I have been through everything you can imagine. But I will be brief as I can. I do type 160 wpm so I sometimes type more than I actually should since my mind also tends to race fast while I am typing. I apologize, and appreciate your feedback. I worked at animal shelter for six years as head care supervisor for cats. I went from beginner to head supervisor in 1 year. I already knew I was autistic so I could read a book in a few hours and remember everything since I think in pictures. I went to vet tech school and earned a certification in veterinary technology, veterinary pharmacy, and cat behavior in 2 years all back to back. The normal time to complete the 3 programs is 6 years. I then started a cat rescue with a close friend that helped me so much during school. It hasn't exactly panned out. We have saved over 600 cats in the last 3 years and I have gained so much experience that I think I could out experience most people who work with cats.
The problem is the cat rescue has under 10,000 in the bank account at all times. My hometown isn't the biggest cat loving community. Not enough to pay me anything. I am there over 100 hours a week, rescues need a lot of manpower. Very poor overall, almost no opportunities in the job sector as there are only two veterinarians, less than 20,000 people here. I am on social security and feel guilty now. Despite my education, I could not focus and had so bad impulses that I claimed bankruptcy last year with $25,000 in debt. I could not shower, eat, or get out of bed I was so depressed. Come to find out I have ADHD and since being diagnosed and on meds, I feel tons better. I now represent a professional in my appearance and so on. I got me a watch, belt, jeans, new shirts, and so on with the money I did have. I got social security prior to being diagnosed and feel I could do so much now that I can focus. I got $6000 in backpay just last week. I live with my friend who does allow me to live there rent free which is really nice, but it is in the basement.
So I am wondering what to do next. Half our board is always taking vacations, no volunteers every show up. I am left hand cleaning over 40 cat cages a day, medicating, paperwork, social media handles, website design, programming certain things, and negotiating deals/ordering supplies. I pick up skills very fast which is the only reason we are open. I taught myself Adobe Dreamweaver in one day and built the entire website in two days. I have two published books that I wrote after starting my ADHD medications, and both took me around 4 months so I definitely have a ton of credibility. I don't intend to say all this to make myself feel good to show off - I just want to basically explain how under fulfilled I am because I have all this talent and I am not being paid for it. I could probably easily go to a university for medicine and earn good money with my pharmacy/vet tech degrees. But then I feel like I am abandoning the thing I started in the first place. Truth is though that I don't regret it as it made me the man I am today in the physical sense, emotional sense, and educational sense. Everything I went through shines in my voice and composure. There was a time I did not value honesty, friendship, teamwork. But I do now and that is forever. But I definitely do not like being the boss either - I feel it is too much pressure.
I still get really depressed sometimes even on medication, but I live in a basement. No windows, no lights. With no income other than social security plus my four cats. Books earn $50 a month, I am not famous. I ended up with four cats, only intended to have one. I am searching for apartments as my first step to freedom and independence but no place will rent to me with four cats and under $800 a month in income. Then maybe work up to moving away and closing down at some point in time. I sometimes wonder if shutting down the rescue is the right move. Everyone tells me to do what I love and not think about the money. But how can you not. I am being guilt tripped even by the vets because I have identified over 30 medical cases even specialists have missed, but that is the exact reason I am bored here. I want to do more, feel more, be more, experience more. I am thinking about rehoming three of my four cats - I rescued all them from euthanasia at a local shelter so I was kind of fostering them to begin with. One cat I cured them of cancer with an experimental treatment that I was the first in the entire state to try through Cornell university, so I want to keep him since that was quite the bonding since I had to give him injections over 90 days. I do sometimes have trouble caring for myself being of the ADHD/autism. I am like a mad scientists. I can do complex laboratory calculations and compounding, but cooking is hard for me.
I am just looking for opinions. I just want to be financially independent, with one cat, happy and growing both professional and personally. Not a single apartment around allows more than one or two cats, it is depressing! I have apartment offers for me but they only allow one cat at $400 rent a month and free utilities. Otherwise with four cats, cheapest I can find is over $800. I don't know what to do. I need unbiased opinions. I don't think there is a magic solution to making the nonprofit rescue earn money. The math just doesn't add up.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/o8gwtb/feel_guilty_for_potentially_having_to_rehome_cats/
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