As I sit here reading your story I think back to last August when our own
cat was injured. She broke her back leg. To make things worst she was 16
years old ,already three-legged and had thyroid disease. As we rushed her to
the vet all of the questions of quality of life went through our minds. We
elected surgery. We wanted to give her a fighting chance. To let her decided
if life was worth the fight. She survived surgery and won her battle. Atlas
since then she has died but at least I feel like she went out  fighting.
I hope and pray this helps

Kris

Sorry to hear about your cat. Your cat is young and thus has greater
chances of recovering. I would get a second opinion and then evaluate.
I'd say to give your cat a chance. I know I would.

We talked to vet this morning. We had actually been considering the option
of putting him to sleep, we just couldnt stand to see him like that. When we
took him to the vet and while we talked to the vet, kitkat (his name) was
acting so normal, playing with everything he found, jumping on everything,
opening cabinet doors, it was like he was showing us he is ok and he wants
to live. So we did it, we told hte vet to proceed with the surgery, they
think it will be ok, he is a very strong cat and seems to be handling it all
very well, they expect to give him to us within 4 days. Lets hope it all
goes well.

What ended up happening with your cat? Did he recover? My cat broke his jaw
today and the vet told me surgery may not be an option, and that he may have
to have his jaw secured with tape until it heals, which will be difficult and
may not work. I got the distinct feeling that she was pushing for euthanasia,
even though a surgeon hasn't looked at him yet and he hasn't been fully
evaluated. Obviously I want what is best for my cat, but if he can recuperate
and live another happy 10 years in exchange for 2 or 3 months of discomfort,
even extreme discomfort, I will want to give him that chance. I want to make
a fully informed decision. I wondered what the outcome of your story was or
if anyone else had experience with this. I believe in being realistic and
pragmatic, but at the same time I am a fighter and believe that very often
where there is a will, there's a way. There has to be a balance.