Bring Quincy to the USA

Say hello to Quincy.  

Many of you will remember that as a 4-week-old kitten, Quincy was rescued after being left alone in the street in Guangzhou, China. I lived there at the time, working as an English teacher. Friends and family followed the saga online via social media as we took Quincy from abandoned kitten  to healthy, kind and playful young cat. With the help of several other friends, who contributed things like a can of tuna for a snack that first lonely midnight as well as their cat-sitting services over the ensuing months, we gave Quincy a home and showed him lots of love (and friskiness!)

I will also mention that saving a cat from the street in Guangdong province is sometimes (not always, but sometimes) also saving him from eventually being stolen by the underground/illegal cat-and-dog-meat black market.  Cat meat is considered a "warming" food and is eaten, especially in the winter, along with dog meat.  I occasionally saw cats in cages for sale in the street markets along with live poultry. This was heartbreaking for me, but it was even more frightening to learn that the cat and dog meat industries are so marginalized that they have become shady and resorted to illegal tactics including much stealing of street animals and household pets. This is why I fear for Quincy if he stays in China. 

Quincy has been living with Canadian friends in Tianjin, China, who are about to depart for elsewhere in Asia, and it's time to bring Quincy back to us, as I promised him I would. Unfortunately, this is quite a costly ordeal, and since the only people involved here are all English teachers, there isn't a lot of money to fund this trip, despite having saved up money as we knew this was coming.  

Why $1300? Well, that's actually about half of the cost; the total is more like $2700.

Why is it $2700? 
(prices are approximate/converted from Chinese RMB)

$385 - export handling (transport, paperwork, checkin)
$170 - government and quarantine charges - health certificate and exit permit (vaccines, etc)
$750 - customs, export permit, airport inspection
$900 - flight (as cargo) 
$540 - transport to Beijing from Tianjin (one round trip for export inspection in Beijing 7 days prior to trip, back to Tianjin, then to Beijing airport for day of flight)

This is the most affordable quote we have been able to get from a pet relocation service. 

Yes, there certainly is a lot of bureaucracy to export a pet from China to the U.S.  A cynical person might wonder why so much expense and attention is involved when the cat doesn't seem to be such a valued creature in China in the first place.  But, I'm just thinking about the fact that when Quincy was a cold, tiny, weak kitten, I held him in my arms, picked fleas off of him, fed him, took him to a vet to be vaccinated and brought to full health, and raised him to know that I loved him. I can't bear the idea of letting him down by letting him end up with someone that doesn't love him or, worse, that means him harm. 

 Frankly, I've seen people raise money for some pretty questionable stuff, like drunk-Uber-ride regret.  I've also seen other artists and writers (like me) who have limited income basically raise their living expenses from friends and acquaintances.  What this says about the economy and health insurance notwithstanding,  I thought, well, maybe somewhere there are dollars to spare for the chance to meet Quincy. Many people followed the early life of joyous Quincy on Facebook and got to know his smart, sweet, playful, inventive personality. Who knows--those people might be willing or able to contribute $5, or some spare change, or the price of a cup of coffee, to assist in the effort to bring Quincy "home" to the USA. In the true spirit of "home is where the heart is," Quincy will always have a home with me! 

I, Linda, would be so thankful for anything you contribute.  My finances are limited, but my gratitude would not be, And while I don't have a lot that is of money to give, I will happily negotiate to 'give' you something else in exchange, anything you would like to ask for -- whether you need the work I can do (writing and editing services) or some manual labor favor from us. Hire me!  Just ask!

Thank you for your consideration.