Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Rescue & Rehoming => Rescue & Rehoming General => Topic started by: Mark on December 23, 2009, 23:25:25 PM
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When I rang her, she said her money has run out and she won't have any more until 5th/6th Jan. She said the benefits office had messed up. I asked when the cat last ate and she said tonight - she said she had enough left for tomorrow and that was it - she said she didn't have money to buy food for herself but would manage with whatever was in the cupboard. I said we would be able to arrange a short-term amount of food but if it was likely to be ongoing, she would have to think about giving the cat up. She said one more thing - it will have to be a specific food. I said I was sorry but she will have to have whatever food we have. I asked what she had in mind - she said Felix or Whiskas pouches. She said her cat throws up with tinned food.
Anyway, Angela (Pudding) lives near her and so is giving her a couple of boxes of pouches.
The annoying part is we are sure this is the same woman who has already done this to us several times - the last times was a few months ago.
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That's shocking! :Crazy: Everytime I enter a store its the cat food sect I head for, where I buy a weeks supply before human food is even thought of! What are we talking here, approx £5/6 ...... Bet she has the cooking sherry in though! :shify: :tired:
At least we all know that kitty will be fed! :hug: :hug:
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So sad when one lives on the edge like this and thank you for the generosity to this lady and her cat :hug: :hug:
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Mark, is this the woman from the Scrine foundation in Canterbury again? If so this is the forth time we've given her a load of food and each time she claims it is a benefits mess up that's caused a temporary hitch. :tired: I think Bazmum's impressions are nearer the truth bout this woman. The first time I dropped the food off myself and she was still asleep at 1pm. :innocent: Puss did look happy and healthy though. :)
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So sad when one lives on the edge like this and thank you for the generosity to this lady and her cat :hug: :hug:
Obviously we would never see a cat starve but I have a picture in my mind of little old ladies sparing a tin of food from their pension money to put in one of our collection bins thinking it is going to hungry strays. It seems wrong that we are giving it to someone with an owned cat.
As a one-off, fine but a pattern is beginning to form here so she knows we are a soft touch. Angela (Pudding) has been working really hard on sorting out collection bins in supermarkets, vets etc. Only yesterday she said we are just reaching a point where the branch isn't having to buy food in so it can be used for vet bills etc. There is still never enough money. We don't have money for a cattery or shop so excess funds would be a dream come true (Apparently, if a branch has £10,000+ in their bank account, they can have a shop which really would build up funds)
As Julie pointed out, a box of food is one thing but what if the cat needed medical treatment or something?
Also, I think when she mentions rehoming, it is blackmail.
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I think you are overestimating how much benefits are, there is no extra money beyond yourself and in the current economic climate with prices rising overnight, benefit is not keeping pace. without my family helping me I would not eat. I also don't drink or smoke so people with these addictions are really in a bind. at least she is doing something, some people would just turf the cat out.
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Well we at CP do realise that sometimes life catches you out. Especially in this financial climate and we helped with rehoming cats and other emergency situations many, many times this past year. That's also why we issue neutering vouchers etc. Unfortunately there is also a culture out there of believing charities are there for exploitation by all comers and no thought is cast for the knock on effects or what efforts our fundraisers have gone to to raise the money needed. The pie can only be cut so many ways and we suffer from the credit crunch too with decreased donations from well wishers. Even I get shocked by the attitudes of some less conscientious people sometimes. :(
Recently we held several neutering campaigns in the worst areas of Canterbury, which was meant to target those poorest of people who needed help neutering their cats. I dealt with a fair few telephone applications... one notable one was from a council executive on a massive salary but thought she'd apply for a freebie spay voucher as "it's paid out of the EEC regional development budget, isn't it?" :doh:
We have a great fundraising team consisting of a fair amount of pensioners who knit, make jam and stand rattling tins in the pouring rain to raise money for us... why should their efforts be spent on people who don't cast a thought about where the money has come from? >:(
Of course we would never see a cat go hungry, or homeless or in need of vet care if it were in our power to do something about it. ;) But it's not a long term solution to a long term inability to provide an adequate level of care, is it? :shy: Cat ownership is NOT a legal or moral right, it's a privelege people in a position to provide proper care can indulge in if they wish to. Charities like ours exist as a safety net when things go unexpectantly wrong in a cat's life... so how can a person who has been on state benefits for YEARS without organising their affairs to cater for the basics of cat care (food) in the event of a crisis be allowed to continue to tap us for help again and again and again without the question being raised of whether they should keep their cat? :innocent: I should quickly add that many people on benefits provide excellent care for their cats and never need to ask for charity... just not this one lady in question it seems. :tired:
Anyway, it's nearly Christmas. Peace love and joy to all... :naughty: :hug: :hug:
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I understand what you are saying Rob - I even said to her that phoning us was better than the alternative - but at the same time, it isn't our place to play Robin Hood with donations. As well as the moral issue, it is quite possibly not quite legal for us for us to give donations away like this?
Also, apart from her return calls to us, what if word gets around. What we would like to do and what we can do are two different things. Sharon says that when the branch was new, she used to try to help people who were stuck with vet bills but word got around so it had to stop as there is very little coming in.
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I remember last year dropping off some flea and worm stuff to a woman with a sad story I felt sorry for - in fact i think i posted on purrs at the time. I then received other calls from people expecting me to rush round and do the same as 'we were a cat charity'.
I think with a repeat offender, I would insist the cat is rehomed. There are far too many people willing to take advantage of us.
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it isn't our place to play Robin Hood with donations.
I think this is very well-put.
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Thanks C :evillaugh: :hug:
Another thing I remembered from the last time is that she was rather put out when I told her that I had arranged with one of our fosterers, Roxanne that lived in her area to put some food out for her to collect. She said she was hoping we could deliver it as it was a 20 minute walk :-: - I know pudding said she will be walking for it again this time unless there was a very good reason.
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The lady came to collect the food today and was very grateful. She had walked over 2 miles to get to my place and, obviously, had to walk the same distance back. We had a chat about the situation and the fact that CP couldn't carry on helping her with the food and she should really consider rehoming her cat. She doesn't smoke or drink or run a car and her cat is her sanity. She is in a very restricted financial situation being on benefits. Part of me does not want to see her have to give up her cat as he is what makes her get up in the morning. He is the one she is trying to get a job for he is her family. I have been in that situation myself and without my cats at the time, life would have been unbearable I cut the woman a bit of slack, wished her a bHappy Christmas and hopefully a better new year.
Merry Christmas Everyone.
Angela x
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What a sad situation... Its not a solution to her problem, but i would like to think that of all the people she may of contacted we were able to help at this time of year.. I hope the ladies life gets better next yr, i just worry what she will do if the cat needs veterinary care...
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when I had to run a home on unemployment benefit, I was seriously worried I would not be able to go on feeding my one cat at that time - fortunately my family helped me out and it didn't last long
but if you are on your own and have to pay full price for fuel and electricity and insurance and water and food, living on benefits is all but impossible
so she has my sympathy, and I applaud her for having the courage to ask for help
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I have so much sympathy for her cos whether its benefits or just a pension, its just not enough to live off and yes can understand how her cat keeps her going.
When I was very ill , the only reason I struggled to get up was to feed Kocka and once up doing that was hard and it was about the only time I moved.
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What a sad situation... Its not a solution to her problem, but i would like to think that of all the people she may of contacted we were able to help at this time of year.. I hope the ladies life gets better next yr, i just worry what she will do if the cat needs veterinary care...
yes that is a worry and when people adopt cats.. and often more cats and don't think about posible vet care, that is irresponsible.
Well we at CP do realise that sometimes life catches you out. Especially in this financial climate and we helped with rehoming cats and other emergency situations many, many times this past year. That's also why we issue neutering vouchers etc. Unfortunately there is also a culture out there of believing charities are there for exploitation by all comers and no thought is cast for the knock on effects or what efforts our fundraisers have gone to to raise the money needed. Of course we would never see a cat go hungry, or homeless or in need of vet care if it were in our power to do something about it. ;) But it's not a long term solution to a long term inability to provide an adequate level of care, is it? :shy: Cat ownership is NOT a legal or moral right, it's a privelege people in a position to provide proper care can indulge in if they wish to. Charities like ours exist as a safety net when things go unexpectantly wrong in a cat's life... so how can a person who has been on state benefits for YEARS without organising their affairs to cater for the basics of cat care (food) in the event of a crisis be allowed to continue to tap us for help again and again and again without the question being raised of whether they should keep their cat? :innocent: I should quickly add that many people on benefits provide excellent care for their cats and never need to ask for charity... just not this one lady in question it seems. :tired:
Anyway, it's nearly Christmas. Peace love and joy to all... :naughty: :hug: :hug:
Yep, actually a good friend of mine once suggested that she was considering going to go to the PDSA with her 2 cats despite having 2 cars, 2 kids with everthing, frequent holidays and smoked and drank, I was both shocked and annoyed to say the least (when I myself donate) and erm, tactfully let her know >:( I like to think she had second thoughts about that one!
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I DO feel sorry for her but she will have to accept responsibility. There are plenty of big shops where she lives such as Morrisons who are always employing staff so there are ways out - not the best paid jobs but plenty of other people take them.
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yes and most of those will have it as a second income into the house or are kids earning some holiday money and this lady could end up worse off be cause she would lose all benefits and be paying tax and ni etc.
i think some living in the real world for those on very low incomes needs to be thought of here.
unless you have ever lived like this then one should not overly criticise i think,
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when I was unemployed I got exactly the same amount of money each week as a young lad living a couple of doors away with his parents, who didn't have to pay out any living expenses whatsoever
to many people this woman's cat may be a luxury she can't afford, but as someone alone today and every other day, I suspect her cat is a total necessity and if she were a neighbour of mine I would be first in the queue to keep cat and owner together
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I do feel for her but the main point is, we can't repeatedly bail her out with food that has been donated by people for homeless cats (IMO anyway - the trustees may have a different view).
It might sound heartless but it is just being realistic.
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yes and most of those will have it as a second income into the house or are kids earning some holiday money and this lady could end up worse off be cause she would lose all benefits and be paying tax and ni etc.
i think some living in the real world for those on very low incomes needs to be thought of here.
unless you have ever lived like this then one should not overly criticise i think,
to many people this woman's cat may be a luxury she can't afford, but as someone alone today and every other day, I suspect her cat is a total necessity and if she were a neighbour of mine I would be first in the queue to keep cat and owner together
I have to totally agree with this - i am on a low income due to health issues and live alone , so i feel for her and what mine waste per day -if she lived near me i would gladly help her out -i feel very sorry for her and hope she does not have to give her cat up .
As Gill said -these jobs are poorly paid and you would be worse off !
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I haven't commented on here but feel I have to. I get depression flare ups among other health issues and years ago went through a really bad patch. My cats were my reason for functioning; and stopped me from doing something pretty drastic on one occasion. Managing on a low income with animals is a struggle, but they all get love, care and everything they need daily for a happy, healthy life. I'd go without myself before they did.
And vets bills can be daunting, but if you're lucky you can build up a good relationship with your vets and organise payment plans or something along those lines.
Gill has a valid point - the irony is that if a lot of people take a minimum wage job they lose so many credits that they're worse off and are even less likely to be able to afford their cat food!
I hope things look up for this lady next year and she and her cat enjoy Christmas as much as they can.
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at the very least getting a job will lose you your PDSA help
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So it's okay to leave the responsibility of providing vet care for your pets to little old ladies knitting tea cosies with arthritic fingers, is it?
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nope never said that, but vet care isn't cheap and taking a minimum wage job is not going to help
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It says PDSA helps people in receopt of housing benefit and/or council tax benefit. Sure;y that means people on low income can use them?
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you can only receive housing or council tax benefit if you are in receipt of at least 50p of income support/JSA/IB etc.
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That's right... vet care is expensive! But a little fairy doesn't come down and wipe the bill just because the pet is logged as a PDSA case. Someone has to pay! In the case of someone on benefits claiming from the PDSA it's the poor :censored: fundraisers who pay with blood, sweat and tears. If they are typical of our fundraisers most of them are in the worse state physically than those who are claiming help from them! >:(
More people need to factor vet bills into the equation when they decide whether they can afford to have pets. :tired:
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and if you fall on hard times its just tough is it? give your pets to someone else?
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Right!!! Its xmas so Im allowed (it sez so in my rule book!) :smack: :smack: :smack:
This topic has changed into something Im sure was not intended, this was about a woman begging CP to rehome her cat or give her food!
Yes this woman is obviously a lovely woman etc, but at the end of the day this is not the first time this has happened!
Now lets either throw cabbages at me or give yerselves a big :grouphug: :P :P :P
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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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Right you are, Bazmum... put 'em up! :boxer: :evillaugh:
The point I was making, Rob, and have made throughout the thread is that (like the Welfare State) animal charities such as CP and the PDSA exist as a safety net and will always support people and animals through hard times and extraordinary circumstances. My particular beef comes with people who view charity as an entitlement and a way of life rather than understanding what charity actually means. Many people do actively go out and acquire pets in the full knowledge they cannot care for their needs but will happily accept charity as a perminant solution. It's identical to one half of society paying the road tax and petrol bill for the other half to run cars... :shy:
Anyway, you are right Bazmum.... season of good will and all that. :naughty: Fingers crossed for a much more prosperous 2010 for everyone! :hug:
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The thing is - the next time this woman phones, she will get food as we can't take the risk that her cat may be going hungry - and she knows it. There must be thousands of people in a similar situation in the borough but nobody else asks for food AFAIK.
We will see how long before the benefits office mess up again. :shify:
I checked my email from the last time and then she said she had started work and was between her last dole money and being paid from her job but the the benefits office were holding her money up. Obviously there are some "discrepancies" :shify:
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I agree entirely it shouldn't be viewed as a permanent solution, Julie. But none of us know the state of this ladys mind, or what else she's dealing with while for whatever reason she can't afford her cat food.
I think the whole thing is terribly sad, moreso for the cat but for the lady too. Anyway, hope she figures things out so she doesn't bother the CP for food again.
Anyway, I think people are enjoying the cabbage throwing. ;) Merry Christmas all! :)
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I have existed on incapacity benefit and then JSA for a period, and it looks very much like I will be doing the same again very soon. I agree there is no possible way a person living alone can pay their basic bills on state benefits, the cost of living has just gone up too fast. I am lucky that I have savings and family that would never see me or Noah starve, but I have to say if I needed charitable help I would most certainly be willing to walk a lot further than twenty minutes to ensure Noah was properly fed or given veterinary care. :censored:
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Im another on IB and as I have an income of £105 a week and pay £24.99 for Mogs incurance and £10 for Amber every month, plus cat food, litter, vacs and various other vet bills I can confirm it is very hard work. My parents have to keep my car on the road for me. I have aroudn £25 a week for shopping (food and everything else) and havent bought new clothes for eyars in fact my Mum buys clothes for me from the hospice charity shop. Now Mogs has died I will of course be stopping her insurance payments but I dont know if they need me to pay the balance or not. Im not up to phoning yet. I wont be getting another cat to keep Amber company because I cant afford. I have to be sensible but I also have to point out that when I got my cats I was in full time employment and had no idea I would get ill and be ill for 10+ years.
I think we all need to be sensible of our own situations but I also think we need to be less judgemental at times. Yes I can qualify for PDSA treament for my cats but as its the other side of manchester its not very practical.
love
Tab
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when Aglie was killed by a car I'd only paid a few months of his premiums and didn't have to pay the rest
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If youi pay monthly ther will cancel the insurance but you need to do it asap :hug:
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Im another on IB and as I have an income of £105 a week and pay £24.99 for Mogs incurance and £10 for Amber every month, plus cat food, litter, vacs and various other vet bills I can confirm it is very hard work. My parents have to keep my car on the road for me. I have aroudn £25 a week for shopping (food and everything else) and havent bought new clothes for eyars in fact my Mum buys clothes for me from the hospice charity shop. Now Mogs has died I will of course be stopping her insurance payments but I dont know if they need me to pay the balance or not. Im not up to phoning yet. I wont be getting another cat to keep Amber company because I cant afford. I have to be sensible but I also have to point out that when I got my cats I was in full time employment and had no idea I would get ill and be ill for 10+ years.
I think we all need to be sensible of our own situations but I also think we need to be less judgemental at times. Yes I can qualify for PDSA treament for my cats but as its the other side of manchester its not very practical.
love
Tab
I can see your point Tab, but the point was, is it fair for us to give out food that has been donated for homeless cats to people who own cats? - I think the whole thread went off topic (as they do :evillaugh: ) it does put us on the spot as we would never let a cat go hungry but at the same time, do we repeatedly give this woman food? - I'm sure if we asked HO, they would say it isn't CP policy.
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It is a difficuly situation I know. If Im being honest it would really depend on the person themselves. I know how hard it is but I also know I cope and give food to rescues when I can so for a repeat offender I would be very tempted to say no sort yourself out but then I also know I have family behind me and if I didnt then unexpected bills would be a huge problem.
I agree it isnt really a CP policy but if the alternative is that you get the cat full time then maybe occasional feeding isnt too bad.
Dilemma time :evillaugh:
Im waiting for a last claim before I cancel the policy and as it will include the pts bill maybe they will cancel anyway
love
Tab
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This same lady has been on the phone again today and has run out of money and cat food again. She's extremely tearful, very emotional and she just cannot cope with life right now. On further talks with her it seems to go way beyond just financial matters and mental health and other problems seems to be an issue as well. After a discussion with welfare people and the lady herself, we will be bringing this puss into our care tomorrow.
A very sad situation but we all feel her life will be more manageable when the responsibility of her cat isn't weighing her down. :(
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we will be bringing this puss into our care tomorrow.
A very sad situation but we all feel her life will be more manageable when the responsibility of her cat isn't weighing her down. :(
I think the best outcome for both of them, in all the circumstances.
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Poor lady - I hope she gets the help she so clearly needs; a lot of people with mental health issues don't. I have a friend who I've known for around 14 years and he's always been...ummm, unpredictable. He was finally diagnosed with schizophrenia around five years ago.
Julie, can we have piccies of this little one? I'd love to see this puss.
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Pudding has just arranged to collect pud tomorrow afternoon. I am out of town so can't help.... Pudding tells me the lady sounds even worse than when I spoke with her. I don't envy Pudding the task. :( We've tried to assure her that life will pick up for her and at some point in the future when she's strong and secure enough she can help another cat. ;)
I am sure we can get pics of this pud, JS. We'll need them at some point for rehoming anyway. He's a little black puss aged around 6 years she tells us. Will post when we have them. :)
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Oh, a little black boy.... :Luv:
Poor woman, I don't envy the task either.
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Hope all goes well for Pudding tomorrow! :hug:
Glad she has come to her senses although she does sound in a terrible state, hope she has someone to support her! :( :hug: :hug:
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Hope everything goes ok today for all concerned :hug:
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There has been an update on this late lastnight. The cat is not coming into care, the lady found a friend to take him on while she sorts herself out.. Thtats what we were told so.. ,lets hope it doesl.
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The cat is not coming into care, the lady found a friend to take him on while she sorts herself out.. Thtats what we were told so.. lets hope it does.
Hmmm....where was this "friend" earlier on in the situation? Sounds a bit suspicious, but there's nothing you can do so I hope it's genuine. :hug:
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:( I really hope she has found a friend and this is not just cos she cant face it! :(
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I think she was hoping we would just give her more food. But we really did feel enough was enough as it was such a short time since the last time. Maybe the friend stepped in when they both realised we weren't going to shell out food again? Who knows? :tired: Certainly during conversations she led us to believe there were all kinds of issues going on, not just financial. We hope the offer from the friend is genuine. :doh:
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I think she was hoping we would just give her more food.
From what you've all said, I think that's it.
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I just hope the cat is being taken care of :(
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I just hope the cat is being taken care of :(
me too :scared: