Pectus Excavatum! It kind of sounds like a spell from Harry Potter, don’t you think? Well unfortunately it is not a fun or silly spell. Instead it is a dangerous condition Yogi the kitten was born with that changed the way her rib cage was shaped causing breathing issues. When Yogi came to us a few weeks ago we had no idea how badly she needed help. Her condition was so severe that she needed surgery in order to have a chance of making it to adulthood.

Often this diagnosis is a death sentence for kittens. But thanks to our awesome donors, medical team, and partner veterinarians we were able to give Yogi a chance at life. Her story and pictures are amazing, and we thought they might bring some joy to you on this gloomy day.

One week ago, Yogi underwent surgery at Planned PEThood of Georgia to fix her chest shape. We knew there were a lot of risks, and we also knew we had great people on board to help if needed. We had not one, but three doctors and our veterinary service manager jump in to help this sweet bobtail kitten. Each of them donated their time and came into our clinic after normal business hours to make this surgery possible.

After a miraculously successful surgery, everything was looking well, until little Yogi entered recovery. She just wouldn’t wake up. Our veterinarians knew something wasn’t right, so we reached out to our veterinary practice partners who graciously fit us in ASAP for an x-ray. It turned out that Yogi’s lungs were having trouble expanding to the new bigger space available after surgery. We knew this was a possible complication and Yogi needed oxygen support.

Yogi took another short trip to an emergency facility where she could continue to recover with 24/7 care – and most importantly oxygen support. Almost 8 hours after surgery she finally started to wake up. And then, by morning, she was doing well enough that she was ready to slowly wean off of oxygen support. It was the best news we could have received. And the even better part was that she went home with her foster family on the following evening!!!

Now, Yogi isn’t out of the woods yet. Part of the surgery involved sewing a custom external splint onto her chest to help her chest keep its new shape. She will have the splint on for about 6 weeks, and then she will have a second surgery to remove the splint.

But for now, Yogi is doing well and taking it easy with her foster family. She has even started to play, wobbling around with half of her body covered in a cast.  

We look forward to sharing the rest of her story with you in a few months. A lot of tiny miracles had to come together to help little Yogi on her journey. Thank you for your friendship and support. A huge thank you to the doctors and staff who went the extra mile to save this precious bobtail kitten, and thank you. Without our supporters none of this is possible.

If you would like to make a donation to our rescue fund to help animals like Yogi please visit our donation page.