It’s hard to ask for money from strangers. I feel embarrassed for some reason. But I can endure it when I think of who I’m doing this for.
Approximately four months ago, I found out about a situation that had been going on in my apartment complex.
A stray cat was being feed secretly. She was so calm and so unbelievably cute. For a long time I assumed she belonged to someone in the complex. But turns out no one wanted to claim her because management has a deposit of $500 for any pets plus an additional $50 on rent. Still, someone was feeding her because she would always come back. At one point, I heard the pound was called but they couldn’t catch her.
Things got complicated when, because no one owned her and she wasn’t spayed, she got pregnant. I don’t know what happened to that first litter but I never saw them anywhere. The second time she got pregnant, two neighbors tried to help. She gave birth in one of their patios and they quickly gave them away to people outside the complex. Only two remained and that’s when I became aware of the situation.
I rushed over to see them, maybe help get them adopted, when I saw her. One kitty was pitch black. I immediately knew she wouldn’t get adopted. There’s superstition surrounding black cats in my community. She was going to be tossed aside and become a target to cruelty. I just knew it. And though I’ve never owned any pets, I knew I had to do something.
I took her in.
I wasn’t worried about her sibling because he was the spitting image of the mom. He would be adopted soon.
I hide her in my unit as long as I could. I got her checked out and vaccinated as per needed. She was healthy thankfully. I wanted to spay her as soon as possible but the vet recommended waiting until she was 6 months old. I named her Midnight. I fell in love with her. I waited anxiously.
A neighbor approached me and made small talk before quipping “you know, there’s a fee for owning pets”
My blood ran cold. She said it so casually but I knew she knew. I didn’t know why but she was giving me a warning. If she knew, others knew. And they would tell. I’d rather tell myself, so I did. I contacted management and made an appointment to update my lease. I now had a payment of $500 I was hoping to put off until after her spay, which would be around $400 to $500. I can’t afford both on top of my usual bills. Rent alone is $1000.
I don’t regret anything. I wish I could’ve done more but I’m happy with where I am. I would greatly appreciate any help.
Thank you.
paypal.me/laimahalo