Keeping Your Pet Family During Financial Hardship

I'd do anything to keep my pet family intact, but honestly, right now is hell for me. Until recently I didn't have an income or support from EDD. I've gone through the retirement funds just trying to live and keep a bit of normalcy in my life. I finally got a part time job paying minimum wage and this will not come close to covering my rent (which I am already behind on) but thank God it is something coming. I share my tuna with the cat, Joey, and collect recyclable bottles to pay for litter. It is tough and I swear to God, I never want to go through this again. EVER! I've gone to every community assistance resource available to get me along. My working friends have been fabulous providing a few resources along the way to help me---toilet paper for one, such a silly thing to think about but without it or a way to purchase it. Damn! Then there is the wonderful friend that left a bottle of vodka on the door step. That was a sweet surprise. Sometimes a good drink is just what the doctor ordered during these stressful times.

I've cried my eyes out. I've sold off my valuables at shameful prices just to patch it along. It's a bloody fight to keep us together I've prayed and somehow I manage to make it another day, week, month and you know what, my kitty Joey has no idea how hard things have been.

Each day Joey wakes to go into the world with no expectations or disappointments, she eats the meal given and once outside goes to the sunny spot on the garden bench. She soaks up the sun and once warm Joey runs to the neighboring field to chase bugs in the wet grass. She has no understanding how poor and dismal things have been but knows that I love her and she receives the best that I have to offer at this time without question or concerned look. She feels safe and loved. To Joey, everything is right in the world and we are very rich. Joey doesn't know about the TARP bail-out funds for financial institutions that screwed the rest of us to the wall, or city managers in Bell CA that voted six figure incomes for themselves and a few subordinates. Joey only knows that the mouse she catches belongs solely to her, it is never taxed or divided among the other cats in the neighborhood, nor is it given to her on a variable rate costing her 5 times more than the day she caught it! Nope. Not Joey-kitty, she has the best of all things and each day is thankful for what she has, and I thank God that Joey chooses me to be her mom, she makes me feel like everything will be okay. and so each day I fight to keep us together until we get through these financial struggles and the economy moves forward at a better pace.