Hey, sweet friends. It's Alyson, Pixel's mom. 💙 So many have noticed our absence. You deserve to know where we went. First, I'm sorry for disappearing. Honesty and transparency have always mattered here, and it weighs on me that I couldn't tell you what was happening beyond what I shared on my personal FB profile. For those who don't follow me there, the short version, without the gory details, is that we were living with domestic abuse at the hands of what will hopefully soon be my ex-husband. Yes. The one I allowed you all to believe was so gentle and loving. I feel horrible for that. I managed to get him out of our home a few months ago. My daughter, the cats, and I are safe now, but I've spent much of the time since trying to process what happened and figure out how to move forward, sometimes minute to minute. I spent 15 years with my every breath hinging on this man's emotional swings. I'm only now rediscovering things about myself, like foods I enjoy eating. And the fact that I'm actually allowed to eat them. Those of you who follow me personally saw this unfold, including the audio evidence I'd documented, in front of roughly 25,000 people on my FB profile. Your kindness, compassion, validation, and support helped me, my daughter, and the cats through one of the most frightening periods of our lives. I'm profoundly grateful to all of you, and to the law enforcement and community responders who helped us. But many of our friends here had absolutely no idea. From your perspective, we were here one day and gone the next, without an explanation. And for that, I am genuinely sorry. I simply didn't know what else to do. I was frightened, overwhelmed, and heartbroken, trying to navigate an increasingly dangerous situation. Some days I barely had the energy to keep us fed and clean, much less figure out how to explain what was happening. There's something else I want to share as we get this little operation running again. For years, Club Meatbird was one of the only ways I had to survive. The ridiculous scenarios I imagined for the cats gave me somewhere to escape when reality became too much to bear. I could disappear into my own head and make something that brought other people happiness, and it kept me going. It was all of YOU who helped turn that little coping mechanism into something truly extraordinary. But the creative engine that powered Club Meatbird for so long ran largely on fear and self-preservation. Now that I'm no longer living in that situation, I'm learning to create from a place of healing rather than escape. I don't yet know exactly what that looks like. It's strange to relearn something that once came so naturally, especially when it's my livelihood. But I want to. I miss this work, I miss making you laugh, and I miss being here with you. More importantly, this boy is not done smiling. He knows we still have great work to do. So, I'm going to start. Things may look a little different while I get my bearings, and I ask you to please bear with me as I figure out how to get this engine running again. I can't allow Club Meatbird to get lost among the rubble of everything he tried to take from me. And I don't want to wait until I've got everything figured out to begin. If you're still here with us — thank you so, SO much. Club Meatbird has always been about more than just a smile. Your kindness and compassion across platforms have meant more than I can express. Thank you for caring about us, supporting my work, and helping build this ridiculous little corner of the internet. This is still hard. We got hit by a tornado in July on top of everything else. But you've seen me fight other things before. I'm not rolling over and letting this take me down now. From me, my daughter, Pixel, Sophie, Disco, and Chester — thank you for being here, and for being you. We've missed you, friends. And we're SO glad you're still here to smile with us. 💙🫶 #catsoftiktok #cat #cats #dv #dvawareness - @pixelandsophie