I feel for OP and the targeted ads that presumably led to this post. I also used to have a cat, though I need no reminding of that fact as I think of him daily. But this was jarring to read at 530am out of the blue. So OP is the asshole in my personal book. This could have been broached in a way that avoids re-traumatizing others.

Best of luck to you. For what it’s worth, I have a single pepper plant that looks beautiful, puts out a great succession of flowers, and is surrounded by pollinator plants. But it just hasn’t put out a single fruit yet. Oh well. It won’t deter me from planting again next year.

Do you fertilize or sidedress with compost? Tomatoes and peppers tend to be heavy feeders. They need a lot of nutrients (but follow package directions if using fertilizer). And I can’t tell from the picture if the soil is mulched. Mulching goes a long way to help prevent soil moisture from evaporating, cooling the roots, and generally helping to limit the impact of extremes in heat and water availability on plants.