Jac's Surgery and Recovery Fund

Jac is my sweet 2 year old tabby.  My family took him and his brother in as newborn feral kittens and have loved and cared for them ever since.  Jac is a very happy, very smart kitty who attached instantly to my 11 year old daughter and has been a loving member of our family for the past two years. 

Our family has been through a lot in the last year.  Big changes have happened for us recently as we bought and moved into our first house this past November. We have been a one income family for 15 years and have pinched pennies to be able to make this dream of having a home come true. We were so excited to move in! 

Jac and his brother adjusted very well and seemed to be getting to know the neighborhood and holding down their new territory (our large back yard) with ease.  They even bonded with the cats that were left on the property we purchased.  Being animal lovers, we chose to let the cats (6 in total) stay on the property and took them in and feed them and care for them along with our two boys. The financial investment was worth it in our eyes and we have come to love all of the kitties so much.

Two nights ago, Jac was out in the yard like usual as we were out feeding the cats at dinner time. Like a good protector, he had chased off another male cat that was trying to get the attentions of our resident females.  In doing so, he ended up outside the fence and across the street.  At that point, we went inside, knowing he would return on his own.  When he came inside 10 minutes later, however, his face had been smashed in and he was bleeding out of his nose and eye sockets. His eyes had swollen shut.  We immediately rushed him to the emergency vet.

$1,200 and 24 hours later, after an emergency exam, x-rays, ultrasounds, pain medication, IV fluids, and multiple consultations, we were told he appeared to have multiple fractures in his jaw that would probably require surgery.  The official diagnosis was that blunt force trauma to his face caused the injury.  From the nature of the damage, the vet believes (and we concur) it is likely a person kicked him or hit him with something on purpose.  The idea that someone would do such a thing to my sweet boy just devastates and enrages me.

We were sent home with pain medication and a referral.  The next day we went to VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center where Jac was examined again. In the last 12 hours they have done:

emergency exam visit
surgical consultation
anesthetized him so they could run CT Scans to confirm his condition
medicated for pain
given IV fluids
inserted a feeding tube through his neck

He's not out the woods yet.  There will be 6-8 weeks more of healing and tube feeding and pain management via medication and follow up visits and still the possibility of more surgery if he is not healing well.

Jac has been very calm and sweet through all of this. He's an amazing animal and he means the world to our family.  I've already had to max out two credit cards in order to pay for the emergency treatment he's gotten in the last 48 hours. I had to come up with over $3,600 so far and that's only a deposit on treatment. They will expect the remaining balance  when treatment is complete and they send him home.  And then there will be follow up costs for future appointments and medication. 

And tonight, Jac took a turn for the worse.  The vet called me to tell me he was having difficulty breathing and she was concerned about an airway blockage.  They have had to put him on oxygen as the airway blockage is making it difficult for him to breathe. If he gets worse, they might have to intubate him again and there's a risk he will still not survive due to the trauma.

I'm looking at up to another $4,000 I'm going to have to come up with to continue care for my boy.  And I had to give instructions to the vet on end of life care in case he takes another bad turn during the night.  The fact that I might lose my sweet boy because of some hideously savage act by a person breaks my heart to bits.  And watching my daughter process this heinous situation is devastating.

With the new house came new expenses and, being a one income family, there's not a lot of opportunity for me to make any more money to help pay down the credit cards I have had to max out to care for Jac.  I have serious debt looming over me that I'm afraid I won't be able to pay.  A debt that will be there whether Jac survives this fight or not. Jac's life is precious to me and he's worth the struggle.   But if you can find it in your heart to help, our family would be forever grateful.  The vets are working hard to save his life right now.  We are working hard to be strong for Jac.