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This is my cat, Kitty!

I found her at a family gathering about 7-8 years ago. The previous lady who was taking care of her & a colony of feral cats moved away, leaving her without a consistent food source. She hung around me the whole day, soaking up the sun from a lawn chair while occasionally stealing some of my mac & cheese. That day I ended up taking her home, now she’s my whole world. Since then, i’ve started studying all things cat (especially feline behavior), working at animal shelters, occasionally fostering, & volunteering at other animal shelters + different pet retention services. She’s taught me so much & has given me the motivation to be better everyday. I don’t know what i’d do or be without her.

@dirteater04

Jan 18, 2025

1

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All of my pets have changed my life

I leaned on my childhood dogs (pictured ft. teen me with acne) a lot growing up for companionship and emotional support. The pets I’ve had in my adult life have all been with me at differing stages of my life and have grounded me and given me a sense of purpose in taking care of them even when I had nothing else and felt like I was doing everything wrong in life. My dog Benny is teaching me to be patient and how to handle frustration and take care of the needs of a very sensitive emotional creature lol… My cat Bunny is very shy and odd due to illness she suffered as a kitten that led her to be quarantined, which can be frustrating to me sometimes because I kind of wish she would be more like the two cuddly gregarious cats I’ve had who I lost before their time. But I looked at it from another point of view yesterday and had the thought that maybe I bonded with my other cats instantly because they weren’t going to be with me for very long, but my life with Bunny is going to be something that unfolds over the span of many years so our bond is going to take more time to develop and maybe someday it’ll be just as strong if not stronger. I think that’s beautiful 🥹

@taterhole

Oct 20, 2024

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I love my cat

I adopted my cat almost 3 years ago after going my whole life thinking I wasn’t a cat person. After watching my dear friends take care of their dorm cat (Beef!) I fell in love. I never quite understood cats- I always saw them through my child eyes as being elusive and standoffish. After solidifying my friendship with Beef I realized how strong the bond between cat and (wo)man can be- because it’s earned. My precious Duchess was the crustiest cat at the shelter but when she opened her big sapphire eyes I knew we were a destined pair. Duchess has sat with me through two heartbreaks, the hardest year of my life, multiple moves, long car rides, and many, many, sleepless nights. To say she’s my best friend isn’t totally correct- I feel she is truly a part of the fabric of my being. She has helped me trust myself to care for another living being, loved me on my most rotten days, and cuddled me when I’m sad (even though she pretends she hates it). I never knew such a small creature could change my entire world. On the loneliest days she licks my hand with her scratchy tongue and lays her head on my legs and I suddenly the darkness isn’t so dark. Thank you Duchess, my sweet girl, my forever love.

@annalyn

Feb 6, 2025

3

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Starting over

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.” — Anaïs Nin This is uncharacteristically raw and personal, even for me, and pretty heavy! I know many of you have seen me posting through it and I feel safe to talk about it openly now that I’ve safely landed at the start of my new life. It’s honestly even a little bit embarrassing but I think it’s important to share. I’ve never publicly mentioned it on here, but I have a husband; as of Friday, we’d have been together for 11 years, and we’ve been married for 3 years as of 2/22. I realize now that I wanted to explore what I looked like outside of my relationship with him because I had lost that. This is why PI.FYI has been so meaningful to me as a space to express myself and connect with people—to rediscover my voice. I had been living a lie this entire time, to others but worst of all to myself. He’s been verbally and emotionally abusive, physically but without touching me, to the point that every day I spent with him I was in danger. I’ve been shrinking myself and walking on eggshells to avoid making him insecure and provoking his casual put-downs and fits of rage, while hanging on for dear life to the threads of good I could see. I’ve wanted so badly to leave, more than anything, but I felt like there was no way out and that this was just something I would need to endure indefinitely—but someone who is so very dear to me helped me see that I have wings to fly, not by acting as my savior but by reminding me of my own power. The emotional safety they built and the gentle care they showed me made me feel like I could open up to them. With their encouragement I was brave enough to tell the truth to my friends, my family, my boss, and they have received me with warm, loving and open arms and rallied to support and protect me. The financial and  logistical aspects were the most intimidating to me and it’s going to be tough for a while but I’m going to be better than okay! Now I’m opening up to you. This isn’t the only abuse I’ve suffered in my life, and my old therapist told me she believed it was my mission to share my strength and light with others to inspire them and show them that change is possible. I hope that by sharing this, I can reach even just one person who is going through something similar and show that they are not alone, and they are not weak. People with certain backgrounds may be more vulnerable to abuse, but it can happen to anyone. It thrives in darkness, shame, and isolation—and breaking that silence is the first step toward freedom. Leaving is the scariest thing I have ever done but I have so many angels around me, and I am endlessly grateful. Thank you for being here with me 💌

@taterhole

23h ago

49

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Never changing

My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebody—be it a relative or one of my best friends—was to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too 💌

@taterhole

Feb 23, 2025

34

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Finally Quitting the job that you hate

Schedule sent my resignation email for the morning, effective immediately ✅💅

@taterhole

Feb 27, 2025

48