Thank you for all of your wonderful feedback on my last entry. I had planned to make this next entry about taking out loans for school, but something much more important came up over the past few days:

My wonderful cat Minnie is really sick. Minnie is a sweet, loving, and vocal 12-year old marmalade Maine Coon mix.

I’ve had her for ten years, most of my adult life, and she has seen me through so much. She’s moved house with me countless times, including two cross-country moves. She’s known my exes, she’s made good friends with my partner, and she’s been a constant and faithful friend.

Many queers have a special relationship with our pets. As Paula mentioned a while back, pets are our furry children. Even if Barb and I had children of our own, our cats would still be equal members of our family, at least emotionally. I don’t know of any children who require so little, and who will still love you unconditionally. And most parents I know would go to hell and back to give their children the absolute best of everything, whether they could afford it or not.

And while I don’t begrudge any doctor their fee, it’s true that vet bills are expensive, with or without pet insurance. My partner and I are in a financial place right now where we have to put all unexpected stuff on a credit card. And every time that statement comes in, it stings just a little bit, even if the charge was worth it.

But this is my cat. This is my friend. She’s napping next to me on the couch, after a very long day visiting the vet and having tests done, and part of me wants to give her everything I possibly can, no matter what the cost.

I just wish I knew how to afford it. And more than that, I wish I could make her better.