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So momma was more wary than I figured on and ignored the trap all night. I had to leave to head back home today, so I told them to check the trap and call me. Guess who called JUST as I walked in the front door of my house? I swear momma wanted a little inconvenient vengeance.
So headed back up to get momma and she'll be spayed tomorrow. Little bitty girl now has a home, and the brown tabby is almost certainly claimed (she has to convince her husband, but come on...just throw the kitten in his lap and it's done.) If black and white doesn't go within the next few days, the owner of little bitty and her brother is going to foster him while she works on finding a forever home. I'm going to hold momma for a few days and see if she's leaning more toward full feral or someone's pet who got dumped. I'll try to get a pic of her in the next few days.
I'm very proud of you, ParallelJJCat. You just made this world a better place this week. Thank you for caring enough to look out for the little creatures in this world. I hope you receive back what you gave.
At this point, I feel confident saying she's not a true feral, but she's also clearly been on her own for quite some time. She's very shy and unhappy with being touched, but she will stay out of her hidey holes while I'm in 'her' room. She was very aggressive when I took her in to be spayed, to the point we had to use a cage box to sedate her before she could be handled. During the exam the vet thought she felt a mass in her abdomen. X-rays confirmed she has a large tumor in her belly, as well as cloudiness in her lungs that suggests it has already spread. Her teeth indicate she's fairly young and she's only a little underweight, but she's vomited several times since I had her (mostly just foam and bile.) We didn't do the spay, of course, and since she still seems fairly comfortable, I'm trying to make a decision about what to do. She doesn't *seem* to be in much pain right now, but I also know cats are masters at hiding discomfort and she's scared about all the changes in her life, so she's even more likely to be hiding it if she is hurting. And right now, I just don't feel just don't feel like she would cope with anything like chemo or even visits to specialists. Even just giving her Pepcid or pain meds would stress her out big time at this stage.
I'm torn between giving her a little more time to see if she gets more comfortable so I can do more palliative treatment without stressing her, or euthanizing her now. My fear is that by the time I see clear indications of pain, she'll have reached the point where she's in so much agony she can't hid it anymore.
I have been following this story and I am so glad you went back. Personally I would give the mom cat some time she's probably needs a couple of weeks or so to adjust. Poor girl I feel so bad for her.. and know it has to be hard for you too.. Maybe keep her in an area so shes comfy but don't push her,.. just talk to her Let her know your there.. I do hope she comes around so you can treat her..
This is definitely not an easy call to make. Since she's on the young side I wonder first of all whether the cancer is treatable with surgery. When Weasie was diagnosed the X-rays clearly showed the primary malignancy but also made obvious where metastasis had occurred. "Cloudiness" is as ambiguous a term as the word suggests and may have nothing to do with cancer. Operating on the liver of an elderly cat obviously wasn't in the cards. But would the feline in this case still be able to digest food if the tumor was removed? If surgery, radiation, or whatever would only "buy time" I'd be inclined to pass.
Felines don't have the benefit of pain pills or morphine drips, but my vote would be in favor of palliative/hospice care. Weasie kept on eating me out of house and home - and merrily socializing and scamming - throughout her struggle. She maintained her eager positive temperament until the bitter end. To me euthanasia at this point would be an "easy way out," though realities (not only financial) may make it the only realistic decision.
Speaking of hiding pain, we can only speculate on how this queen is dealing with her kittens' absence. Blaliko seemed down in the dumps for a few days after the first four of her babies were captured (three on one day, the fourth a while later.) When the fifth one was trapped she chased the AC officer, hissing, but when the cage was loaded into the van she gave up pursuit and trudged away. After a day or two she was her usual self. But the story was different with Seteria, the "last cat standing" as it were, when at long last she was caught. Worry was all over Blaliko's face as she peered in and out windows and roamed the house and yard searching for her daughter. Somehow having her entire brood vanish had a far worse effect than having 5/6 of it gone. I'm thinking perhaps small plush toys, wind-up ones even better, could be brought in as "surrogate children" for the cat to go through the motions of mothering.
It is encouraging that this lady is tolerating her rescuer instead of racing for cover and showing hostile behavior. Deep down she knows there's nothing to fear.
Anything new to report on the kittens?
I'm sorry to hear about the mom. Whatever you decide to do, she will be much better off than if you hadn't intervened. She's very lucky to have someone looking out for her.
This is definitely not an easy call to make. Since she's on the young side I wonder first of all whether the cancer is treatable with surgery. When Weasie was diagnosed the X-rays clearly showed the primary malignancy but also made obvious where metastasis had occurred. "Cloudiness" is as ambiguous a term as the word suggests and may have nothing to do with cancer. Operating on the liver of an elderly cat obviously wasn't in the cards. But would the feline in this case still be able to digest food if the tumor was removed? If surgery, radiation, or whatever would only "buy time" I'd be inclined to pass.
Felines don't have the benefit of pain pills or morphine drips, but my vote would be in favor of palliative/hospice care. Weasie kept on eating me out of house and home - and merrily socializing and scamming - throughout her struggle. She maintained her eager positive temperament until the bitter end. To me euthanasia at this point would be an "easy way out," though realities (not only financial) may make it the only realistic decision.
Speaking of hiding pain, we can only speculate on how this queen is dealing with her kittens' absence. Blaliko seemed down in the dumps for a few days after the first four of her babies were captured (three on one day, the fourth a while later.) When the fifth one was trapped she chased the AC officer, hissing, but when the cage was loaded into the van she gave up pursuit and trudged away. After a day or two she was her usual self. But the story was different with Seteria, the "last cat standing" as it were, when at long last she was caught. Worry was all over Blaliko's face as she peered in and out windows and roamed the house and yard searching for her daughter. Somehow having her entire brood vanish had a far worse effect than having 5/6 of it gone. I'm thinking perhaps small plush toys, wind-up ones even better, could be brought in as "surrogate children" for the cat to go through the motions of mothering.
It is encouraging that this lady is tolerating her rescuer instead of racing for cover and showing hostile behavior. Deep down she knows there's nothing to fear.
Anything new to report on the kittens?
There are pain medications for cats- the problem is that at this stage, I can't give them without stressing her out to the point she urinates on herself (plus I don't have anyone here who can help restrain safely, so that's not making it any easier.) That's why I'm hesitant to do surgery- I wouldn't be able to reliably medicate the pain from it afterward.
I feel like she is starting to calm down just a little, and while she does growl and hiss, she's letting me get a little closer to her without bolting than she did at the start. But if I were to start forcibly grabbing and restraining her several times a day to do treatments, I can only imagine whatever trust we're building is going to get shattered very quickly.
She hasn't been searching for her kids, but with how protective and good a momma she was, I have to assume this is very traumatic for her. I have a little plush kitten that actually 'breathes' and purrs, and she has been cuddling with it from time to time.
The last 'unclaimed' kitten is still with little bitty and her brother, but has someone interested who is coming to meet him this week. I have a strong feeling that if that doesn't work out, he'll be staying with his siblings permanently. All of them seem to be settling into their new homes fairly well. The first one who was rescued is a pure cuddlebug- probably because he was removed while still young enough to be easily socialized. His name is Nigel, and the little girl's official name is now Hissy Bitty (she's the most aggressive of the lot, but nothing unmanageable.) The one who went to a different home is Tiger (so named by the owner's young son.) He seems to be the most shy. The last one doesn't have a name so the foster owner doesn't get too attached, but she keeps slipping up and calling him Pumpkin. All of them are using their boxes and eating well, but as they aren't being released, we're holding off on spay/neuter until they're just a bit bigger.
Chemo sometimes does not have the adverse side effects on cats that it does on people: no nausea, weight loss, hair loss, etc. If there is a good veterinary school near you (in a university), Momcat might be a good candidate for effective diagnosis and potential treatment.
Chemo sometimes does not have the adverse side effects on cats that it does on people: no nausea, weight loss, hair loss, etc. If there is a good veterinary school near you (in a university), Momcat might be a good candidate for effective diagnosis and potential treatment.
Trust me, I know how effective chemo can be (I'm a certified vet tech and worked with many chemo cats.) You're right that chemo doesn't tend to have the extreme side effects that we see in humans, both because cats respond differently to the drugs and because the dose is often lower and focused more on providing palliative care instead of a cure. If we were talking about either of my two personal cats, I would be seeing an oncologist ASAP.
But we're not talking about a typical housecat here. My cat JJ is aggressive at the vet, but I can medicate him before visits and I know that even a bad visit can be forgiven with some cuddles and a meal when we get home. Momma cat (still trying to decide on a name) can't be pre-medicated at home, so the only way to safely handle her would be for the vet to fully sedate her in the office, with would mean either spraying ketamine down her throat, having people forcibly restrain her for an injection, or putting her in a press box. All of that is going to be *very* traumatic for her, and she's not going to accept cuddles or treats to help make it better. When I say traumatic, I mean full blown screaming, urinating and defecating, and going into hiding for several days after she comes home. Undergoing chemo would mean vet visits would happen regularly, and then she would need various treatments at home. That's my issue...not that I'm unwilling or unable to treat, but that I have to weigh the benefits of treatment vs the terror and fear she's going to feel from being manhandled and transported when she's already in a strange place with people she doesn't trust.
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All of them seem to be settling into their new homes fairly well. The first one who was rescued is a pure cuddlebug- probably because he was removed while still young enough to be easily socialized. His name is Nigel, and the little girl's official name is now Hissy Bitty (she's the most aggressive of the lot, but nothing unmanageable.) The one who went to a different home is Tiger (so named by the owner's young son.) He seems to be the most shy. The last one doesn't have a name so the foster owner doesn't get too attached, but she keeps slipping up and calling him Pumpkin. 
You're right that chemo doesn't tend to have the extreme side effects that we see in humans, both because cats respond differently to the drugs and because the dose is often lower and focused more on providing palliative care instead of a cure. If we were talking about either of my two personal cats, I would be seeing an oncologist ASAP. 
