A woman says she can sometimes only afford one meal a week amid the cost of living crisis, as she spends most of her money feeding her cats.
Yasemn Kaptan, 46, from Tottenham, north London, has been skipping meals for a year to support her six felines.
Yasemn receives a £400 monthly disability benefit due to his osteoporosis, which is included in his rent and bills.
While caring for her partner, she also receives an allowance of £69 a week, £60 of which she spends on her pets.
She says she drinks mint tea to stave off hunger and has lost ten pounds since cutting back on her food intake.
Yasemn says the cost of living crisis means she can only afford one meal a week, as she spends most of her money feeding her cats.
Yasemn said: ‘I don’t have money to spare, but I can’t let the cats go. They have grown with us. I’ve had them since they were babies.
‘I paid a lot of money to have them, they are at the end of their life. It’s really not fair to let them go.
Yasemn refuses to get rid of her cats because she doesn’t know how she or her partner, Erdinc Hassain, 46, who has multiple sclerosis, would manage without them.
So he lives on one meal a week, which has caused his weight to plummet from 30 to 20 pounds.
Yasemn’s only food usually consists of roasted vegetables such as peppers, onions, and salad. Otherwise, drink peppermint tea for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Yasemn Kaptan, 46, has been skipping meals for a year to support her six feline friends.
The stay-at-home sitter receives an allowance of £69 a week, £60 of which he spends on food for his pets, pictured here
Yasemn also receives a £400 monthly disability benefit due to his osteoporosis, which is included in his rent and bills.
She says she drinks mint tea to stave off hunger and has lost ten pounds since cutting back on her food intake, but her cats (pictured) come first.
She said: ‘When I get my carer’s allowance, it goes towards cat litter, cat food, biscuits and special milk, it takes all my money. I can only pay my phone bill.
‘My partner is worried about me, but I’ve gotten used to it. I’ll be fine, things will get better. There is nothing I can do, I will not get rid of my cats. I’ve had them for 17 years, they’re my little babies that keep me going.’
Yasemn got her cats when she worked as a personal shopper and was able to comfortably take care of herself and the cats and pay her bills, she says.
But she had to quit her job in 2022 after being diagnosed with osteoporosis, a health condition that weakens bones, making them brittle and more likely to break. This has left her with less money.
Yasemn got her cats when she worked as a personal shopper and was able to comfortably take care of herself and the cats and pay her bills, she says.
Yasemn added: ‘About once a week. I only drink mint tea or liquids all week. If I eat it, it has to be something soft like yogurt or vegetables.
“I cry every other day, I’m trying to be happy with myself but I’m depressed and tired. Some weeks I’m not eating properly at all and just drink liquids to keep going.’
His story comes amid rising concerns about the cost of living, as well as food and energy prices.
Last year it was revealed the number of users of a food bank rose to one in six, according to research published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
More than one in five (22 percent) of those surveyed in March 2022 say they skipped a meal or reduced meal sizes because they didn’t have enough money to buy food.
