This morning I left a message for Ronen and then went to check the kitten again just after I woke up. I had finally gone to sleep at 5:30. As soon as I walked in to the bathroom I could see that things had changed for the worst and in a big way. He was sitting up and having a hard time breathing, crying these tiny little cries with every breath. I didn’t wait for Ronen to call back. I simply grabbed him and ran down to Dedi’s veterinary in the shorts and t-shirt I slept in.

When he fell or was thrown down into that hole, he ruptured the diaphragm muscle and his organs are being pushed up into his lungs. The symptoms don’t start appearing for several days after the injury usually and that is what has happened in his case. Without an emergency operation he will die. He has only a 50% chance of surviving the operation itself. Because of the muscle not functioning, when they put him under for the operation he will stop breathing entirely and so a second doctor has to be there to manually respirate him the entire time and for about two hours after the operation if he has survived it. Dedi has called in a respiration expert and he is on his way from the veterinary school teaching hospital. I’m now just waiting for the call to tell me they are starting the operation. Even with the 50% discount it is going to cost more than my computer but it gives him a chance and without it he has none. I had to fill out the forms to give permission for the surgery and provide a name. I’ve named him Chaim. Life. Let’s hope.

Update: 1:45 they just called and have started the operation. So far so good. Now I just wait for the call telling me he is stable and recoverying because that is what is going to happen if will power of thought and prayer has anything to do with it.

Update 2:10 he didn’t make it. When they opened him up they discovered that his diaphragm was fine and the problem was he had sustained blunt force trauma to the liver. He was very very slowly bleeding to death. Not even an adult cat would have survived this injury. They are only goign to charge 700 shekels for the surgery. It seems like an only, only because the original fee was going to be close on 3500. I’m going to bury him this afternoon in the park.