CRESTVIEW — Syn, a 9-year-old Maine Coon mixed-breed cat, is another family member for Chris Gearhart, his wife, Katie, and their three children.
And three other cats and one dog. It's a full house.
With so much love, it came as a shock when a pit bull entered their front yard Sept. 28 and fought with the beloved feline.
Especially when they learned Syn received a broken jaw, broken floating ribs, a concussion and injuries to the heart and lungs.
Chris, who was at home during the incident, separated the two animals upon hearing the outside commotion.
He had Syn since she was a kitten, even before Katie and he had married; seeing the injured animal was tough, and the couple thought the cat might die.
“When (Syn) started to come to, we went down to the Niceville emergency vet; they gave us a quote of $1,054," Katie said. "It basically maxed out everything we had.”
Despite the injuries, the saying about cats having nine lives almost seemed true.
“(Syn’s) prognosis was really good; it seemed a shame to put her down because of the bill being so high.” Katie said.
Now, Syn can eat on her own, Chris said.
A wire placed inside the cat’s mouth by a veterinarian will soon need to come out, which leads to another bill, the couple said.
The pit bull's owner offered to help pay Syn’s vet bills, but would have difficulty doing so, Chris said, so Katie started a fundraising account, which has collected $100.
In the meantime, Katie said she's amazed by Syn's progress.
“She is very lucky little kitty,” Katie said. “A lot of cats would not have come out so well against a pit bull.”
ONLINE
Follow Syn's recovery at www.gofundme.com/fffbzk
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fight with dog tests cat's 9 lives — but Syn's all right