09/11/2025
All over the internet, youāll find stories like, āI thought I was saving the cat, but the cat saved me.ā Well, Iād 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 Iād 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 latestāand hopefully lastālitter) 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. Itās taken a lot of time, money, and energy, and Iāve had to put off other financial needs in my lifeābut Iām 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 donāt 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 helpābut 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: Iād find a way to keep caring for them.
Thatās when I dusted off an old software idea I had written down years ago after watching āThe Secretā which is a documentary on āThe Law of Attractionā. 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. Itās a desktop productivity appāand 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 Iāll go on record now to state that when it does, āI will donate at least 10% of all excess proceeds back into other TNR and rescue workāstarting 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.ā
Hereās where you and our followers come in: when the time comes, Iāll need your help spreading the word. This isnāt 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 tiersāwell within most peopleās 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. Iām also funding the softwareās 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 videosāboth 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: āI thought I was saving the cats, but the cats saved us all.ā
