Chuvar Becomes a Pirate!

The word "Chuvar" means "The Watcher" in Serbian. The irony of his name is that this campaign is an ask for funds to help us remove his left eye which has become infected, blind, and is now causing him pain.

Those of you whom have met or spent time with Chuvar (otherwise known as "Chew," "Chewy," or "Fluff Master General") have seen him on his little catwalk on the corner of 44th and Francis in Fremont, waiting for strangers, regulars, and friends alike, to admire him, pet him, love him, and watch him preen. I've had many occaisions to meet our neighbors and talk to them about how much they love Chuvar. One woman, who's name I will leave out here, said that whenever her life is at its roughest, she somehow finds herself on our corner and Chew is there waiting to comfort her. She cries into his fluffy fur and he lets her.  And recently, I've had the terrible misfortune of putting down two of my dogs within 4 months of each other. It's been a rough year for me and my family in the pet arena... but Chuvar has been there, letting me cry into his fur when I miss my Bogey or Mala. Chew is a resident cat therapist who was clearly a luxurious, war-like King in a past life. He gives love to anyone who wants it. Now, we need to repay him that love.

Chuvar was a rescue kitty from a shelter in Thurston County. The moment I saw him, I knew he was my cat. When I took him home, I learned he had Feline Herpes and that his entire life he would struggle with infections and colds. Until two years ago, he lived well with his feline herpes.

But, as you can see in the photo we've attached here, two years ago we began to notice something in his left eye. We've been going to a specialist doctor, a vetrinarian Eye Doctor (which we didn't even know existed). Over the following two years, we tried various medications and eye drops (much to Chuvar's chagrin) to try and control the infection. Over time, however, it seemed that the left eye continued to worsen. We began to make peace with the fact that eventually, we'd have to take his eye out altogether.

That day has arrived... and it's time for Chuvar to become the fluffiest, sweetest, one-eyed cat you've ever seen. It's a standard eye-removing surgery that he will need to be put under for. He'll spend the day at our eye specialist, we'll pick him up, and he'll be in a cone for 10 days and kept inside until fully healed. The only problem is that we have no way to pay for the surgery. We're going to put it on a credit card for now, but don't know how long it will take to pay off. We're hoping to schedule the surgery within the next two weeks so that he can get out of discomfort and begin his new life as Pirate Captain Chewy.

We're hoping that if you've ever had the chance to cry into Chuvar's fur, to let him lounge on your chest, scritch behind his ears, or even admire him from afar, that you find a few bucks to throw him. We're going through the surgery regardless as he's a healthy, approximately 9 year old cat who spent his early life in the cat slums and streets of wild Olympia, Washington. We want him to continue living out his wonderful life, doling out cat therapy on the street corner and exchanging treats for spending evenings inside cuddling with his mom and dad who love him very much.

If you can forgo one coffee this week to help out Chuvar, we (and he) will be forever grateful.

And? That way? You can make as many pirate jokes as you want. He's going full disney villain now and we can't wait.

Thanks for reading and we hope you can help us and Chewy!