Patricia says she and her mother were trapped.

They were stuck living with the abusive man Patricia's mother married. Each time they'd plot ways to escape, they would end up staying because of their cat.

“We couldn't find a place to go where we could also bring my cat,” Patricia says. “Shelters typically don't take in pets, and we loved him too much to leave him behind.”

Click here to read the rest of Watchdog Mary’s article in Waggle.org.