We have 5 cats. That’s alot of cats… I know. I never meant to have 5 cats. It just kindof happened. People getting pregnant over and over and having a billion babies doesn’t “just happen”… but finding yourself with 5 cats does. (I’m so tired right now that I’m giggling for no reason, so just go with my nonsense).
With 5 cats comes many wonderful things… like when you wake up and all of them are sleeping all over you. It’s the things 5 year old girls dream of… a bed made of kittens. But then there are the ridiculous things… like the amount of shit that 5 cats can produce.
5 cats produce an overwhelming amount of shit. Seriously. And these aren’t big cats, and they don’t eat massive amounts… so I don’t know how this much shit is created. If it was something other than shit… like if they crapped out money, or apple turnovers- then it would actually be awe inspiring. But it’s not apple turnovers… it’s mountains of shit. So all awe is replaced with my gagging. (And please allow me to note that I’m the only one changing the litterboxes… my boys won’t go near it. Pure awesomeness.)
I’m obsessive about keeping their litterboxes under control because I REFUSE to have a house that “smells like cats”. My cats respect that, and have never strayed from their litterboxes when doing their business. And for that, I thank them.
I got a call from Brad tonight after he was leaving Cosco with the multiple 30 pound containers of litter that we have to get because of our speed-shitting cats, and the thought hit me…. Brad just spent almost $50 for gravel for our cats to shit on, and then we throw away. Our cats are literally wiping their asses with our money. And what do we do about it? We just go out and buy more litter, and let them keep on doing it. How did this happen? How is it that I spend more money in a month to buy rocks for my cats to take a dump on than I have spent on visits to the doctor for myself in 5 years? How did these guys get such priority? I’m a total sucker.
Speaking of suckers…. do not ever rent a car from Budget Car Rental. Seriously. Ever. If it comes down to a choice of walking 10 miles barefoot through streets of broken glass and lemon juice or renting a car from Budget… grab a shit-ton of bandaids and start hiking.
Here’s my story…. When I was visiting my parents for the holidays, the night after Christmas a tree fell on my rental car (I guess this was the baby Jesus’s way of telling me that he didn’t appreciate my making fun of him all year long. That loser needs to get a sense of humor). My car insurance said they’d pay all of it but $500, and my additional insurance through my credit card said they’d pay the rest. Awesome!!… right? Nope. The tale goes on….
It’s now March. I’ve gotten weekly emails from my credit card people saying they’ve been aggressively trying to get a hold of Budget to resolve this thing- but they haven’t heard a word from them. Well, on Friday I did. I got a letter in the mail saying that I owe them almost $2,500 for the car damage, and if I don’t pay them in full by Friday they’re going to send me to collections. No 30 day warning. No contacting me in advance. No response to my credit card company. They think they are just going to either charge my card, or take me to collections. They have messed with the wrong lady.
1. This is illegal. They have to have exhausted all efforts before taking it to the “collections” level…. AND they have to give 30 days for me to either contest it or come up with payment. That’s the law.
2. They state the car was totalled, and my car insurance paid for the totalled car. Now they’re trying to charge me for the time that the car wasn’t able to be used- even though they’re claiming it was totalled. You can’t claim “Loss of Valued Use” if you valued the car at being worth nothing. The Geico lady and I were laughing and openly mocking the idiocy of Budget with their obvious scam (BTW- I love Geico… they’ve been 100% on the ball with all of this).
3. After I “lawyered up” with the Budget lady, she refused to talk to me any more. I stated that if I was taken to collections on Friday, they would be hearing from my lawyers, and we would win. After that, she has refused to respond to me, Geico, or my credit card people. Which is keeping this from being resolved.
I have all my financial bases covered for all legitimate charges. Geico happily paid all the costs of the car damage, my credit card is happy to pay the additional insurance costs… but Budget wants more. And is illegally trying to get it. They’ve made me mad. Which means they’re fucked.
What Budget doesn’t realize is that I have a husband who doesn’t go on tour again until the summer- which means he has free time. Free time to repeatedly call them. And call them. And email them. And call them some more. And call their supervisors. And call their corporate offices. And email them some more…. ya get the idea? We’re really good at this kindof stuff. We’ll make it so that they actually pay US to leave them alone. And we’ll be laughing the whole time.
So that was my day today. Phone and email tag with Budget/Geico/American Express, and realizing that my cats are shitting away my hard earned money that Budget is trying to steal.
YAY FOR BEING A GROWN UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's the thing...... 
have you ever tried Feline Pine litter? its cheap and smells better than the clay kind. my 2 kitties shit so much its unreal
Does the cat food have a lot of corn in it? I have ferrets, not cats, but when I researched what they could eat I learned that ground yellow corn is often used as filler and has no nutritional value because obligate carnivores cannot digest it. Basically, the more corn in the food the more poo in the box.
Have fun ripping Budget a new one. 😀
Brad actually gets the super high-end cat food for our kitties, and it’s supposed to make them shit less. It doesn’t. They shit mountains. It’s truly a horror.
Keeping a kitty box clean can be a job. With 5 kitties, that’s pretty much a full time job! If kitty poop were valuable you’d be a wealthy woman too. My goodness what a chore. The joy they can give you makes the clean-up worth the effort though. Thank goodness for small things.
As far as the car goes, they are so trying to pull a fast one on you. Man, did they step in it with you though. Most folks would just roll over and give up tons of cash to their threats. You go girl! Don’t let those jerks roll you for dough. What they are pulling is no better than mugging someone on the street. It is just plain wrong, not to mention illegal as you’ve said.
Keep calling those jerks, call up the food chain as high as you can go, keep Geico on them as well. Remind them you have ALL of the paperwork that pertains to this matter and you will NOT be bullied for monies not owed.
I worked for a salvage yard, trust me when the insurance company calls a car totaled, it is paid off to the owner and then sold for salvage. Budget is double dipping. You simply can not charge for a car you have already been paid in full for and no longer own.
That’s what Geico told me. That the rental company is trying to get double payback- and it’s not going to fly.
We’ll see just how far they take this… it should be interesting.
ya know, i never thought of it that way…. my cats pooping on my money! god dammit!
loved this entry.
hope your get allll the money from budget for the cats to doo-doo on, mwahaha.
I have three cats and it’s the same story for me too. I think they know this as well, and secretly laugh at me when I’m not looking. But the kitty snuggles and sneezes make it worth it. I LOVE kitty sneezes!
Good luck with the whole Budget thing. Not that you’ll need it with Brad around!Can I borrow you and Brad if I ever have a situation like that?!
You two are the bees knees!!!
Brad and I should start a service where we just screw with companies who are screwing with individuals.
We tend to get our way, so I guess we’re pretty good at it!
😀
i never thought about it that way—- cats shitting on our money. literally. ohhh dammit!
i’m with Cassie on that… can i borrow you two when i’m in some financial crisis need??
I have enough pent up rage and vengeance to go around. I’d be happy to unleash it on any major corporation that gives you trouble.
😉
xooxox
Oh wow. I *almost* feel sorry for those d-bags at Budget. They have no idea what they’ve started, do they? They just gave a girl with buckets full of pent up anger and assorted frustrations a place to direct said anger and frustrations. Foolish move, Budget.
Go get ’em, Tiger(s)!!! 🙂 xoxoxoxoxoxo.
I went to a lawyer and they said that I’ve done EVERYTHING I’m legally obligated to do. If Budget continues to pursue this, I will make them my bitch with a lawsuit.
And I will have fun doing it.
Well… you could let the kitties outside to do their little duties. Kitties always come back to where momma is, and the food. 🙂
2 of my kitties are over 13 years old and can’t defend themselves from the mean neighborhood cats and dogs. The other 3 kitties have always been indoor kitties, and when they have accidentally gotten out they go and sit in the middle of the street unaware of what a “car” is. They’re either too old or too dumb to be let outside. So on goes my devotion and tithing to the litterbox.
UUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
this seems to be an extremely awesome time/money/life/soul saver:
http://www.catgenie.com/
(self cleaning, flushing cat litter)
i might just invest in one…
BRILLIANT!!!!!
while on the subject of rentals…Penske is the “truck of choice for running drugs” according to the Oregon State Trooper who pulled me over because my truck was sans license plate…somehow there was no FUCKING LICENSE PLATE on my rental truck, Penske says, “maybe it fell off” which is crap, I have never had a plate fall off a car. Anyway, nothing came of it but the hassle of being pulled over and harrassed, with the back of my truck opened up to show it really was full of my entire life’s possessions and exposing my houseplants to super cold night air that has killed them. fucking lazy ass who detailed the truck or something didn’t get the plate on right…rentals suck ass.
Are you in Oregon now??? Please email me and let me know how you’re doing!!!!!!!
Fuck rentals. Fuck ’em all to hell.
XOXOOOXXOXOOXXO
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