Help my friend's cat.
My friend Aden has a little kitty who had a horrible accident recently.
I got home late on Saturday night, and decided to stay over at Joshua's since I had given him a terrible cold leaving him completely exhausted and sore as well as making it difficult to swallow food or saliva(uhghh).I called my roommate Kat to tell her this, since we were sharing our building key. As a result, she left the key for me at the restaraunt downstairs from our apartment.
At just before 3pm, Josh and I picked up the key, and went upstairs to play with Coco(my kitten, for those of you who do not know). Upon arriving at my apartment on the 6th floor, i noticed that not only were both of my roommates not home, but that Coco was gone!But, all the windows in the house were closed. Where could she have gone?
We have/had a rule at my house: if I am not there to supervise my cat, then she is to be placed in my bedroom when the kitchen window is opened. Clearly this rule was not taken seriously.
Not once did either of them take it upon themselves to call and tell me that she had gone missing over the weekend- not even when I spoke to Kat about the key. I looked for her on the neighboring rooftops, and climbed my own to see if I could notice her atop a farther building.
Nothing.
Then I heard the faintest meow. It was windy, so I thought maybe it was my imagination.
Josh and I planned to make lost kitten posters and start searching the neighborhood.
We went downstairs and I immediately called for Coco outside. Maybe she climbed down the fire escape and got stuck somewhere nearby. I heard her in the distance, but couldn't see her. I ran to the other block behind our building to see if I could get through the back gate. NO. Ok, call Tommy, our Super., i thought. No response. I ran back to my side of the building and called again. It was definately Coco's voice that responded back. So I went through the window of a 1st floor resident, and climbed to the fire escape.
I called her name again.
Then I saw her. She was on the other side of A rather tall cyclone fence in the backyard of the building nextdoor.
"What? Why are you there little girl? I will be right over to get you."
I thanked the women who let me crawl thru her window, and ran outside. Joshua had already gone inside the apartment to get Coco. When He came back, Coco's right rear foot was 2-3 times larger than normal.
It was crusty with blood, and flopped left and right when I touched it.
FUCK!
We Immediately took her to the Animal Medical Center, a 24 hour vet emergency hospital. 7 hours and $750 later, we left with Coco and went home.
The vet said that her bones in her foot were going every which way they chose and she tried to align them, but she just could not.Dr. Levinson also tells me that there are multiple compound fractures (Open wounds are so easily filled with germs they don't need. YAY! another obstacle)
She told us that it would cost at least $3000 to fix her. The vet advised that we go to the ASPCA on E. 92nd first thing in the morning because they have financial aid.
Thank god there's a place that offers aid. I had just spent $100 more than my rent, and found out in the same day that I was jobless.
That night, Coco was screaming and growling and in a lot of pain. She was coming off the anesthesia. She was wearing an Elizibethean collar to prevent her from attacking the splint.
Around 5 am she and I finally fell asleep.
7am, Monday morning: wake up and contact the ASPCA so they know to expect us.
8:30 am: arrive at the vet's office. Fill out financial aid forms 1 & 2 (1=care card, a credit line for emergencies such as this. 2= Application for financial aid throught the ASPCA).
WAIT-- for what feels like forever.
12pm: See the DR.
Dr. Hirshberg walks in and lectures me about being a horrible pet owner and then tells me that Coco will only need a splint and that the Dr's at AMC were wrong. I then hand her the X-Rays on a disk. After looking them over she comes back in and tells me a splint is absolutely out of the question, this cat of mine REQUIRES surgery. The surgery calls for a metal plate and screw to be placed in every bone in my precious cats foot. I was informed that there will be pain due to the positioning of so much metal in such a small area, but that it was the ONLY way my cat had a chance of healing with out AMPUTATION.
HOLY SHIT.
I told the Dr. I only had enough $$ to pay for this vist, i had no job, and now I had no rent $, but that I had applied for aid. She tells me the surgery is neccesary.
SO I asked if we could avoid her having to recover from the pain of splinting the bones mis-aligned and then directly amputating her leg. My suggestion was to amputate from the start so Coco would only have to go through 1 healing process. Tripod animals are everywhere. they are completely able to live a happy life with 3 legs-right?
Dr. Hirshberg told me that she would not sign off on that. She scheduled Coco for Surgery on Thursday(tomarrow).Then she sent me to the Cashier to Pay $110 for the visit.
At the cashier window,I am informed that I have been denied both forms of financial assistance. She asks me for my parents info to see whether or not they can be approved. I can't, i say,I haven't lived at home since I was 16. I wouldn't even know howto go about that. So she asks if I have any friends who can help out, and I tell her no. We are all low income and live check to check- if there is one to be had. I explain that I have spent all my money at the emergency room the night before and here at her window.
"Don't you have a credit card?"
"No."
"Well, we can't assist you with this bill for surgery, because YOU are showing no attempt to even help your cat. We can't do everything for you.It's only $3000."
"You can't do anything? I should have brought her to the Humane Society and had her Put Down. At least she wouldn't have to deal with a prolnged painful life."
"I'll have to get this approved by your DR, and the Admin. Director.Please wait in the lobby and I'll see what can be done."
Wait for another hour.
"Ms. Sinclaire, Please."
I get up with Coco and head to the window.
"I was unable to get either of them to sign off on this. Dr. Hirshberg has agreed to change the dressing on the wound and change her splint as a last option. I'm sorry."
"But the Dr. informed me that a splint was absolutely not even a remote possibility if I cared at all about the well being of my cat." I say this in complete disgust and disbeleif of the words that are coming my way.
"We're taking Coco now, and you can pick her up around 6pm",this, from a nurse standing to my right.
It's somewhere around 2. I haven't eaten in over 24 hours and I feel nauseous and faint. I meet up with Josh at a P/u of his on 77th and Park. I tell him the details and we are both crying.
I cannot tell you how absolutely heartbroken I am at this moment, because there are no words that are adequate enough.
She eventually managed to get the surgery bill knocked down to $800, but she's still really hard up for money (and already spent all her money on the cat instead of paying rent). She is a really good person and loves her cat a whole lot. I've sent all the money I can. I haven't talked to her recently but it still sounds like she is still pretty hard up. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you can spare ANYTHING:
(yeah I know probably most of you are rocking the college lifestyle about now but maybe there is someone out there with a few bucks to spare)
I got home late on Saturday night, and decided to stay over at Joshua's since I had given him a terrible cold leaving him completely exhausted and sore as well as making it difficult to swallow food or saliva(uhghh).I called my roommate Kat to tell her this, since we were sharing our building key. As a result, she left the key for me at the restaraunt downstairs from our apartment.
At just before 3pm, Josh and I picked up the key, and went upstairs to play with Coco(my kitten, for those of you who do not know). Upon arriving at my apartment on the 6th floor, i noticed that not only were both of my roommates not home, but that Coco was gone!But, all the windows in the house were closed. Where could she have gone?
We have/had a rule at my house: if I am not there to supervise my cat, then she is to be placed in my bedroom when the kitchen window is opened. Clearly this rule was not taken seriously.
Not once did either of them take it upon themselves to call and tell me that she had gone missing over the weekend- not even when I spoke to Kat about the key. I looked for her on the neighboring rooftops, and climbed my own to see if I could notice her atop a farther building.
Nothing.
Then I heard the faintest meow. It was windy, so I thought maybe it was my imagination.
Josh and I planned to make lost kitten posters and start searching the neighborhood.
We went downstairs and I immediately called for Coco outside. Maybe she climbed down the fire escape and got stuck somewhere nearby. I heard her in the distance, but couldn't see her. I ran to the other block behind our building to see if I could get through the back gate. NO. Ok, call Tommy, our Super., i thought. No response. I ran back to my side of the building and called again. It was definately Coco's voice that responded back. So I went through the window of a 1st floor resident, and climbed to the fire escape.
I called her name again.
Then I saw her. She was on the other side of A rather tall cyclone fence in the backyard of the building nextdoor.
"What? Why are you there little girl? I will be right over to get you."
I thanked the women who let me crawl thru her window, and ran outside. Joshua had already gone inside the apartment to get Coco. When He came back, Coco's right rear foot was 2-3 times larger than normal.
It was crusty with blood, and flopped left and right when I touched it.
FUCK!
We Immediately took her to the Animal Medical Center, a 24 hour vet emergency hospital. 7 hours and $750 later, we left with Coco and went home.
The vet said that her bones in her foot were going every which way they chose and she tried to align them, but she just could not.Dr. Levinson also tells me that there are multiple compound fractures (Open wounds are so easily filled with germs they don't need. YAY! another obstacle)
She told us that it would cost at least $3000 to fix her. The vet advised that we go to the ASPCA on E. 92nd first thing in the morning because they have financial aid.
Thank god there's a place that offers aid. I had just spent $100 more than my rent, and found out in the same day that I was jobless.
That night, Coco was screaming and growling and in a lot of pain. She was coming off the anesthesia. She was wearing an Elizibethean collar to prevent her from attacking the splint.
Around 5 am she and I finally fell asleep.
7am, Monday morning: wake up and contact the ASPCA so they know to expect us.
8:30 am: arrive at the vet's office. Fill out financial aid forms 1 & 2 (1=care card, a credit line for emergencies such as this. 2= Application for financial aid throught the ASPCA).
WAIT-- for what feels like forever.
12pm: See the DR.
Dr. Hirshberg walks in and lectures me about being a horrible pet owner and then tells me that Coco will only need a splint and that the Dr's at AMC were wrong. I then hand her the X-Rays on a disk. After looking them over she comes back in and tells me a splint is absolutely out of the question, this cat of mine REQUIRES surgery. The surgery calls for a metal plate and screw to be placed in every bone in my precious cats foot. I was informed that there will be pain due to the positioning of so much metal in such a small area, but that it was the ONLY way my cat had a chance of healing with out AMPUTATION.
HOLY SHIT.
I told the Dr. I only had enough $$ to pay for this vist, i had no job, and now I had no rent $, but that I had applied for aid. She tells me the surgery is neccesary.
SO I asked if we could avoid her having to recover from the pain of splinting the bones mis-aligned and then directly amputating her leg. My suggestion was to amputate from the start so Coco would only have to go through 1 healing process. Tripod animals are everywhere. they are completely able to live a happy life with 3 legs-right?
Dr. Hirshberg told me that she would not sign off on that. She scheduled Coco for Surgery on Thursday(tomarrow).Then she sent me to the Cashier to Pay $110 for the visit.
At the cashier window,I am informed that I have been denied both forms of financial assistance. She asks me for my parents info to see whether or not they can be approved. I can't, i say,I haven't lived at home since I was 16. I wouldn't even know howto go about that. So she asks if I have any friends who can help out, and I tell her no. We are all low income and live check to check- if there is one to be had. I explain that I have spent all my money at the emergency room the night before and here at her window.
"Don't you have a credit card?"
"No."
"Well, we can't assist you with this bill for surgery, because YOU are showing no attempt to even help your cat. We can't do everything for you.It's only $3000."
"You can't do anything? I should have brought her to the Humane Society and had her Put Down. At least she wouldn't have to deal with a prolnged painful life."
"I'll have to get this approved by your DR, and the Admin. Director.Please wait in the lobby and I'll see what can be done."
Wait for another hour.
"Ms. Sinclaire, Please."
I get up with Coco and head to the window.
"I was unable to get either of them to sign off on this. Dr. Hirshberg has agreed to change the dressing on the wound and change her splint as a last option. I'm sorry."
"But the Dr. informed me that a splint was absolutely not even a remote possibility if I cared at all about the well being of my cat." I say this in complete disgust and disbeleif of the words that are coming my way.
"We're taking Coco now, and you can pick her up around 6pm",this, from a nurse standing to my right.
It's somewhere around 2. I haven't eaten in over 24 hours and I feel nauseous and faint. I meet up with Josh at a P/u of his on 77th and Park. I tell him the details and we are both crying.
I cannot tell you how absolutely heartbroken I am at this moment, because there are no words that are adequate enough.
She eventually managed to get the surgery bill knocked down to $800, but she's still really hard up for money (and already spent all her money on the cat instead of paying rent). She is a really good person and loves her cat a whole lot. I've sent all the money I can. I haven't talked to her recently but it still sounds like she is still pretty hard up. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you can spare ANYTHING:
(yeah I know probably most of you are rocking the college lifestyle about now but maybe there is someone out there with a few bucks to spare)