O/T-Im so heartbroken-cat story-LONG

Maybe this belongs on NWR but this board is where I post 99% of the time so I want to share it here. My one cat is very very sick. She is in the hospital and I am waiting to find out from the vet if she can be stabilized or will get worse. It's sort of a long story about what's been going on this week but on Wednesday she was closed up in 1 of Lukie's dresser drawers for 6 hours. It makes me sick to even think about how she was in there so long and how I didnt even see her but went to get clothes to get him dressed and I must have left the drawer open and she crawled in the back of the drawer. Then when I closed it, I didnt see her b/c she was in the back. I realized I hadnt seen her in quite awhile and I looked so long, I was bordering on hysterically ripping the apartment apart to find her. We have packing boxes everywhere and she's been trying to avoid Luke now that he's quite mobile. I never dreamed she was in a drawer! When I opened the drawer and there she was, I started bawling, I felt horrible. She was breathing very heavy and I thought she was gasping for air like she almost suffocated in the drawer. (It was not a tightly packed drawer so she had room) A few hours later, she was still with labored breathing and something was seriously wrong.

Now it's 11pm and DH and I take the cat to the Animal Emergency Clinic (with Lukie in the carseat in PJs) in a not so great area (more guilt) and thank god I did, she would not have survived. Turns out she has a condition known as cardio myopathy, its a genetic heart condition where fluid is leaking from her heart into her lungs. We dont know at this point if she can be saved or not. It's costing us $1500 so far (I kid you not! My in laws think Im insane) but if she can be stabilized with medication and not be suffering, I dont care about the money either way. If she can't, she will need to be put to sleep to be humane to her. If that is the case, she would most likely die of congestive heart failure shortly, which would be cruel to let happen.

I am SO SICK over this. I have had this cat for 12 years, I love this cat very much. She was with me at the lowest point in my life and she's also been with me for the greatest times.

It was definitely strange that she crawled in the drawer - and layed in the back no less. I'm trying not to feel guilty about it b/c DH & I were looking at the drawer and it's very easy to not see her if she was in back and it was 1/2 open. I am sickened though thinking about her already having the onset of the symptoms of the disease and to be stuck in a drawer, probably very afraid.

If you're still ready this, thanks for listening. I know it's 'just a pet' to some people but I have always been a person who takes sad things very hard and this is one of them.

I will let you all know what happens, but please keep Max in your prayers.