When I Stepped Off the Bus, I Saw My Mother Sitting on the Pavement Begging – My Husband and I Were Stunned, No One Knew About This I’m 43, and my mother is 67. We live in the same city, though on opposite sides. Like many elderly people, my mum needs constant care, but she refuses to move in with me for one reason: she has four cats and three dogs in her flat. She also feeds every stray in the neighbourhood. Every penny I give her for food or medication is spent on animals. I always bring her all she needs because I know she won’t spend any money on herself. Recently, after leaving a friend’s house, my husband and I decided to leave the car behind and take the bus home. Imagine my shock when I got off and saw my mum sitting on the pavement, begging for money. I was at a loss for words. My husband was just as stunned. He knew I was taking money out of our family budget for my mum. Naturally, he wondered what the money was really being spent on. Turns out my mum was collecting money for her cats and dogs – for pet food and vaccinations. It all sounds tragic, but what would you think if you saw your own mother like this? What would your family, friends, and neighbours think? Of course, they would believe I was a worthless daughter who had abandoned her mother. Now I’ve taken to searching the streets for her. I know she hasn’t stopped – she just hides better from me now, even ignoring my desperate pleas.

When I stepped off the double-decker bus that evening, I was absolutely floored; there, sitting on the cold pavement near the town square, was my own mother, holding out a paper cup and begging for spare change. My wife and I stopped dead in our tracks, unable to comprehend the sight before us. Not a soul had ever mentioned anything like this happening.

Im forty-three now, and Mum is sixty-seven. We both live in London, but as fate would have it, on opposite ends of the city. Like many in their later years, she should really have someone looking out for her. Moving in with us isnt an option though; there’s only one reason she shares her small flat with a menagerie of four cats and three dogs. Shes the sort who feeds all the strays in her block, too. Every penny I hand her goes straight on pet food and vet bills for her animals not on groceries or her own medication.

I take it upon myself to bring her what she actually needs because I know money in her hands won’t find its way towards essentials for herself. Just recently, after popping round a mates for tea, my wife and I decided to leave the car parked at his house and hop on the bus home. You can imagine the shock when I set foot on the high street and spotted Mum perched on the ground, asking passers-by for coins. It left me numb. My wife was stunned as well. Shes always known I set aside a portion of our pay packet each month to help Mum.

Naturally, she questioned what on earth Mum was spending the money on, since it clearly wasnt on herself. It turns out Mum was collecting donations for her cats and dogs, needing funds to feed them and pay for their vaccinations.

It all sounds a bit desperate, doesnt it? But what would you feel if you stumbled upon your own mother in such a state? What would the neighbours say, or friends, or family if they saw her there wouldnt they conclude I was some heartless son whod neglected his mother and left her destitute? Now, I find myself wandering the streets, searching for Mum. I know she hasnt let up, even after my outcry the first time. Shes just grown better at hiding it from me.

If theres one thing Ive learnt from all this, its that love sometimes means making hard decisions and you cant always save someone from themselves, no matter how much you try.