Help pay for Tybalt's emergency surgical care

In October of 2015, a little bundle of darkness and joy was delivered into the world in the form of a tiny Sphynx cat. He was born to friends of the family, and when I met all of the kittens over FaceTime, Tybalt stole my heart. Over last nearly-six years, Tybalt and I have been basically inseparable -- from road trips to neighborhood walks to lounging in the backyard on a sunny day, we are together more often than we're apart.

Early in the morning of August 10th, Tybalt (Prince of Cats) was admitted to the emergency veterinary surgical clinic with a diagnosis of a linear bowel obstruction. There was foreign material anchored in his stomach, and tangled all the way through his intestines to his rectum. He received emergency surgery about eight hours after his diagnosis; through two incisions in his intestine and stomach, the vet was able to remove all of the obstructing foreign body. However, a significant portion of his intestine had been damaged, including a perforation, and the surgeon had to perform a resection of the area.

While the timing on pet emergencies is never ideal, we ("we" being Tybalt's humans, myself and my partner) were recently given notice by our landlord because he is moving his family into our house. We have a move-out date of September 30th, and have been scrambling to find a place. We live in Bend, Oregon, an area being crushed under a housing crisis and a skyrocketing cost of living, and we were already concerned that we wouldn't be able to stay in the area due to expenses. Because of the way the housing and rental markets are here, we were attempting to gather up a down payment for a home in Deschutes County -- now, we have put essentially all of our existing savings into veterinary care for Tybalt.

As of right now, the total estimated cost for Tybalt's care is between $4908 and $6447. We've set a goal here of $3,000 in an attempt to defray the costs and give us a fighting chance at keeping our little family in the town we both grew up in. We both work full time, and have both been attempting to pick up gigs in an attempt to bolster our savings, but Tybalt will now need someone home with him 24/7 for at least the first week to ensure that he doesn't develop a septic abdomen (or to catch it immediately if he does develop an infection).

Tybalt is an extremely special cat, and is very loved. If we need to sacrifice our ability to remain in Bend to ensure that he receives treatment, we will do so. However, we are keenly aware that we have put basically all of our savings on the line to get him through this -- if there are complications, and he needs further care, or if the estimate changes significantly because of the intensity of the resection, we may not be able to afford the necessary costs.

"Anything helps" is a phrase that we see and hear so often, it's easy to dismiss it as a platitude -- but it really is true. Anything at all helps, and goes directly into ensuring the best care possible for Tybalt. We are already deeply indebted to the friends and family that have stepped up to the plate and offered financial support (all such gifts have been included in the GoFundMe total as outside donations), words of kindness, hugs, and hope. For more photos or more information, you can find Tybalt on Instagram at @more.than.prince.of.cats