Rescued Kitten Found In Box Undergoes Major Surgery To Correct Birth Defect And Expand Her Chest

While cats can be obsessed with boxes, sometimes it's the worst place they can be. When young kittens are abandoned and left to be picked up "for free," there is a risk they won't receive the care they need, especially if they have a life-threatening birth defect.

Fortunately, many more individuals than not take the chance to save kittens in need. Because of these undeterred, unnamed devotees, kittens in dire straits can live a happy, healthy life.

Posted by Alex Lemieux

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An animal lover and dedicated cat rescuer came upon a handful of kittens in a box being given away for free. She immediately took in the three-week-old kittens to get them to safety, but she didn't have room to keep them.

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Luckily, her next move was to contact Rescue Kitties of Hawai'i (RKH). They determined one of the orange tabby cats was a female, which is an uncommon find as just one in five orange tabbies are female. Dubbed Miss Bones, she was also rare for another reason: a deformed, protruding chest bone.

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After an assessment at the Aloha Affordable Veterinary Services by Dr. Kelly Dowdall-Garberson, Miss Bones' condition was revealed as pectus excavatum. The disorder causes a malformation of the sternum and connecting tissues attaching to the ribs. Left untreated, the chest will constrict the growth of the heart and lungs, resulting in fatal cardiac and respiratory problems.

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Miss Bones was too young and too weak at that point to receive the life-saving surgery. Therefore, she gained her strength over the next two weeks at home.

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Surgical corrections for pectus excavatum are typically completed before kittens are two months old to keep up with the growth of the heart and lungs. RKH founder Maraya explained the estimated cost for the procedure was $1,800, but the cat rescue organization didn't have enough time to raise funds.

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Yet, when RKH reached out to Catopia Hawai'i, a Facebook group dedicated to cat rescue and rehabilitation efforts across the state, they created a powerful fundraiser. Within hours, droves of people stepped up to donate or share the fundraiser elsewhere online.

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"It was incredible how quickly our rescue community came together," Maraya said. "[It was] truly beautiful to witness."

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While the surgery was risky, installing an adjustable chest plate was successful. Now, Miss Bones must return to the veterinarian once a week for the next couple of months to continue treating her disorder. A surgeon will sedate Miss Bones, and then she will have her chest plate expanded to allow her to grow without constricting her heart or lungs.

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"We have high hopes Miss Bones, once fully healed, will live a normal, happy, healthy life," Maraya expressed. In the meantime, Miss Bones is enjoying her wonderful foster mom and dad, Alysha and Jim. They are taking the "BEST" post-surgical care of the tabby kitten, Maraya added.

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