outside for long. Instead, she spent the entire night making flyers, posting online, calling animal control, and contacting her parents. She barely slept and spiraled into a full breakdown, convinced her cat had wandered into the street and been killed.

A Horrifying Discovery

Early the next morning, she searched the neighborhood again. Exhausted and losing hope, she returned home. As she was about to head back to the basement, she heard something that stopped her cold.

A faint, distressed yowl.

She followed the sound upstairs and realized it was coming from her roommate’s locked bedroom.

Her cat was trapped inside his closet.

She immediately started calling and texting him, but he did not come home for several hours. When he finally arrived and unlocked the door, her cat was released with no explanation. Given the cat’s personality and volume, there was no believable way this had been an accident. There was no chance the cat had quietly slept all night without being noticed.

To her, it was clear. Her roommate had intentionally locked her cat in his closet and ignored her while she panicked all night.

Choosing Peace Over Confrontation

At that point, there was only one month left on the lease. Rather than escalating the situation or risking her cat’s safety again, she made arrangements to stay with family for the final month.

One detail mattered greatly. The internet account for the house was in her name.

She paid the last month of service in full, packed her belongings into a U Haul, and quietly prepared to leave. Before driving away, she unplugged the rented router and returned it to the provider. Then she left town early with her cat, without saying a word.

Here’s the comments of Reddit users:

Many commenters felt she had shown far more restraint than they would have.

Several said that cruelty toward animals crossed an unforgivable line, and that losing internet access was a mild consequence compared to the fear and distress he caused.

Others joked that they hoped the cat had left unpleasant surprises in the closet, or that the roommate lost part of his security deposit because of lingering smells.

Some even suggested she should have reported him for animal abuse.

Why This Story Struck a Nerve

The reaction online was intense because the issue went beyond roommate conflict. Pet safety is a serious matter. Studies from organizations like the ASPCA note that pets experience real stress and physical harm when confined without food, water, or access to a litter box. Locking an animal in a small space for hours can lead to dehydration, anxiety, and long term behavioral issues.

Commenters also pointed out the power imbalance at play. The roommate ignored her texts, dismissed her panic, and had already established a pattern of belittling behavior. The missing internet was not sabotage. It was simply her choosing not to continue providing a service she paid for after moving out.

A Quiet but Satisfying Lesson

In the end, she got what mattered most. Her cat was safe, and she removed herself from a toxic living situation. Her response was calm, legal, and avoided further confrontation. For many readers, that made it even more satisfying.

The story serves as a reminder that sometimes the best revenge is not dramatic or loud. Sometimes it is simply walking away, protecting what you love, and letting someone experience the consequences of their own actions.