Support Bri and Her Cats in Finding a Safe Home

Hi. My name is Bri.

I have never made a GoFundMe before, so please bear with me. I’m very anxious.

I am a financially poor 25 year old neurodivergent woman who struggles with a difficult home life and mental health issues. I am professionally diagnosed with OCD, GAD, and severe depression; I struggle with these disorders and mental illnesses every day of my life.

I make $10 an hour and am rarely scheduled to work. Maybe 10 hours a week if I’m lucky. I love my job, but I am not making enough money to work towards my goal of moving out of this house, moving out of this state that hates people like me.

Half — or a little less than half — of my paychecks go to my mother in order to help out, but she still treats me as if I am not helping at all and holds various things over my head. I am legitimately gaslit by her nearly every day (I know that the term “gaslighting” unfortunately gets thrown around a lot these days, but I am completely and utterly serious about this.) and it is wearing my soul + spirit down when I am already shouldering so much. I have been made to feel as if I am going crazy, I have been denied parts of who I am, I have been told I never said certain things, she has made unsolicited, hurtful comments about my body, and she has used my own partner against me for her lies to make me do certain things. When she gets mad at me for not doing a chore, she cusses and swears at me about it, banging, yelling, and making loud noises; even though she knows those things are genuine triggers for me that could lead to an anxiety attack. When I prepare to do that chore since she’s angry, she tells me to go away and get out. It seems like she just wants an excuse to be angry and take it out on me. She has even threatened to call my boss at my former workplace to tell them not to let me work at late hours because she is a very paranoid person who is overly concerned about my safety and would potentially get me fired as a result. I have been raised to be completely dependent on her. I don’t know how to drive, I don’t know how to go about insurance.… I don’t know how to do a lot of adult things because I was never prepared to be independent in the adult world. All attempts for me to gently explain how to love me better or tell her that she’s hurt my feelings have been met with rage, lack of compassion, irritation, or they’re shrugged off. I will always love my mother, but I feel trapped. These actions cannot be excused.

Her political beliefs directly oppose who I am identity wise, too. Living in the state I do while being a gay person has already made me feel incredibly unsafe since many of the people here have her same political beliefs. My father and his fiancé are homophobic, so I would be disowned and they would not help me. I have always been the odd one and the left out person of the shreds of family i have left.

I recently took in a malnourished kitten named Veronica (she is the cover photo) and her veterinary needs are very expensive. However, she and my other cat, Rizzo, have been my sources of comfort lately. Taking care of my girls has been something to ground me and keep me happy. I named Veronica after my aunt who passed away about a month ago. She loved cats very much and would rescue them regularly. I believe that a piece of her spirit lives on in Kitty Veronica. Veronica is doing a lot better now that I used my half of my most recent paycheck to buy her meds for her eyes and congestion. Here is another picture of her.

The vet said she is about 6 weeks. She has fleas right now, so I’m trying to scrape up some money to get her seen again so I can help her. Here is a picture of my other cat named Rizzo.

These two cats and my long distance partner are my life. They get me through the days that have me wanting to disappear forever. I want to take care of my lady kitties as best as I can, but I am broke. I have little to no money to get the three of us out of here, much less buy a house that my partner and I can finally live in together. My mother, of course, has been treating me like garbage about the new kitten and guilting me left and right. I took Veronica in from the streets because she was doomed to die in the frigid outdoors and less than 2 pounds, so I have no regrets. Now she is steadily recovering.

But I can’t do this alone anymore. Living under the same roof as my mother has me on a steady mental health decline. I need to move out ASAP.

Please help me. Every dollar, every cent, counts. I want to move out of here with my cats and blossom into a real adult who can take care of herself and her fur babies. I want to live the life I deserve without emotional abuse. I want my cats to thrive in a place of our own. I want to be able to be in a place I can call home without anxiety. I don’t want to survive, I want to live. I don’t want to be emotionally abused anymore.

This financial goal will help me and my kitties move in to a safe place with my friend, free from emotional abuse. I will be able to move my things with me, afford rent to the new place I go, learn to drive, take little Veronica to the vet consistently — Rizzo too when she needs it, keep food on the table and in my cats’ stomachs, continue buying my medications, and so much more. You will help me live my life as I should.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my story. If you are unable to donate any money, I completely understand. If you could please spread the word, I would be eternally grateful. I additionally have Zelle and Cashapp if needed. My Bluesky is @iburgieburgie.bsky.social

Remember that you are loved.

Here are some more pictures of my babies that you would be supporting. We close on a cute and hopeful note.