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Rachel Lang
A woman has revealed she only eats once a week and uses her money to instead feed her cats as the cost of living in the United Kingdom continues to rise.
Yasemn Kaptan, 46, revealed she has been skipping meals in order to ensure her six precious cats have enough to eat.
The North London woman said she can't bear to let her fleet of felines go as she has had them all since they were kittens.
The stay-at-home carer revealed she doesn't 'have any money to spare'.
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"They have grown up with us. I have had them since they were little babies. I paid a lot of money to have them, they are at the end of their life. it really isn't fair to let them go," she said.
She added that she doesn't know how she or her partner, Erdinc Hassain, would cope without them.
Kaptan lives on only one meal per week and drinks peppermint tea in between her lone meal to stave off hunger.
As a result, her weight has plummeted from 89 kilograms to a svelte 57 kilograms.
Her one meal of the week is usually made up of BBQ vegetables like capsicum peppers, onions and a salad.
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She does receive a carer's allowance as her partner suffers from multiple sclerosis.
"When I get my carer's allowance it goes on cat litter, cat food, biscuits and special milk, it takes up all my money. I can only just about pay my phone bill," she said.
"My partner is worried about me but I have got used to it by now. I will be okay, things will get better.
"There is nothing I can do, I will not get rid of my cats. I have had them for 17 years, they are my little babies and they keep me going."
Kaptan adopted the pounce of kitties when she worked as a personal shopper and could easily afford to look after herself, her cats, and her bills.
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But things grew dire when she was forced to leave her job after she was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2022.
Although she puts on a brave face, she revealed she does struggle with a lack of energy from not eating.
"I cry every other day, I am trying to be happy with myself but I am down and tired," she said.
The RSPCA told the Guardian in August that 22,908 pets had been abandoned in the UK last year; a 24 per cent increase compared to the year before.