🐆
I told him someday he’ll find a nice woman, settle down; she’ll be happy to bear his children, she’ll cook for him, unthinkingly defer to him—and she’ll probably do it with a smile.
He told me: I’m the only good influence you’ve ever had.
I told him: you thought you wanted this exotic pet but what you really wanted was a housecat, something simple and soft to touch that would curl up beside you. He told me: all I want is just something that doesn’t walk around destroying things and shitting on the floor.
I’ve been pacing back and forth in this cage for as long as I can remember—hungry—and despite my best efforts, I often snap at his fingers wiggling at me through the bars.
Feb 21, 2025
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i’ve never had a cat before and decided to adopt one this year. it took a long time for him to trust me since he was living on the street for the entire 5 month of his life, but eventually he grew to trust me and would take naps on top of me as i binge watched movies.
i’ve always believed that to add value to your life, you need to be productive. i mean that’s how it is living in a capitalist society right? if you’re not working, you’re wasting your time. if you’re not commodifying your hobbies, you’re wasting your time.
but watching this kitten sleep all day changed my entire perspective on life somehow. i no longer feel bad about just relaxing and doing things i love (rotting in bed, watching movies while crocheting lol)
anyways i know this also comes down to privilege, and im v grateful i have my basic needs met. but doing the things you love and taking the time to relax is also a form of resistance in a society that loves to work people to death.
and ofc, here is a picture of the cat. his name is junji :D
Jan 21, 2025
My husband and I had been talking about adopting a cat this January for a several months now. We both love animals and have been the designated pet sitters for many of our friends over the years. After getting married, we decided it’s finally time to bring one into our lives. I work at a vineyard with one black and white barn cat, one big orange guy who spends most of his time sleeping in the tasting room, and the most recent addition: two new barn kittens.
In the summer months, they did a good job of staying out of the way and not bothering customers. Once the cold hit, they ventured inside more and more and soon got hooked on the constant attention and snuggles. This was great for me as when I was working I could take a minute to play with them or give them head scratches and they delighted many customers, children especially.
We had our holiday party at the vineyard and I brought my husband. It was a running joke that I was trying to adopt the kittens and everyone he spoke to said something along the lines of “they’re incredible and would be very happy to live with you.” My coworkers were so emphatic, he jokingly wondered if the entire party was set up just to convince him that we should adopt the kittens. As we were leaving, we saw two little faces peeking into the french doors. Stepping out into the incredibly cold and windy night, both kittens meowed and sidled up to us for some cuddling, beelining straight for my husband.
They are the most well socialized, friendly little tabbies I’ve ever met. They’re great with children, dogs, horses, other cats, basically just very confident in themselves and the world. Their friendliness was their fatal flaw: eagerly jumping into strollers, people’s pickup beds, and catering company semi-trucks. The final straw was their constant crashing of wedding photos (can’t imagine who would hate that, but some people just hate cats, even kittens).
After a couple months of struggling to keep them out of the tasting room, the owner decided it was just too much of a liability to have such friendly girls running around and demanding attention from customers.
Days before Christmas, I got a text from their owner, the barn manager. She said that her and the owner of the vineyard (who is actually her mother-in-law) would be rehoming the kittens by the end of the week. She had someone interested in keeping them as barn cats, but seeing how much they wanted to be inside and have human attention, she preferred the idea of them being house pets.
That night, I sat down with my husband and had a serious discussion of “wait, are we really doing this?” and he felt this was a sign that it was finally the time we pull the trigger. Next, I went to see my 101 year old grandfather to get his blessing as we’re currently living in his house. He was hesitant at first, warning me that kittens are “a ton of work” but agreed that if we’re up for the challenge, he’d welcome his two new fuzzy tenants. I went straight to the store to buy all the supplies to welcome the girls into their new home.
The next day, I went to work with a cat carrier and a bag of treats. A soft, wet snow began falling across the mountains as they napped in a leather armchair by the window. They went into the carrier with an almost comical ease and didn’t make a single sound during the 40 minute drive. Once they got home, they explored the whole house side-by-side before curling up together for a much-deserved uninterrupted nap. The pure joy on my husband’s face when he got home that night will stick with me forever.
The next day, I took them over to meet my grandpa and parents. My grandpa laughed when they emerged from the carrier saying “oh! those are cats, not kittens!” He was definitely picturing us bottle-feeding month old kittens every 2 hours, not these 7 month olds who really just needed extra playtime, food, and sleep. Seeing him giggle as he played with them made me beam. We sent photos to the nurse who comes to help him a couple times a week and she said “this is so good for him, keep bringing them around.”
It’s been just over a month since we welcomed Coco and Uma into our lives and we could not be happier. We’ve had a few bad moments in our personal lives (car issues, trauma resurfacing, etc.) and they have come straight to us to purr on our chests and melt the sadness and anxiety away. They get me out of bed early in the morning to give them breakfast and have “baby time” (each of them in turn get carried around like a baby and shown every nook and cranny in the house). We’ve had hours of playing and laughing at their antics and incredible feats of athleticism.
Earlier this week, my grandpa had to be admitted to the hospital for a dire gallbladder infection. He was dealing with hospital-induced delirium and was generally very confused about where he was and what was going on. When I saw him, he perked up immediately and said “how are the cats?” and we laughed at photos of them sleeping together in the most ridiculous positions.
Thank you, Coco and Uma, for bringing so much light into my life and the lives of my loved ones. Looking forward to many years of cuddles, antics, play, and baby time together. 💕
Jan 28, 2025
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i was born to be aloof and lay down all day… if past lives are real i was definitely a cat in most of them
Apr 3, 2024
Top Recs from @taterhole
“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 💌
Mar 16, 2025
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 💌
Feb 23, 2025
Schedule sent my resignation email for the morning, effective immediately ✅💅
Feb 27, 2025