Emily the pubcat comes to Canada

Hello nice people of the internet.

It is a bit ridiculous writing a GoFundMe to help get a cat from Australia to Canada, but it's also perhaps indicative of the year that was. Oh 2020. 

Emily has an interesting story to tell (or at the very least meow, she's a very talkative cat).

The short of it reads: As a kitten, Emily was adopted by a heavy metal music venue in Melbourne. They took care of her for a while, but after many a late night and a few-too-many drum solos, Emily the pubcat became disillusioned with the rock n' roll lifestyle. She wandered out of the bar's doors and down the block, where she spent about a year as a streetcat. 

This was about the same time that Dan and I (hi! I'm Sarah!) moved to a little cottage down the block. Despite getting robbed midway through our tenure, it was a great home for us for a number of reasons – particularly because there happened to be a cat that kept popping around to see what we were up to. 

Emily would visit every now and again and we learned her name from the neighbours. She was always a bit tentative but also curious and cuddly. She also became increasingly interested when we started investing in some kibble – she's a smart cat.

The turning point though? Well, that would end up being coronavirus and the working from home mandate and eventual lockdown that befell Melbourne residents in mid-2020.

As Dan and I stayed at home, Emily the pubcat turned streetcat became ... our cat? She'd spend her days curled up on the dining room table. She'd spend her nights watching us sleep. It was a bit creepy, but she was cute so we allowed it.

Eventually and after some sleuthing, I figured out her owners – conveniently down the street at the pub. I sent them a message to let them know their beloved pubcat was our housecat. They let us know we'd be welcome to take her. And we did. All the way to the Gold Coast (hello beachcat), where we're currently living.

We're so fortunate she adopted us (because you know with cats, that's always the way), but we definitely need some help with bringing her on the next adventure.

Dan and I will be moving from Australia to Canada in March 2021. My visa expires soon, plus I am in desperate need of a new insulin pump. Preferably an insulin pump that's not held together by duct tape and a dream.

Thanks to COVID-19 though, flights and resources to transport animals have been difficult to come by – and turns out it's way more expensive than anyone (read: us) might have anticipated. 

Any assistance would be so unbelievably appreciated. We both realise times are incredible tough and fundraising to get a cat from Australia to Canada falls pretty low on the priority scale, but... we have to start somewhere, and every little bit helps. We also hope that by offering our skills and services and/or some cute Emily-themed incentives, it'll be worth your while/contributions. 

We've set up the following incentives:

TIER 1 – $10 donation
You'll get a thank you video from Emily the Pubcat.

TIER 2 – $25 donation
We'll send you three (3) pubcat postcards that you can send to your friends/family

TIER 3 – $75 donation
We'll send you an Emily hat.

TIER 4 – $125 donation
We'll send you the Emily the Pubcat children's book.  (We haven't made this yet and the prospect of making an entire book is daunting, but hopefully it'll be cute and fun for the whole family!!)

TIER 5 – $250 donation
Dan will give you one-on-one business coaching, interview coaching, or help with your start-up plans/pitch (2hrs) OR Sarah will provide you with marketing, social media, copywriting, or graphic design help (2hrs).

Just want to donate without any of the merch and/or extras? Please just let us know and/or make a donation that's not one of the above prices (i.e. $11 or $51).

Having a cat during this pandemic has been so incredibly amazing. Life-changing, even. Emily has brought us so much love and affection during the lows of 2020, and we'd love to pay her back. Also, how fun will it be for the pubcat to become a snowcat? 

Thank you for reading and for any help you can share. Plus (and because we're also dog people) Dan and I will donate any extra money that doesn't go to Emily's travel fund to Finding Them Homes  – an amazing dog rescue in James Bay, Ontario.

We'll keep you posted on how Emily's travel plans go!

Thank you,
Sarah, Dan, and Emily