Cat Survives 18-Story Fall

NORTHBROOK, Ill. -- A cat in Chicago is recovering after falling out of an 18-story window.

Now, the cat's owner, who's is a soldier serving in Iraq, is worried about how he will pay for the vet bills.

This is Maxim, a black and white kitty with piercing yellow eyes.

He took quite a fall from a Chicago high-rise.

Maxim managed to claw open this window screen.

The kitty tumbled 18 stories to the ground below.

"It's really high. The doctor said this is the first time they've seen a cat who survived fall at that height," said Daria, who is watching the soldier's cat.

Construction workers found the cat and rushed him to a humane society.

They sent him to the animal emergency center in Northbrook for help.

"His injuries were potentially severe. Lucky for him he's a large cat," said veterinary surgeon Aaron Jackson.

Jackson said the 18 story fall left Maxim with several broken bones, and that both his shoulders are fractured.

Jackson put metal plates and pins in Maxim's shoulder and pelvis. The cat will have staples for several weeks and wear a special patch for pain.

But he's expected to be back on his paws in no time.

"(The) best thing about Maxim is (the) microchip, (which helped) save his life (because techs were) able to identify him at (the) Humane Society that took him from construction workers," Jackson said.

Over in Iraq, Sergeant Matthew Barkmeier never expected his pet back home in Chicago would be the one to have battle scars.

This soldier, who's given so much, wonders how to pay the unexpected $3,000 vet bill.