Pippin Is Recovering From a Medical Emergency

If you know anything about Evan & Taran, it's that we absolutely love our cats.

We talk to them, get to know them, give them hilarious (to us) voices, and do everything we can to help them have the happiest lives possible.

So it was a shock on the morning of 4 February 2023 when Pippin simply wouldn't eat. He wouldn't even move. Our big galumph -- a dumpster baby formerly named Groot who had muscles that had atrophied -- had become the sweetest of boys, a lovercat, and a playful monster. He was brimming with personalities and was unafraid to tell you when he didn't like something or wanted more attention. If you've met him, you know how truly unique a personality he has. So our surprise that morning was to see him not move at all.

When a lot of American families are surveyed, many couldn't handle a $400 surprise emergency expense. Thankfully, we can, and even if the job market in L.A. has been tough, we've been here nearly three months and are still going. What we didn't expect, however, was our local trusted vet telling us how close to anemic he was, how he was in need of an emergency blood transfusion or he would die. We were told the running price for something like this was around $4,000 -- but we were willing to bite the bullet. Someone once said that every pet you have should be allowed at least one major medical expense in their life. We thought it was going to be his upcoming dental work, not, as the final estimate turned out to be from a hospital that could do the blood transfusion and overnight hospitalization, in the $5,500-$6,700 price range.

Thankfully, we can put those expenses on a card to ensure he gets treatment, but it's still a shock to our system that it happened so quickly, so suddenly. We really did weigh our options, and we've cried so much today it feels like there's no tears left to wring. Yet I told Taran "This isn't Pippin's last day." A late night call from our vet that was missed was unnerving -- the front desk receptionist said "No news is good news" in these situations -- but after waiting 30 minutes for a callback and expecting the worst, we were informed it was a misdial and that he is (as of this writing) stable.

We know first hand how tight the job market is right now, and we are coming into this with no expectations. However, any help you can give will go directly to Pippin. So many of you have reached out and sent money already and we are beyond appreciative. We know that we will be fine in the end, but right now, in this sudden moment, it is very overwhelming.

When I was younger, we had a lot of dogs at my dad's house. One of the nicest things ever said to my father was "If I ever die, I hope I get reincarnated as a Sawdey dog," which was a compliment to just how well we took care of our woof-woofs. My honest belief is that one day someone will say that about a Sawdreilly cat, 'cos we really have profound emotional connections with them and want to go above and beyond to help them any time we can. This is the first time we've ever set up an account like this, and we are hoping it's the last we'll ever have to. Even if you've read this far, thank you. With any luck, any and all comments will be relayed to Pippin on the other end of this.