Layla [or "Laila"]

2009-04-15 - 12:41 p.m.

Gad, what a twenty-four-hour roller coaster this has been.

Brin has already talked about it, but let me give you my side, and then the updated news.

===

First, the cat in question.

There's been about a half-dozen ferals in my neighborhood. Some are good with people, some are skittish. This particular one has been very friendly with me. She'd come to my door and meow - a soft, sweet meow, unlike Socks' feed-me-now cry - and let me pet her a bit.

She was much younger and thinner than the fat-and-sassy ones, so I would feed her at my back door. I'd give her a helping of dry food and watch to make sure Socks didn't see it and go and eat it all himself.

So, yesterday morning. The kitty - let's call her Laila - is lying on my back porch. Lying down. This is already unusual.

I get the food, and she stands...and limps. She's favoring her left rear leg. While she's eating, I gently probe. I don't feel anything wrong, but Laila is definitely in some pain.

I suggest we let her rest for awhile. Brin and I go to lunch...but I can't eat. A helpless animal is in pain, and so am I.

So we go home. Laila hasn't moved.

I take her to my vet. John thankfully agrees to finance the exams and bloodwork. We leave her with the vet and I go to work with a heavy heart.

===

About 90 minutes later, I get a call from the vet. Her leg is broken, due to "blunt force trauma" (i.e., she was hit by a car). Thankfully, the bloodwork shows that she has no feline leukemia and no feline AIDS - pretty amazing for a stray.

The doctor crunches some numbers for the surgery and assorted IVs and such...and then gives us a price break because we're doing the right thing.

The total is still a bit over two thousand dollars.

I call Brin, Brin calls John, and John (after the fainting spell) again authorizes the expenditure. Brin and I bow and scrape to the north, and I tell the vet to do the procedure. He asks us to come in and sign paperwork the next morning - today.

===

Nighttime. Brin and I have a rough night sleeping.

We make it to the vet, and learn the following excellent news:

• the break is clean - no splinters , no fragments
  
• she's eating well
  
• no diarrhea
  
• she, in the words of Katie Sipowicz, "had a nice poop" - no internal damages
  
• she's very social with the staff

So except for the broken leg, she's in perfect health.

===

We signed the paperwork. The surgery will happen tomorrow (the doctor says this surgery is "a piece of cake"), and Laila should recover between 90-95% of the use of the leg.

I've already decided to try and keep her. If Solange tolerates her, Laila will stay. If not, my vet has access to an animal placement group that will make sure she gets a good home.

===

Yesterday, Brin set up a PayPal account for donations for Laila's repair bills...and the donations are already coming in.

I know it's a hard thing to ask - on April 15th, of all days.

But if you can contribute, please click the link on the left. Every penny will go toward the repair bill - no administrative fees or any of that bullshit. And once the bill is paid in full, the link will be taken down.

If you'd like to contact the vet for information or confirmation, feel free to call Cottage Pet Hospital at (714) 535-6714 and ask for Dr. Sahai.

===

This cat climbed fourteen stairs to my back porch after being hit by a car.

She knew I would help.

Help me help her.

I thank you. And so does Laila.

===

Okay. Gonna try to catch a nap and then off to work.

Be seeing you.

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