As that little notification from Facebook pops up urging me to set up a mini charity drive for my birthday (which I only sometimes do) and with encouragement now and in recent years to do something that makes me frankly, quite uncomfortable – here I am. I’ve thought long and hard because I really do have a difficult time asking for help. In the past when times are tough financially I immediately “hustle” and take on side gigs and extra work. The Airbnb that I run in my house IS my second job and that’s to help JUST afford to live in my house as a single homeowner in the sixth most expensive city in the country. The fact is at my age I no longer have the physical, mental or emotional strength to take on the hustles of yore. The all day every day anxiety I have around my financial struggles currently increase my depression, affect my work and my physical, emotional and mental health, my social life, my sleep and just my overall daily functioning, which includes caring for Watts and Fern.

So, this is for a girl (me), but mostly for her very best friend, 13.5 year old wonder cat, Watts.

Brace yourself – this is going to be a bit long due to my verbose nature but also because I feel the backup story needs to be told to justify this huge ask.

The last decade has been beyond incredibly shitty for me – starting about when my two year old Watts had a stroke while we were living in California. In the fairly short time with him in my little family after his adoption as a kitten he and I began an attachment and bond that I’ve never experienced with another HUMAN, let alone animal. So began Watts’ lifetime health saga the coincided with the worst years of my life. Faced with back-to-back personal life tragedies and trauma that started piling up during my time in CA and continued upon my move back in 2015 all through to present day…including, but not limited to; recurrent joblessness, the loss of dear pets, chronic health issues, financial despair, getting hit by a bus, losing my mom, MORE health issues and medical bills. Then in September of last year I lost Watts’ older brother Pollock at 18.5 who I had raised from kittenhood and was Watts’ VERY best friend in the whole world (next to me) and my ever-stoic furry grey rock. The depression, anxiety, compound never-ending grief melded into seasonal depression, health issues and the post-pandemic dysphoria that we are ALL experiencing. So the last six months have been almost too much for me to bear – my Airbnb going cool, medical bills, house issues (leaking roof, etc.), and astronomic utility bills (this winter was over $2k for ME in my tiny house!) and most unfortunately, Watts’ health issues.

Watts’ story - Watts had a stroke at age two. There was never a consideration that I wouldn’t do EVERYTHING to save him – he was in emergency and hospital care for over two weeks, he had an MRI and dozens of other tests. NOT exaggerating when I say I spent TENS of thousands of dollars. INSERT PLUG FOR PET INSURANCE RIGHT HERE. Four different Bay area cities and four different veterinaries treated him. I drove to San Francisco from Oakland every other night after work to visit him at the hospital. Through it all, he was still cheerful and happy AND the most docile, easy going cat folks had ever seen - everyone fell in love with him. It began to sink in that he wasn’t just MY special cat, he was a VERY special cat period. Since then Watts has been on two Rx medications that he takes every twelve hours to prevent the seizures he is prone to as a result of the neurological damage the stroke did (so for eleven-ish years now…if you ever wonder why traveling or going out brings me MUCH anxiety - I have to figure out who I can trust to give him his meds in my absence and there have been horrible things happen in those instances not to mention it often COSTS me). Watts is blind in his right eye and has mobility, stability, muscle control issues along his right side that cause him to be wobbly, cautious, clumsy and all sorts of other things because of the stroke. I had to help him learn how to walk again. He had to navigate my cement floored loft and STAIRS while getting used to his diminished sight and mobility issues. He had to relearn how to use the litter box. This took the better part of many months. The ENTIRE time he was SO determined, strong, peppy, playful and HAPPY. This cat LOVES life.

Since then, Watts has had long stretches of wonderful health. At times he’s gone over a year with no seizures. Every once in awhile we have other issues – he’s slightly prone to UTIs so he’s on Rx food for that. He will have some breakthrough seizures (MOST often as a result of missing or late meds) and we’ve adjusted his dosage a bit. He goes in for vet checkups TWICE a year instead of just the normal once AND sees his neurologist once a year. Those all include blood draws / testing to check on his liver and med levels. Through it all he is STILL a truly incredible, wonderful, loving cat. If you know me well you’ve heard the stories of Watts’ adoration for me, his goofy little personality and his general zest for life. He and I have been through A LOT together and I’m fairly certain he’s used up most, if not all, of his nine lives. I don’t have kids, a partner or housemates, but I have had Watts. When I am the lowest of low it’s Watts that follows me around and never leaves my side. We have SAVED each other more times than I can count. If you’re someone who doesn’t understand this kind of relationship w/ an animal / pet then it’s entirely possible that we shouldn’t be friends AND I feel sad for what your life is missing. The joy I get from him being in my life surpasses all else.

Watts is now 13.5 years old. A bad seizure that required an emergency vet visit combined with normal aging and up to some cluster seizures (NINE in one week) this January have resulted in quite a few vet visits this year as we look further into the neurological stuff and adjust his Rx meds, etc. After experiencing incredible results from just ONE PT / acupuncture session a year and a half ago, I decided I needed to take him back there and delve further into how some treatments and eastern medicine could benefit him. I didn’t continue with those treatments the first time due to it being something I just plain couldn’t afford. I am thrilled to say he had his appointment earlier this week and was a STELLAR patient! He had more than ten needles in for about 30 minutes and almost fell asleep. He got a thorough examination and I was happy to hear that although he shows deterioration and signs of potential mild pain due to stiffness and potential soreness and arthritis, they had lots of suggestions of ways we can proceed with his treatment and therapeutic goals that will not only help him function better, but stave off / lessen some natural aging issues that make his already difficult condition worse such as osteoarthritis and inflammation. I started him right away on an herbal supplement that helps to move the energy in his brain actually helping with the control of seizures. That evening after resting up all day after his appointment Watts was like a whole new cat several years younger! He required me to PLAY with him for over 30 minutes straight. He was running around like a kitten…rolling on the rug, tossing toys and attempting to engage his little sister, Fern. It was fantastic. There is NO doubt in my mind that these treatments help him feel better and improve his quality of life exponentially.

Despite the enormous expense, I am doubling down on my committment to being dedicated this year and beyond to doing everything possible to keep Watts as happy and healthy as he can possibly be so that he – my VERY favorite thing in the whole wide world, my life, my love, my heart – can live as long as possible. As part of MY commitment – I will be working with Watts at home with exercises and massage sessions every single day.

This year up through this week I have already spent $1548 on Watts’ medical appointments. For me to just do the bare minimum normal stuff I do for Watts AND healthy little two year old Fern is $244 per month (Rx food, treats - the needed Pill Pockets for Watts to take his Rx meds, claw caps for Watts so he walks better on the hardwood floors, flea meds, litter AND Fern’s PET INSURANCE that is $55 per month).

I don’t want to go through this difficult request for help for Watts without being SUPER clear and providing actual numbers for what his treatment plan is for the next year starting today:

GRAND TOTAL $8,708.00

I’m rounding this down since my lucky number is 8 to $8k and I’ll be thrilled with HALF that or anything, really. If you’ve read this far – you’re amazing and kind. Please consider just skipping one $5 latte even for Watts and I – even that would mean the world to me. I hope I never have to do this again for ANY reason.

A little note to say that I know credit cards are evil, but me being able to afford medical treatment for Watts thus far wouldn’t have been possible all these years if it weren’t for my CareCredit card. If you are ever in a bind with pet OR human medical bills, CareCredit is set up so that charges over (I think) $150 are INTEREST FREE if you pay them off in six or 12 months (depending). I utilize this time and time again and spread my payments out to chip away at my balances INTEREST FREE. It’s a lifesaver.