Picture Perfect Illusion: Forgotten Bad Parents in the Warriors Series by Snowpuff

Snowpuff analyzes some of the worst parents in the Warriors series

Disclaimer: This article deals with themes of emotional abuse, neglect, along with enabling actions from others. If these topics bother you, this may be an article to skip out on. If you are currently going through abuse, you are not alone. Contact a helpline, report it, or tell someone you love or trust.

The Warriors series is filled with terrible parents. We all know the select mothers and fathers that failed their children: Rainflower, Spiderleg, Lizardstripe, the list goes on and on. However, there are other parents that others failed to account for. Whether they abused their kits, taught them things they shouldn’t, or didn’t even try to stop ongoing abuse, they are forgotten about. Here are several examples.

Lizardstripe, despite being a minor character, is one of the most famous bad mothers. Only next to Rainflower. However, this is not about her. Rather, her mate. Mudclaw is never mentioned as a bad father, only Lizardstripe. Which, compared to her, he is a saint. But he is still horrible. He knew what his mate and kits were doing to Brokenkit, and he did nothing to stop it. Even when his mate was horrible to his own flesh and blood, he did nothing. He enabled her, and thus created the most twisted leader in Shadowclan. His sheer ineptitude as a father left him on his list.

Leopardfoot had a tragic life. Her mate left her to become a kittypet. Two of her kits died. This left her loving her only kit fiercely. But, ‘how much is too much?’ is a question she should have asked herself. She loved her remaining kit so much, she spoiled him further than rotten. As it would have happened, this spoiling led to Tigerstar becoming one of the most devastating cats to the four clans. Leopardfoot isn’t a bad cat. She only meant well, but her well-meaning heart corrupted the heart of her only surviving son. While definitely the tamest and most justified on the list, it is still worthy to be pointed out.

Brightflower is a cat painted as bad by the Erins, even going as far to have said she was in the Dark Forest in a retconned statement. Even as a kit, Yellowfang had a somewhat rocky relationship with her mother. A loving, yet tough parenting style. She didn’t believe her when she should have. This was always the case. In the minor, such as when Nutkit eats crowfood but Yellowkit didn’t, to the severe. Like when her two kits were murdered, and she immedietly blamed her own daughter who was almost as equally filled with grief. It may have been understandable at first, but the objections of multiple clanmates, including the respected medicine cat Runningnose perhaps could have sparked a light in her head. But it didn’t. Her lack of trust led her to watching her daughter being exiled, not a bit of regret on her face. Certainly not abusive, but spiteful and overreactive.

Dewy Leaf, a minor character with so much personality. For the worse. Arguably one of the most entitled cats in the entire series, when her mate tries to leave for the good of her and their kits because they would starve if they didn’t, she snarles, deflects, and hisses at him multiple times before shouting that their kits would never know their father. Gladly, once they are born, she calms her nerves, but doesn’t get much better in terms of parentage, due to being an enabler to her next mate’s behavior.

On the topic of Dewy Leaf’s mate, Sharp Hail was an unreasonably cruel, along with nepotistic stepfather towards Sun Shadow. Punishing him for petty things, and unreasonably hateful of Moon Shadow being Sun Shadow’s father, Sharp Hail does not treat his kits in a similar fashion. Only Sun Shadow. Gladly, Sun Shadow eventually leaves with Quiet Rain for the established clans, leaving his mother’s incompetance and stepfather’s abuse for good.

It is no surprise that someone as obvious as Rainflower or contemptible as Lizardstripe would be hated, but abuse and terrible parenting is abundant in the Warriors series, if you look behind the picture perfect side of clan relationships. But, this is also an important lesson: abuse is not as showy as we think it is. Rainflower and Lizardstripe were clearly painted as awful cats. But, those that stuck around and did nothing were also to blame. Those who spoil their kit. Those who treat their own kits different from their adoptive ones. As it sadly is in real life, it can happen anywhere.