ghost cat wrote to us with a problem, hoping we could offer advice on how to re-home her 4 bonded cats that she desperately does not want to give up. With your help, we hope to be able to do one better than that, because rehoming the cats would solve one problem but would most likely create another emergency, which you will understand if you continue reading.
ghost cat did not write asking for money, but if we can come up with $2,500 together, that will get ghost cat on her feet and allow her to keep her family together.
If you want to help, you can use any of the site donation options – look for the *red balloon in the sidebar – and john will send ghost cat a cashiers check.
From ghost cat:
I’m in a very difficult position in my life at the moment and need advice about possibly rehoming my four cats. They are my prescribed emotional support animals, and they also play a major role in my therapy for major depressive disorder and complex PTSD from long-term child abuse.
I need to find a new place to live for the reasons listed below, and my current financial situation is very poor, and I’m worried that I can’t give my cats the care they need. As much as I don’t want to, I may need to give up my cats.
I’m asking for advice because it’s highly unlikely that I’ll be able to find a new home locally that would take my whole family of four bonded cats.
After not being able to pay my rent in full for a few months, I got a notice to vacate my apartment, effective November 30, and then I got a summons to a trial. (The eviction moratoriums don’t protect people who have a month-to-month lease.) This was a huge blow at one of the worst possible times.
Fortunately I was able to get an attorney from NM Legal Aid for the trial, and the case was dismissed.
I still need to move, but I do not owe back rent. I’m facing the usual costs of moving—two month’s rent, damage deposit, transfer of utilities and Internet, etc.—and of course, in the category of when it rains it pours, I also need to replace my laptop, which has a bulging battery that has cracked my trackpad.
One property management company has accepted my application, and they’re OK with the cats (with increased rent and damage deposit).
I’m beyond stressed about finances. Regardless of how much I depend on my cats for my emotional well-being, I can’t see when that will improve. Right now, if one of them needed veterinary care beyond required vaccinations, I couldn’t afford it.
Thank you for any advice you guys could give me at this time.
More about ghost cat and the kitties:
I adopted two cats, Oliver and Nozomi, each around 9 months to a year old, from our municipal shelter in September 2019. A few months later I started fostering two 8-week-old bonded kittens who needed some help with human socialization, also part of my therapy.
In New Mexico, community spread of COVID was confirmed and the animal shelters shut down around the time I needed to decide whether to formally adopt these kittens. I work from home as a freelance medical editor and copy editor and was doing OK financially.
By that time, all four cats were fully bonded and acting like true siblings, so I adopted the two kittens. They are Lyra and Pantalaimon. My experiment in building a harmonious cat family succeeded beyond my expectations.
All four usually sleep together in a cuddle puddle on the bed or next to me on the sofa loveseat where I usually sit to work. They all groom each other, and they groom me, which I find quite flattering. I love them all and will have a very difficult time coping if I have to give them up, but I feel obligated to put their needs ahead of mine at the moment.
I never imagined the pandemic was going to be this awful and drag on for so long, and I really underestimated how much it would affect my mental health, which has fallen off a cliff, along with my ability to make a living.
Thankfully, freelance work is picking back up, and ghost cat will be able to afford rent and care for the kitties, if she can just get over this bump in the road.
If you want to help, you can use any of the site donation options – look for the red balloon in the sidebar. john will send ghost cat a cashiers check.
*I see a red balloon, but Gin & Tonic sees a black balloon. Gotta love a million device/browser combinations.
RedDirtGirl
I will gladly chip in!
Gin & Tonic
I see a black balloon, not a red one, next to “ways to support our site.” Same thing?
WaterGirl
@Gin & Tonic: Yes! Really – you only see a black balloon? :-(
What device and browser are you using, if I may ask?
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
Done! Such lovely kitties.
Gin & Tonic
@WaterGirl: Chrome 87.0.4280.88 under Windows 7 on a desktop PC.
Beautifulplumage
I have to create an account to donate, any thoughts on which platform is easiest & least intrusive?
Luthiengineer
I sent some. Cute cats!
I miss having 4, we’re down to one. But I turned allergic to cats after I rescued two when I was an adult. Kept them around until they gave out, poor kitties, after 16 and 18 years. Wife brought two home early on when we were dating. Only one of hers is left.
WaterGirl
@Beautifulplumage: I love Venmo, which I had to get because my law guy wanted to be paid that way. I hate PayPal, but they are apparently owned by the same company. On the other hand, Venmo has to be done from an app, and PayPal can be done from the computer.
Luthiengineer
@Beautifulplumage:
I like paypal, though Zelle is often a part of your banking app now. If you use an app for your bank, you should check. You might only have to register from within your app, and it’s usually safe because it’s part of the banking app. Harder to get scammed maybe?
edit: Run on sentences are a thing that I do.
Beautifulplumage
@WaterGirl: thanks, I was leaning towards them
JaySinWA
@Gin & Tonic: Windows 7 may be trying to tell you something.
Raven
@WaterGirl: Dun. Venmo is weird, I see all these transactions for friends I have sent $ to but have nothing to do with me.
Laura Too
I’m in, I added a note but I’m sure John knows what it’s for. Beautiful kitties, grateful thaat I am finally able to help!
WaterGirl
@Raven: Yeah, with Venmo you have the choice of just seeing your transactions or all transactions with anyone you have a transaction with.
Click the single face instead of the two faces and you’ll only see yours.
JaySinWA
@Beautifulplumage: You can check and see if your bank or credit union is affiliated with one of the options. You will need to activate it but it might be easier to manage than a standalone account.
Or what @Luthiengineer: said.
MisterForkbeard
Weirdly, the BJ PayPal Links sidebar just throws me a “your session has expired” in PayPal. No ide what that’s about as I’ve logged in a few times and had the same issue.
I think the link was made incorrectly, maybe
TomatoQueen
Red balloon, Firefox 84.0.2 (64-bit) Win10 with a new and obstreperous update (it meant business), Lenovo ThinkPad. Glad to help out.
Percysowner
I chipped in. I was pleased to see Cole has a Patreon now. I love using that for people I follow, so I signed on to that as well.
BruceFromOhio
PayPal, Venmo, Zelle are all pretty interchangeable. I’m about to PayPal to John to chip in.
ghost cat, are you running mac or Windows for your editing?
JaySinWA
@MisterForkbeard: It looks like the proper link to me. I get the timeout message at signin if I haven’t signed out of some services explicitly and let it time out instead.
SFBayAreaGal
Thought I let you know, I see a blue balloon.
West of the Cascades
Pitched in. Thank you for letting us know about ghost cat’s situation and her beautiful kitties.
(also – on this site – wouldn’t a green balloon be a better attention-grabber than a red balloon?)
Raven
@BruceFromOhio: I don’t think Ghost Cat is here/
Raven
@West of the Cascades: Color blind folks can’t see red so, yea.
MisterForkbeard
@JaySinWA: Yeah. I immediately signed back in and tried again, but… <shrug>
I’ll try again from my computer in a bit.
Ann Marie
Done. Good luck to ghostcat and her kitties!
skerry
I’m in for the kittens.
The balloon is red.
JaySinWA
@SFBayAreaGal: Turning on high contrast mode in Chrome turns the balloon blue, but it makes the pictures look like color negatives. Rather ghastly/ghostly.
caphilldcne
I’m in. Good luck ghost cat.
Timill
I’ll check the back of the sofa…
Any chance of a tracker?
narya
I already donate monthly via PayPal; how do I add an additional one-time amount for this fundraiser?
mali muso
I chipped in a bit. Good luck to ghost cat and the kittehs! (I see a red balloon)
WaterGirl
@MisterForkbeard: That’s interesting. When I click it, I get prompted for my PayPal login.
WaterGirl
@Percysowner: John thanks you!
WaterGirl
@BruceFromOhio: Did you mean that question for ghost cat? Or for me?
WaterGirl
@SFBayAreaGal: Not really, right? Or really?
WaterGirl
@West of the Cascades: You are so right about the green balloon! I thought about it, but that wasn’t one of the options for my emojis.
rikyrah
Sent what I could to Venmo.
Let’s keep them together.????
WaterGirl
@Timill:
What does that mean?
NotMax
@skerry
Balloon? I see a red tape measure.
;)
WaterGirl
@narya: I think you would go in and make a one-time donation, just like you would if you were paying someone you didn’t have a monthly donation with. But someone who has done that with PayPal might have a better answer.
Appreciate the monthly donation!
narya
@WaterGirl: I think maybe a running total donated?
Beautifulplumage
OK, finally catching up with kids with a payment app.
Best wishes for ghost cat and their lovely kitties who should not be split up!
And fuck 2020 for what it did to our mental health. Blech
Raven
@narya: Hard with more than one platform
WaterGirl
@narya:
Oh, that would make sense.
@Timill:
I think we are at 1,000 at this point.
Di
Chipped in what I could. Best of luck, ghostcat. Your kitties are beautiful!
satby
In also! Best of luck to ghost cat and her brood.
SiubhanDuinne
The balloon is red. ?
I’m in. I hope Ghost Cat and her kitties can stay together for a long time to come.
arrieve
I’m in. Can I just say how much I love this place (most of the time) ?
Haroldo
Sent some dough.
CaseyL
Chipped in! Must save this lovely little family!
PIGL
Done.
Please let us know if/when we get the family over the top.
PS: the balloon is red for me, too.
SiubhanDuinne
O/T question for Water Girl: Is it too late for me to order one more BJ calendar? I ordered and received both versions, but gave one of them to a friend, and I’ve decided I really want to own both.
Steve Stuart Stonestacker
Well this finally got me to de-lurk. It’s only been 5 years or so. Can’t stand to see ghost cat and the kittens scattered to the four winds. I hope my bit helps.
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: It is not too late to order calendars.
When we added the LOOK FORWARD & BACK link in the blue box up top, I added the calendar link under Calling All Jackals in the sidebar.
Calling All Jackals
Site Feedback
Submit Photos to On the Road
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Meetups: Proof of Life
2021 Pets of Balloon Juice Calendar
Did I remember to add that to the hamburger menu on mobile? No i did not!
But it is there now. :-)
WaterGirl
@Steve Stuart Stonestacker: Welcome!
Love your nym. Don’t know if you made it up or if it is a reference to something, but either way it is very fun.
BruceJ
@narya: Just make a one-time donation it doesn’t change the monthly thing, which is a different transaction.
Also sent some $$ Balloon Juice’s way, keeping a family together is important.
Kattails
I can only chip in a bit right now, need to see how my cat’s checkup does on Monday but will add more if things are ok.
Another Scott
Donated.
Thanks WG and JC.
Hang in there ghost cat.
Cheers,
Scott.
Ida Slapter
I’m in. It’s nice of you guys to put this together.
Good luck, ghost cat!
WaterGirl
When Cole gets up from his nap, I’ll ask for an update on donations for ghost cat and cats.
Kattails
Looks like you have to say send to a friend rather than as a purchase.
Tee
Donated, paypal via red balloon. Lovely kitties need to stay with GhostCat.
Juju
I don’t have PayPal, Venmo or Zelle. What should I do? I did see a red ballon and now I have an ear worm.
WaterGirl
@Kattails:
Yes! I should have thought to include that.
Damned_at_Random
Medical bills coming due this month, but I sent a little money and lots of good wishes. Keep us posted
WaterGirl
@Juju: You can always send a donation to John’s P.O. Box, but let’s see how things stand before you do that?
Kristine
@Juju:
And now I do, too, so thanks.
Neunundneunzig luftballons…
(PS–kicked in for ghost cat via Paypal. I got an error message when I tried to log in via Chrome, but it worked in Safari)
mrmoshpotato
@Kristine: ?99 red baboons go byyyyyye?
SiubhanDuinne
@WaterGirl:
Thanks!
Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)
Donated. Sending hopes to ghost cat for better days ahead.
Juju
@WaterGirl: I will do that. I just wanted to help a cat lady from a dog lady.
Juju
@Kristine: You’re welcome. If you need any more ear worms I can suggest a few.
WaterGirl
Thanks you guys, for your generosity! This will be such a huge relief for ghost cat.
Currants
@arrieve:
SAME.
ghost cat
@RedDirtGirl:
Thank you so much!
Every time I see your name it reminds me of the song by Gillian Welch–Red Clay Halo.
ghost cat
@EmbraceYourInnerCrone:
Thank you! Yes they are all Cover Cat material but would likely refuse to pose.
ghost cat
@Luthiengineer:
Thank you!
It’s painful when they leave us, but 16 and 18 years are good long lives and I hope you have many happy memories of them.
ghost cat
@Laura Too:
Thank you Laura too. I got lucky–they are beauties inside as well.
ghost cat
@Percysowner:
Thank you Percysowner!
ghost cat
@BruceFromOhio:
Thank you so much!
I’m mac all the way.
ghost cat
@West of the Cascades:
Thank you West. Lovely part of the country–I lived in Seattle for 5 years back in 90s-00s. Loved it, but couldn’t afford it now.
ghost cat
@Ann Marie:
Thank you Ann Marie, for the luck as well. I think we’re still all going to need it in 2021.
ghost cat
@skerry:
Thanks from me and the furheads!
ghost cat
@caphilldcne:
Thank you–I’m hoping all our luck will start to change on the 20th.
ghost cat
@mali muso:
The four furries & I are very grateful. Thank you!
SFBayAreaGal
@WaterGirl: True. I’m on an android cell phone.
ghost cat
@rikyrah:
Thank you — being able to keep them all means the world to me. It’s been a sucky year and their scampiness is a great antidote.
ghost cat
@Beautifulplumage:
Thank you! I totally agree about 2020. A short antidote.
mayim
I usually send a few dollars in for solutions like this, but unfortunately at the moment I’m in way too close to the same situation.
But I still have plenty of good wishes to send, so Hobbs, Scout, and I are in for a heap of those!
WaterGirl
@SFBayAreaGal: Wow, I had no idea we saw different colored emojis.
HinTN
@ghost cat:
is always a great antidote
ETA – Also too, “why would I not add injury to insult?” ?
ghost cat
@Di:
Thank you @Di. And because of you all, 2021 is looking much brighter.
ghost cat
@satby:
Thank you satby. It’s an enormous relief that I can keep them together, with me.
ghost cat
@SiubhanDuinne:
Thank you–I’m hoping to grow old with this bunch. They are all so sweet to each other and to me, which I can’t say about any of my previous herds!
ghost cat
@arrieve:
Thank you @arrieve, and I’m with you about the love. I know of no other place like it on the innertoobs.
ghost cat
@Haroldo:
Thank you Haroldo–my feline overlords are also grateful.
ghost cat
@CaseyL:
Thank you CaseyL. There were many days in 2020 that they were my primary reason for getting out of bed, and I’m over the moon that you guys have made that possible for 2021.
ghost cat
@PIGL:
Thanks! Holy cow, you guys went way over the top!
ghost cat
@Steve Stuart Stonestacker:
Thank you–your bit definitely did! Humans confuse the hell out of me. It’s such a relief to have these guys all together.
ghost cat
@BruceJ:
Thank you Bruce. I get to keep my whole family!!!
satby
Happy to see we were able to lend a hand ghost cat! Hang in there, better days are coming.
ghost cat
@Kattails:
Thanks! But no worries–save it for your kitty. Everyone together is way over the top. Maybe your kitty would like an extra toy or a hit of catnip after going to the vet?
ghost cat
@Another Scott:
Thank you! Hanging in there just got a lot easier.
ghost cat
@Ida Slapter:
Thank you–love your nym. You guys just gave me a huge dose of luck.
ghost cat
@Tee:
Thanks a ton Tee. They are such a joy. All four weren’t too crazy about people before I adopted them, and it’s very satisfying to have changed that.
ghost cat
@Damned_at_Random:
Thank you Damned. Maybe in our lifetime, “medical bills coming due” will disappear from our vocabulary.
Kristine
I’ve been watching His Dark Materials, so I was really drawn to Lyra and Pan.
I’m glad we could help.
ghost cat
@Kristine:
Thank you Kristine. And the earworm propagates . . .
ghost cat
@Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA):
Thank you for your donation and wishes. I get to keep my babies and they’re hoping for a better grade of catnip.
ghost cat
@Juju:
Thank you and your dogs!
A few doggy antidotes from Andrew Cotter, Mabel, & Olive:
“swift, ruthless, and largely ineffective”
“the very poorly squirrel in the trees”
“the stealth of a sofa moving across the lawn”
ghost cat
@mayim:
Good wishes are always welcome. Thank you and I hope you soon have better days as well.
ghost cat
@Kristine:
I haven’t yet watched the TV series but heard good things about it. Have you read the books? They’re wonderful and I was hoping they did a good job with the transfer.
Kristine
@ghost cat: I haven’t read the books. Thing is, I read recaps of the episodes in the online magazines, and reviewers who have read the books have complaints. So far, I’m enjoying the episodes just for themselves, so if I ever do read the books, I may wait until after the series has run its course. I think it’s been renewed for a third season.