Simon is a one-year-old cat rescued from a neighbor's yard on July 19, 2021. Simon needs life-altering surgery to correct both of his back legs which were broken when he was younger and healed improperly because he didn't receive medial care.

What Simon Needs: 

Initial Assessment:

• Two separate surgeries, one for each leg. Total cost 9/29/21 Update: $5400 ($2700 per leg)
• Smooth the top part of the lower bone that sticks out on the inside of his legs. (updated 9/29/21)
• Attach the two parts with a metal plate & screws - As of 9/29/21, we are no longer doing this.
• 4-6 weeks of healing before surgery on the other leg

Secondary Assessment:

• During surgery prep for his right leg, the vet, Dr. Field, noticed that Simon’s breathing was labored, so he did a chest x-ray. He discovered that Simon had a herniated diaphragm and needed surgery for that rather than the right leg. His small and large intestines and liver were in his chest rather than his abdomen. After his liver was moved Dr. Field noticed it liver had a shunt that had to be addressed. The vet said the cost of the hernia surgery would be at the top range of the original $4000 estimate and the shunt repair would push it over, but he capped the cost at $4000. 

 

Why it's important:

• Pain control: He tries to hide it, but he is clearly in pain. Surgery would hopefully eliminate the pain he feels from activity and while trying to rest.
• Limited mobility: He can't jump higher than a chair, and even that sometimes requires using his claws to climb.
• Arthritis: The surgeon said Simon has some tenderness in his hip. This is likely caused by the extra stress on his hips to compensate for his shorter and mal-aligned legs.
• Youth: He's so young and deserves a chance at a normal life.
• Belonging: While he is adapting to his new cat siblings, he is overly cautious due to his limited ability to protect himself.
• Love: We all love Simon here, and are so grateful to have him in our lives. We want him to have the best life possible.

 

 

 

Simon's History:

On July 19, a plea for help came from a neighbor through Nextdoor, "Cat needs medical help." The emaciated kitty had been sleeping under a shed and crying. The neighbor was feeding him, but the kitty was skittish and kept his distance. When the neighbor saw the kitty's limp, she naturally assumed he needed immediate medical assistance.

 

I was lucky enough to have time to assist, so I grabbed a pet carrier and a few supplies to help.

 

When I arrived, we found him in the neighbor's yard. He ran into her shed. We followed and put down some food. With a little effort, I grabbed him from the floor of the shed while he ate. He offered little resistance. He looked at me with sad eyes. We crated him, and his journey to a new life began.

 

A visit to the vet revealed the problem. Both back legs had been broken at some point and didn’t heal properly because the kitty never received medical help. The vet said it would require a specialist surgeon to correct the problem and it would be expensive. While this was sad to hear, at least kitty was in not in need of critical care like we feared. Even though he was clearly emaciated, he weighed 8 pounds. Blood tests showed him to be FIV+. He got his vaccines and rabies shot.

 

I brought the stray kitty home and set him up in my guest bath. I have six other cats that have their own spaces and I wanted to keep them separate until I knew how they would react to one another.

 

I set up a consultation with a local surgeon for August 16. A neighbor from Nextdoor used copies of stray kitty’s x-rays to contact other veterinarian surgeons so we would have options.

 

I named the kitty Thumper, but that didn’t stick. I changed it to Simon, and now he actually looks at me when I say his name.

 

He was neutered and micro-chipped on August 5. Simon had gained two pounds in his 18 days of regular feedings.

 

Simon graduated from the bathroom space to the main house in a short timeframe. Once he recovered from his neutering, I allowed him to get to know his siblings in their space. It started with smelling noses through the crack of the open sunroom door and he now chooses to spend as much of his time with them as with me. He has made friends with three of them. The rest will follow eventually.

 

On August 16, Simon had his consultation with the surgeon. After discussion of options and risks, we scheduled the first surgery for 8/24. Estimated cost per leg is $4000. Cost updated to $2700 per leg as of 9/29/21.

 

Thank you! Simon’s surgery is not dependent upon your donations, but any assistance you can offer would be greatly appreciated.