(UPDATE) Emergency Crowdfund for Pretty Boy

Since there's no real way for me to communicate what this means to The Wife and I after over a decade spent with her cat--who comes after only me and her mother, as far as she's concerned--I'm gonna keep it as straightforward as possible but full disclosure: trying to write something like this is weird. I want to convey how deeply this is impacting us but I don't want to manipulate you or dish out a guilt trip. That's a difficult place to come from, and I'm going to do my best.

The short version is that our cat is in the middle of surprise health issues that we can't afford, and I am asking everyone to help us raise $1,497 out of the $2,000 goal ($503 has already been given by some lovely stream viewers yesterday and this morning, which is incredible). In addition to me taking reaction commissions and The Wife offering art/crafts commissions (more info later), here's the Ko-fi and Venmo info needed for donations:

-Donation goal exceeded in a rather stupidly and humbling-ly short amount of time.-

If you would like further details:

This past weekend, The Wife and I had to take our beloved cat Pretty Boy to the emergency vet twice for seizure-like symptoms. After some tests and a lot of waiting, the vet narrowed it down to a heart issue and recommended we see a cardiologist. The bills pictured above are for the two emergency visits, and the cardiologist (who Pretty Boy see tomorrow) gave us an $800 estimate for the visit which includes the necessary diagnostics but not any potential medication.

I've had to wipe out my savings and The Wife undid the progress she'd made paying off our credit card in order to take care of this up front, but trying to saddle this blow in the long term would be incredibly difficult for us. My savings isn't optional, it's tax related. I reached the taxable threshold on Patreon this year, which is technically a good thing and a sign of growth, but in reality means every year the IRS now expects me to hand over 25% of my already lean* earnings when The Wife and I combined land steadily in the second lowest tax bracket.

A total savings reset would make us even more financially vulnerable for the better part of a year, and if Pretty Boy needs anything beyond the cardiologist we'd be, to put it gently, out of options.

Also, since we don't know the diagnosis or prognosis yet, this is the fair warning that in the event of the worst I will be taking some understandable time off.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for the support + generosity you've already given us. We would not be getting by without it, truly. <3

While I've had more success than the average person who starts up a Patreon, I am by no means making a livable wage and am still firmly in the "semi-decent for a side hustle" category.

*UPDATE*

UH, OKAY, SO I WASN'T EXACTLY EXPECTING YOU GUYS TO EXCEED THE GOAL IN 25 MINUTES. OUTSIDE OF AN ALREADY DEEPLY IMPRESSIVE FEW HUNDRED THAT LANDED A FEW MINUTES IN FROM SEVERAL PEOPLE, TWO (2) SEPARATE DONORS SENT $1000 EACH. ANY EXCESS WILL GO TOWARDS MEDICATIONS OR ANYTHING ELSE PRETTY BOY MAY NEED (HE'S ALREADY ON PAIN MEDS FOR ARTHRITIS), THE WIFE AND I ARE FILMING A THANK YOU VIDEO WHEN SHE GETS HOME FROM WORK, THE PLACE IN WHICH SHE IS CURRENTLY CRYING. I HAVEN'T EVEN REACHED OUT TO DONORS YET BECAUSE IT HAPPENED SO FAST. GET READY FOR BLUBBERING OH MY GOD.