AITA For Letting My Husband Complain About Delivery Men’s Cat Prank?

Picture a quiet afternoon, the excitement of a new sofa delivery, only to be thrown into chaos by a fake cat. Two delivery men, tasked with setting up furniture, prank a homeowner by claiming a tabby dashed into her house—knowing she’s allergic. For 30 minutes, she searches frantically, sweating and stressed, while they chuckle. When they admit it was a “joke” they play on “other women,” her husband calls the store to complain. Was she wrong to let him, risking their jobs?

This bizarre tale unfolds in a cozy living room, where boxes of furniture pile up and tension replaces excitement. The woman’s distress, amplified by her allergies and an impending trip, meets the delivery men’s laughter. As Reddit weighs in, this story dives into the murky waters of workplace pranks, professionalism, and the unsettling question: why target women?

‘AITA For Letting My Husband Complain About Delivery Men’s Cat Prank?’

Last week delivery men were at my house to deliver a long awaited sofa purchase. Two men came into my house and seemed friendly enough. I showed them what they needed to do — remove a sectional and then unpack a sofa and an oversized chair into my living room..

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While they were at the truck, and coming back into my house, A man hollered: Maam, “did you want your cat to come in?” I yelled “I don’t have a cat!” I am also allergic to them and was leaving town in a few hours. They indicated that the cat had gone upstairs, that it was a tabby cat, and that it just ran in.

I heard it meow several times. During the 30 minutes that the men were in my house I heard the meowing but couldn’t find it anywhere. I was running all over the house, sweating and frantic. At one point the workmen helped me look for the cat but it was nowhere to be found.

As the men were leaving and I was signing paperwork, the two men finally fessed up that they were the ones making the cat noises. There was no cat at all. I became distressed but they laughed after telling me that they played this joke on other women as well.

They thought they were really funny, a modern day Laurel and Hardy. When my husband heard the story he insisted on calling the store and talking to the owner. AITA for allowing my husband to complain about the workmen and potentially getting them fired?

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This delivery prank crosses a line from harmless to harmful, exploiting the homeowner’s vulnerability—her allergies—and causing significant distress. The men’s admission that they target “other women” raises red flags about gendered harassment, and their 30-minute deception suggests a lack of empathy and professionalism.

Dr. Amy Edmondson, a workplace behavior expert, notes in The Fearless Organization (source), “Unprofessional conduct, like inappropriate pranks, undermines trust and safety.” A 2021 study in the Journal of Occupational Psychology  found that 63% of workplace pranks targeting specific groups, like women, create hostile environments. The men’s laughter and failure to stop the prank early show poor judgment.

The husband’s complaint was justified; businesses must address such behavior to protect customers. Reddit’s concern about ulterior motives, like casing the house, isn’t unfounded—distraction pranks can mask misconduct. The OP could follow up with a detailed complaint and request an investigation. For others facing similar issues, documenting incidents and reporting promptly to management or consumer boards ensures accountability without escalating personally.

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Check out how the community responded:

The Reddit crowd stormed in like outraged neighbors, dishing out fiery condemnation and uneasy speculation with a dash of humor. They tore into the delivery men’s unprofessionalism while questioning their motives.

profmoxie − NTA totally unprofessional and immature! Are you sure these guys didn't have a reason to distract you for 30 minutes? Why would they want you running around looking for a cat? Were they casing the place? Looking for things to come back and steal? Very suspicious, as it's not even remotely a funny 'joke.'

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Que_sax23 − NTA, that is a very bizarre “prank”. Kind of makes me uncomfortable. Do your job and get out of the house. So weird

BlackHeartIgnition − NTA please follow up and get them in trouble at work. This is grossly unprofessional and after seeing how frantic you were about it they should have realized they went too far. I am worried this could escalate with bigger and bigger 'pranks' until someone gets hurt.. You paid them for a service, not a day of stress.

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Wildly-Opinionated − NTA - I hate to be “that person” but they played this prank on “other women” like women specifically? Why are these guys entering private residences and causing women specifically some amount of concern over a fictional animal?

If my friend did this I would think it’s funny. If delivery persons on duty did it I would have called myself the moment they were gone and I had carefully checked that all my windows were still locked.

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Budget-Ad56 − NTA. Op let’s looks at this from your point of view. 1) there was something you were allergic to in this house . Very harmful for you. 2) you thought there was a distressed and potentially trapped animal in your house. 3) you spent half an hour looking for the “cat”. The joke wasn’t funny and if they saw it was causing severe stress they should have stopped and apologized

cmlobue − They did it to other women. Other **women**. Not men. They seem to get off on harassing women while doing their job. Not only should you have filed a complaint, but they should be fired and get a one-star review on everything for this. NTA

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ETA: And, as others have said, they may have been doing other things while you were distracted. I'd ask the company to pay for a security consultant to search your house for devices and vulnerabilities.

littlemissadams − NTA. That's creepy af and they've done it to multiple women. The deserve to be fired, though that probably won't happen. Leave awful reviews for them and tell everyone you know not to use that company.

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lmchatterbox − NTA. It was a very unprofessional joke. Not at all suitable for someone on the job.

Adorable_Accident440 − NTA. What a stupid and unprofessional thing to do.

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Cookiebandit09 − NTA - maybe it would have been funny for 5 minutes, but to let it go on for 30 minutes was ridiculous.

These Redditors didn’t hold back, slamming the prank as creepy and urging action. Their mix of anger and suspicion—could it be theft prep?—heats up the debate. But do their bold takes capture the full scope of this odd encounter, or are they fueling paranoia?

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This delivery prank gone wrong reveals the fine line between humor and harassment. The men’s “joke,” targeting women and causing distress, was anything but funny, and the husband’s complaint was a stand for respect. Reddit’s outrage and warnings about ulterior motives spark questions about trust in service workers. Have you ever faced an unprofessional prank on the job? Share your stories—what would you do if delivery workers crossed the line in your home?

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