Support this fundraiser
Click "Read More" for full story. I plan to give donors the following:
$10+: Shoutout
$20+: Shoutout + Sticker
$30+: Shoutout + Sticker + KITTY T-Shirt
$60+:Shoutout + Sticker + 2 KITTY T-Shirts
$100+: Shoutout + Sticker + 2 KITTY T-Shirts + 1 KITTY Hoodie
Yesterday I hospitalized Kitty. The estimated cost to keep him in the hospital’s care for the next couple of days ranges from $3,700 on the low end to $5,200+. This estimate includes the imaging procedures and scans needed for a proper diagnosis, but the cost of any subsequent care is currently unknown. Kitty hates being taken away from his house and my deepest wish is that he returns in full health, but it’s possible that his quality of life won’t be the same. As much as it shatters my heart to say, there’s a chance that Kitty won’t come home at all. Please help with a donation and read on for the full story:
One summer night in my late teens around ten years ago, my then-girlfriend and I just left a local pop-up festival (the kind with funnel cake and kids you knew in high school) to take the mile walk back to my car. We opted for the scenic route to avoid the claustrophobic main street, and a few minutes later a young, pink-nosed cat jaunted past, plopped himself down at our feet, and presented to us his furry, white belly. The ask was clear, so with a “Hi, Kitty!” we unleashed a battery of petting and chin scratches, and with a “Bye, Kitty!” we kept it moving. Minutes later, our new friend’s fuzzy face popped back up in my peripheral vision. He pranced past us just enough to tumble his tummy towards us for more. Mr. Kitty repeated this melody until he had song-and-danced us all the way to my car. It was insisted to me that he was homeless and that the prophecies had chosen us to bring this boy to greatness, so I hesitantly placed him in the backseat, brought him home and collected the a DIY Basic Kitty Care Package from the store. You know that feeling when you leave the house for funnel cake and come home with a small carnivorous mammal? No. That’s not a thing that people plan for, but the most life-changing events are rarely predicted.
Flash forward almost a week later: my mom took him to the vet. Kitty had no collar around his neck and the vet found no chip to speak of, but they required that the little guy be named and inducted into the grid so he could work and pay taxes like the rest of us. In a moment of what I assume was divine inspiration, he was named “Alejandro” after the Lady Gaga deep cut that I suppose my mother was into at the time. However, in my mind and in Kitty’s soul, he was already Kitty. So, although the paper records speak of an “Alejandro Galang,” the world knows him as (and he responds exclusively to) “Kitty.”
That year, I moved out of the house and into my first apartment downtown. Kitty came too. My three roommates – two human and one feline – and I threw dozens of unreasonable house parties. Kitty sat with me for the thousands of hours I spent hunched over my desk in my room staring at my computer and walked the premises during all my late night recording sessions in the living room. After a few years, Kitty and I decided to get our own 1 bedroom apartment. We didn’t have wifi or own a microwave for 3 months. Once I got home from work, Kitty and I ate dinner and made music and lived the good life. The year after that, I left Illinois to move to Nashville. Ten minutes outside of town I got run off the road by a pickup truck, and totaled my car stuffed full of everything I had. Kitty was in his carrier in the passenger seat. When we found Kitty a decade ago I was sure I had no want or need for a pet cat. And now to imagine the existence of Nilo without Kitty beside me in-frame and in equal focus just doesn’t feel right. For the past ten years Kitty has witnessed all of my relationships, friendships, career troubles, and birthdays. We evolved from nervous, skittish little boys into chubby, confident young men together. Kitty is the cat that wins over the anti-catters. Kitty is my son and my brother and my friend.
At the end of last summer, Kitty started sneezing…a lot. He began suffering from occasional nosebleeds, so I brought him to his veterinarian who diagnosed a possible infection and prescribed a round of antibiotics and immune support treats as our first line of defense. I felt confident that I could see an improvement in his symptoms, but then the nosebleeds returned. Wanting a second opinion, I switched vets. Kitty started a new antibiotic. This vet came with both a higher price tag and a lower level of attention and care. This vet let us down and the bleeding didn’t let up, so I brought Kitty back to the first vet. My poor guy was tired of papa dragging him around town all the time but my girlfriend noticed that his left eye looked a little swollen. Things had not improved. The forecast became really cloudy when the vet laid out the possibilities – either Kitty has an infection (fungal or caused by a foreign object, like the original diagnosis) or a tumor, or a combination of both. However, normal vets don’t possess the necessary tools to see what’s up under the hoods of tiny cat noses – the scanning and imaging technology necessary for an accurate diagnosis can only be done by a specialist. The doctor informed me that this would be very expensive, but it’s the only move left, so until I was ready to make that move, we could give him more of the steroids that seemed to be retaining or, at least, slowing down the degradation of his quality of life. We tried a steroid shot, a few rounds of oral steroids, more antibiotics and some naturopathic remedies. The effectiveness of the treatments was dwindling as bleeding became more constant, nasal passages narrowed and breathing more audibly strained. A referral was finally sent into NVS (Nashville Veterinary Specialists) last week. They received it this weekend and were to call me this week to schedule the required consultation that happens BEFORE scheduling the actual scans, which need to happen BEFORE scheduling the actual procedures that may or may not be what Kitty needs. Unfortunately, Kitty's condition seemed to get much worse overnight. Prior to yesterday, Kitty’s been playful and hungry. But when I got out of bed and into the living room, he appeared lethargic. His eye was noticeably more swollen. Kitty typically meows hurrah and jolts toward me at the sound of a fresh can of wet food being popped and pried open. This time, he barely reacted. My partner and I brought him to NVS, where they suggested we hospitalize him overnight because his airways had become extremely restricted and they could give him oxygen. Today (Monday, January 11th) we wait for Kitty’s consultation, where they will suggest getting a scheduling a CT scan to perform as early as they can – either today or tomorrow. They might also conclude that his prognosis is not good, and that euthanasia is the best option. I’m hoping the best for my guy and I will post as many updates as frequently as possible to this page. I know things are crazy right now, but if you can, make a donation and I’ll hand-print you a T-shirt of my beautiful boy’s face that you can wear on all your zoom calls and grocery trips. I know this is a sad place to end a story, but I know that this isn’t the end of Kitty’s story. Thank you.
$10+: Shoutout
$20+: Shoutout + Sticker
$30+: Shoutout + Sticker + KITTY T-Shirt
$60+:Shoutout + Sticker + 2 KITTY T-Shirts
$100+: Shoutout + Sticker + 2 KITTY T-Shirts + 1 KITTY Hoodie
Yesterday I hospitalized Kitty. The estimated cost to keep him in the hospital’s care for the next couple of days ranges from $3,700 on the low end to $5,200+. This estimate includes the imaging procedures and scans needed for a proper diagnosis, but the cost of any subsequent care is currently unknown. Kitty hates being taken away from his house and my deepest wish is that he returns in full health, but it’s possible that his quality of life won’t be the same. As much as it shatters my heart to say, there’s a chance that Kitty won’t come home at all. Please help with a donation and read on for the full story:
One summer night in my late teens around ten years ago, my then-girlfriend and I just left a local pop-up festival (the kind with funnel cake and kids you knew in high school) to take the mile walk back to my car. We opted for the scenic route to avoid the claustrophobic main street, and a few minutes later a young, pink-nosed cat jaunted past, plopped himself down at our feet, and presented to us his furry, white belly. The ask was clear, so with a “Hi, Kitty!” we unleashed a battery of petting and chin scratches, and with a “Bye, Kitty!” we kept it moving. Minutes later, our new friend’s fuzzy face popped back up in my peripheral vision. He pranced past us just enough to tumble his tummy towards us for more. Mr. Kitty repeated this melody until he had song-and-danced us all the way to my car. It was insisted to me that he was homeless and that the prophecies had chosen us to bring this boy to greatness, so I hesitantly placed him in the backseat, brought him home and collected the a DIY Basic Kitty Care Package from the store. You know that feeling when you leave the house for funnel cake and come home with a small carnivorous mammal? No. That’s not a thing that people plan for, but the most life-changing events are rarely predicted.
Flash forward almost a week later: my mom took him to the vet. Kitty had no collar around his neck and the vet found no chip to speak of, but they required that the little guy be named and inducted into the grid so he could work and pay taxes like the rest of us. In a moment of what I assume was divine inspiration, he was named “Alejandro” after the Lady Gaga deep cut that I suppose my mother was into at the time. However, in my mind and in Kitty’s soul, he was already Kitty. So, although the paper records speak of an “Alejandro Galang,” the world knows him as (and he responds exclusively to) “Kitty.”
That year, I moved out of the house and into my first apartment downtown. Kitty came too. My three roommates – two human and one feline – and I threw dozens of unreasonable house parties. Kitty sat with me for the thousands of hours I spent hunched over my desk in my room staring at my computer and walked the premises during all my late night recording sessions in the living room. After a few years, Kitty and I decided to get our own 1 bedroom apartment. We didn’t have wifi or own a microwave for 3 months. Once I got home from work, Kitty and I ate dinner and made music and lived the good life. The year after that, I left Illinois to move to Nashville. Ten minutes outside of town I got run off the road by a pickup truck, and totaled my car stuffed full of everything I had. Kitty was in his carrier in the passenger seat. When we found Kitty a decade ago I was sure I had no want or need for a pet cat. And now to imagine the existence of Nilo without Kitty beside me in-frame and in equal focus just doesn’t feel right. For the past ten years Kitty has witnessed all of my relationships, friendships, career troubles, and birthdays. We evolved from nervous, skittish little boys into chubby, confident young men together. Kitty is the cat that wins over the anti-catters. Kitty is my son and my brother and my friend.
At the end of last summer, Kitty started sneezing…a lot. He began suffering from occasional nosebleeds, so I brought him to his veterinarian who diagnosed a possible infection and prescribed a round of antibiotics and immune support treats as our first line of defense. I felt confident that I could see an improvement in his symptoms, but then the nosebleeds returned. Wanting a second opinion, I switched vets. Kitty started a new antibiotic. This vet came with both a higher price tag and a lower level of attention and care. This vet let us down and the bleeding didn’t let up, so I brought Kitty back to the first vet. My poor guy was tired of papa dragging him around town all the time but my girlfriend noticed that his left eye looked a little swollen. Things had not improved. The forecast became really cloudy when the vet laid out the possibilities – either Kitty has an infection (fungal or caused by a foreign object, like the original diagnosis) or a tumor, or a combination of both. However, normal vets don’t possess the necessary tools to see what’s up under the hoods of tiny cat noses – the scanning and imaging technology necessary for an accurate diagnosis can only be done by a specialist. The doctor informed me that this would be very expensive, but it’s the only move left, so until I was ready to make that move, we could give him more of the steroids that seemed to be retaining or, at least, slowing down the degradation of his quality of life. We tried a steroid shot, a few rounds of oral steroids, more antibiotics and some naturopathic remedies. The effectiveness of the treatments was dwindling as bleeding became more constant, nasal passages narrowed and breathing more audibly strained. A referral was finally sent into NVS (Nashville Veterinary Specialists) last week. They received it this weekend and were to call me this week to schedule the required consultation that happens BEFORE scheduling the actual scans, which need to happen BEFORE scheduling the actual procedures that may or may not be what Kitty needs. Unfortunately, Kitty's condition seemed to get much worse overnight. Prior to yesterday, Kitty’s been playful and hungry. But when I got out of bed and into the living room, he appeared lethargic. His eye was noticeably more swollen. Kitty typically meows hurrah and jolts toward me at the sound of a fresh can of wet food being popped and pried open. This time, he barely reacted. My partner and I brought him to NVS, where they suggested we hospitalize him overnight because his airways had become extremely restricted and they could give him oxygen. Today (Monday, January 11th) we wait for Kitty’s consultation, where they will suggest getting a scheduling a CT scan to perform as early as they can – either today or tomorrow. They might also conclude that his prognosis is not good, and that euthanasia is the best option. I’m hoping the best for my guy and I will post as many updates as frequently as possible to this page. I know things are crazy right now, but if you can, make a donation and I’ll hand-print you a T-shirt of my beautiful boy’s face that you can wear on all your zoom calls and grocery trips. I know this is a sad place to end a story, but I know that this isn’t the end of Kitty’s story. Thank you.