Jack the Cat is healing nicely

On September 18 I recounted the unfortunate fall of Jack the Cat, staffed by the daughter and son-in-law of my oldest friends, who live in Boston. For reasons unknown, Jack fell off a third-floor balcony and was very badly banged up: so badly that they didn’t think he would live. And if he did, he was likely to have a front paw amputated.

The good news is that Jack’s staff lived near Angell Memorial Hospital, the best animal hospital in the U.S., and they did a fantastic job with him.  And even better: he’s healing very well! He still has all his paws and got a thumbs-up after his first checkup. (Note added: The staff had pet insurance, which is fortunate as Jack’s care would have broken the bank!)

From the fall, Jack broke several bones in his paw, which were held together with thin pins, sustained breakage to both mandibular joints, and had a collapsed lung. Here’s his vet report (you can see more photos at the earlier link) :

Here’s Jack when he was groggy on painkillers with his buttons, pinned paw, and the Cone of Shame. Staff reports:

Our daughter has been very interested in Jack, enjoys multiple supervised visits a day with him – usually pets him gently

Here’s Jack in his carrier at the vet’s to get his first checkup (and those buttons removed, which were holding his jaw wired shut. Staff reports:

This pic is him at vet right before buttons removed. They also took sutures out of his arm, still has the pins/external fixator. Will be x-rayed 11/3 and likely have hardware removed then 🤞. His doctors are happy with his progress.

The three buttoms removed from Jack’s face:

All looks well for Jack; the very short video below shows that he’s eating much better now that he can open his mouth more than a centimeter. Staff reports:

Jack has been upgraded from bathroom to home office room, and he gets to hang with his dog brother and cat sister much more frequently in the new room. He’s still not allowed to roam free or jump up/down on the furniture. He wears the Cone of Shame when nobody is in room with him. If we’re in the room or he’s having couch/tv time with us, no cone.