Originally Posted by KenCT

We had to have Mille, our 4 year old cat euthanized last week. She had a herniated diaphragm (internal organs were compressing her lungs) resulting in severe difficulty breathing. When a cat is breathing hard with an open mouth it is a medical emergency for them. The vet hospital had her sedated and on a vent shortly after I brought her in. Surgery was $10,000 (we have pet health insurance) with a high risk of her not even surviving the anesthesia let alone the operation. If she survived she had a high chance of permanent lung damage. Vet said the the herniated diaphragm was most likely a congenital defect. She was the queen of the house.