If you are planning to welcome a pet into your home, there are lots of exciting things to prepare.
But perhaps nothing is so much fun as picking out your new pet's name.
Sadly, one teenager who was overjoyed to learn he could adopt a cat for his birthday had his excitement damped when his family reacted negatively to his choice.
Not only did the youngster's family cruelly mock his choice, but they took to calling his pet by another name.
And now the boy has been left feeling "guilty" for upsetting his family, who were angered because they thought he should have picked a "cuter" name.
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The teen's dilemma came to light after the 14-year-old took to Reddit's Am I the A**hole forum to ask for advice.
He wrote: "I’ve always loved cats since childhood and always wanted to have one."
So when his dad got him a cat for his birthday, the teen "was really excited about it and almost cried."
"I also found out that he’s a very shy cat, which made me like him even more since I’m shy too," he added.
And when it came time for the animal-lover to choose a name, he took time to pick one with a special meaning.
He explained: "I thought about it for a while but then decided on the name Albert because that’s the name of my favorite/comfort YouTuber. I mean, I know it’s a stupid name for a pet but it holds a kinda special meaning for me I guess?"
But his family refused to accept his choice.
His post continued: "Well, then they proceed to call me an AH for naming my cat like that because it’s embarrassing for them. And I totally understand that, but they suddenly tell me to change the name into something cuter like ‘Coco’ or something but I refuse."
"And now they’ve been kinda mad at me and started calling my cat a different name. It upsets me a bit, but like I said I understand why. But now I also just feel really guilty for making my family upset."
The confused teen then asked fellow Reddit users if he was being unfair.
And his post was quickly flooded with reassuring messages, telling the writer he is not at fault.
One person wrote: "Human names on pets are my favourite and hardly uncommon, what a strange thing for them to be upset about."
A second added: "It is YOUR cat, you can name it whatever you want. Plus, Albert is a cute name for a cat."
And another agreed: "Any name is a good pet name and I for one love the name Albert, although I may be biased since I called my cat Gilbert.
"If your family wanted to name a cat, they should have gotten a family cat. It's your cat, you name it."
Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.
