Rough day

So last night was not a very good night for us.  Ruthie and I were watching TV, relaxing, when I heard a noise behind me.  To our horror, Snowball had been sitting up in one of our windows and had fallen out down to the tile patio four stories below.  We quickly rushed down, and fortunately the apartment owner was there.  She let us in, and Ruthie got Snowball contained in a box and wrapped in towels while I scrambled back and forth between apartments and the garage to get everything we needed for a trip to the emergency vet.  The initial prognosis was that his back hook joints [first joint up from the paws on the rear legs, like our ankles] were dislocated or worse, and that there might be some internal damage.  He also spit his lip [but didn't break his jaw, which apparently is common with falls], and broke a front toe / tore his nail pretty deep.  But the latter were minor compared to his hooks and what might be inside.  The poor guy was so good at the vet, for as much pain and panic as he must've been in - he really hates new places.

Ruthie, of course, was, and is, devastated.  She blames herself something fierce.  The short of it is that she feels like she might as well have tossed him out the window.  Even though we both convinced ourselves that leaving the windows open was okay, and allowing him to be out on the balconies was safe.  I even managed to look down to the patio below just the day before, saw the awning the owner had stretched out and thought, Well at least if he falls, he'll land on that.  We're both pretty shaken up by it, but Ruthie's been taking it really hard.

I took today off, so that I could stay with her and try and help in any way I could.  Ruthie emailed her mom and Shane earlier this morning, and they both have since called her to try and console her.  I think that's helped some.

In the mean time, we've got an update from the vet through the shelter owners.  Apparently both hook joints are broken and he will need pins/screws as well as an external brace, therapy, and regular care through rehab.  Fortunately nothing internal is damaged.  Like I said, we learned of this through the ladies at the shelter.  As a bit of background, this isn't a big shelter - it's just three women who have gotten together to save as many cats as they can help.  I spoke with one lady last night when it all happened [Ruthie was in no condition to form complete sentences on the phone].  But today, another woman has been communicating with Ruthie.  My gut tells me that there might be some personality conflicts involved with the decisions regarding Snowball.  Ruthie and I tend to agree that it might have been worth putting Snowball down.  Even though the vet / surgeon gave a promising story, is it really going to be easy on Snowball to make a recovery with both back legs broken like that?  The one with whom I spoke last night seemed fairly pragmatic, so it makes me wonder that if I/we had continued to deal with her something different might have happened.  Instead a different lady stepped in today.  So the decision was made to proceed with surgery on Snowball and provide him with the rehab he needs.  The lady from the shelter looked to us, and out of guilt I think, Ruthie said she would take him post-op.  However, immediately after the conversation, she began to second guess herself, and I called back.  I tried to have a reasonable conversation with the woman about caring for Snowball and that we might not be able to do it, but she cut me off claiming she was late for something with work.  Since then the Facebook page has been updated to detail Snowball's situation and there's a line in there about needing to find a place for Snowball during rehab and after.  So I'm guessing they've cut us out.  Which is fine, but I'm simultaneously irritated and apologetic that things have gone down the way they did.  So we'll see what transpires over the next several hours to see if anything comes back from the shelter at us.  Last night we paid for half of the ER bill - $300, as it only seemed right.  If they throw it in our faces, I'll be really pissed - but I honestly don't think that will happen.

Poor Snowball.  The little guy has been just having a terrible month.  His former human loved him so much and she was so devastated to give him up, but Snowball seemed to be scared of the guy she lived with and/or the other cat.  Snowball developed a UTI, and then was forced to move.  He came here with all the new smells and people, and didn't come out from under the bed for two days.  In the week and a half he was here, he'd actually made significant progress, and was actually starting to cuddle with us.  He even let me hold him a couple times for a few minutes.  And now this.  Man, it's just so frustratingly upsetting.

-EP

PS - Ruthie pointed out to me that if anyone who reads this feels sorry for us / Snowball, you could donate to the shelter on our behalf with a statement like "Erin Maloney is not usually an animal killer."  Well, on further investigation, there's no actual way for direct donations - just an account set up for Snowball's care.  Contact one of us if you pity the guy [or us] enough to send money.

PPS - Here's is the FB link to the shelter - there's a post about him an entry or two down.  http://www.facebook.com/melbourneanimalrescue?sk=wall