09/11/2025
All over the internet, you’ll find stories like, “I thought I was saving the cat, but the cat saved me.” Well, I’d like to invite you to follow along with me on a journey that myself and The Crew have high hopes of turning into another one of those stories.
About a year and a half ago, I started helping some of the stray cats on my street. If I had known more about how my local jurisdiction handles things, I probably would have just scooped them up and called the authorities. Instead, I tried to find someone to perform TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) and place the kittens in foster homes. I even offered $100 per cat. But no one came. Meanwhile, I continued to feed, socialize, and get attached to them.
By the time I realized I’d have to do the TNR work myself, the colony had grown to 17 cats. Now, all but the cats but one female (who is still nursing her latest—and hopefully last—litter) have been spayed. That new litter puts me at over 30 cats. What I thought would be a temporary effort has become a permanent responsibility. It’s taken a lot of time, money, and energy, and I’ve had to put off other financial needs in my life—but I’m okay with that for now. Today I have about 15 very socialized cats living inside with me, and a few more that come in and out as they please. And no, I don’t want to give them up for adoption. Unless it was in small groups for barn cat duty. If at all possible, they will always be my big, happy cat family.
I do need help—but not just in the form of food or money (though both make a difference). My bigger goal is to get support when I launch my business. The cats are currently eating me into bankruptcy, and I almost gave in to the idea of surrendering them, two at a time, to animal control. That would have been traumatic for both them and me. So, I made a commitment: I’d find a way to keep caring for them.
That’s when I dusted off an old software idea I had written down years ago after watching “The Secret” which is a documentary on “The Law of Attraction”. I have recently been using a chatbot to help me learn coding. When I shared the idea with it, the response made me realize I had something of real value. The chatbot even told me that, even if built halfway right, people would pay to use it. It’s a desktop productivity app—and both I and the chatbot believe it can succeed to the extent that I will have more financial freedom to care for them properly.
And I’ll go on record now to state that when it does, “I will donate at least 10% of all excess proceeds back into other TNR and rescue work—starting with the three unmanaged colonies still growing in my own neighborhood. And as long as a few more dollars will help her, a local rescue and adoption service that seems overwhelmed.”
Here’s where you and our followers come in: when the time comes, I’ll need your help spreading the word. This isn’t some fly-by-night idea. The app will be sold on legitimate platforms like the Microsoft Store, meeting their standards and receiving ongoing support. I already have a second app idea lined up behind this one. The first will launch with a completely free version and affordable paid tiers—well within most people’s budgets.
In the meantime, I continue to feed three stations twice a day, caring for, spaying (1 left), and neutering (6 left) cats at my own expense. It has delayed financial needs in my life, including some medical procedures. I’m also funding the software’s development out of pocket. Which is a serious drain on my current situation. To keep things going, I will be setting up a temporary GoFundMe for anyone willing to help, for anyone who wishes to do so without it negatively impacting your own needs. For everyone else, to follow and share our story when the time comes will mean the world.
Between my full-time physical job (50+ hours a week), the cats, the house, and life in general, my time is limited. But in the coming weeks, I plan to introduce several cats at a time and post short videos—both of the daily care and the happy cat times.
Please, at the very least, follow along. With your support, maybe this will become another one of those stories where: “I thought I was saving the cats, but the cats saved us all.”
