Meat certainly isn't the only progressive pet food supply store in town, and it probably isn't the first to emphasize a raw meat diet for your critters either, but it was Meat's Heidi Liedeker who has shaped my approach to cat nutrition. I love and trust her store so much that even though it no longer makes geographical sense, I still travel halfway across town to stock up. And while I can find a similar range of products elsewhere, Meat's always had a slightly more punk/hipster/whatever vibe than more yuppified establishments I can think of, and has continually demonstrated support and generosity for like minded causes, from pit bull defense to the Pogo Fund.

Meat's now going into its third expansion, and have what seems like a distinctly unplanned-for Indiegogo campaign up to help fill an unanticipated gap in their funding after having exhausted the banks and personal loan options. The video is distinctly no-frills, consisting mostly of lo-fi footage of Liedeker explaining the history of her business and its current situation while fighting back tears. They're a long way from reaching the 60k goal: With four days left they've raised $15,740 (though they get to keep whatever they do make). I have a feeling a lot of people who patronize her store might not be aware of what they're facing—I don't think I've ever seen it with less than three other customers inside, usually with dogs in tow. I know Liedeker would respond with sympathy and generosity to any one of her customers (furry or otherwise) in crisis, so if you have any connection to her or her store, you might want to hear her out: