Mom threatened to kick me out over a piece of wood

oh no it broke!

Is this the same mom as the hoarder mom who kept all of her old clothes and makeup in her kid's room IIRC?

Can it be taken apart to take up less space?

Screw it to the ceiling so it doesn't take up floor space, then knock out the drywall and rip out the insulation for extra square footage. Also if you're on the ground level you can remove the floorboards and store crap in the crawl space.

When dealing with people, it's always better to pick your battles carefully rather than responding emotionally when there's conflict. Are you really willing to die on Clothesrack Hill?

As others have said, it is her house, and she has the right to decide what goes on in it. You have the right to believe her decisions are silly, unfair or even totally irrational, but none of that really matters if she has strong views on some topic.

If your mother freaks out over the idea of getting rid of an unused clothesrack and the thing has no sentimental value whatsoever, that suggests to me that she has problems, and it sounds likely to me that removing yourself would be better for your mental health. That might not be possible at the moment, but if you make it a goal and you start to take positive steps towards trying to find your own place, it might make living with her more tolerable.

How much space does your cat need? My aunt's cat used to sit on my lap and so was technically using the same floor space as me. You don't say whether your cat is dead or alive, though. When my aunt's cat died, she had it stuffed and I found that I didn't want it on my lap any more, as I have an intolerance of stiff cats. I only like the bendy varieties.

ok. so. it's not yours. you don't want it. you're paying rent for, presumably, a room of your own. As in leasing space. but are you paying rent with a legal contract? if not, you're just giving her money and she's letting you live here. Technically if you make it legally binding, then it would be your private space and the "landlord" probably shouldn't be able to put their stuff on your temporary 'property'.

anyway, if you're able to afford paying her rent.... why do you not just move out?? better to pay that money to someone better.

First world issues

Move out and get your own place. Basically it's her house and subsequently her rules. Rent or not. If you were in an apartment, you just cant do whatever you like just because you are paying rent. The apartment still belongs to the landlord. So suck it up buttercup or else move out and be on your own.

I had a similar temper tantrum from my mother and grandmother, then I found out it was my house and chucker them both ouy!