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Spooky had a good day today, but I am worried that his abdomen is filling with fluid. Once that starts, the end is close. I have been taking lots of photos and videos of my boy. I attached one from today. I fill his lid with catnip, which mellows him out, and he wanted more. Of course!
What a beautiful kitty Spooky is.....I have a black one too and they look very similar..his name is Nemo. I have a weak spot for black kitties as they get over looked at shelters, they are so beautiful but many ppl are superstitious(silliness IMO)
all the best to you both and the time you have left together..♥
I have three furry kitty babies. Pharoah (the gray one I talked about - his name is because when he sits he looks the the Sphinx from Egypt), Bootie who I found at the shelter when I was looking for my adopted abused Pepper (Dal mix)who was stolen from me. Bootie wasnt even weaned yet and kept crawling through the fence and I asked if I could take her and she said OK because that cat was a nuisance. No one wanted her and they were going to put her down that day. She took the place of Pepper and her name is because she wouldnt come out of my husbands boot. She liked to sleep in that stinky thing. Sassy, a white cat that showed up on my door on the 4th of July in a driving rain storm soaking wet. The same day I was on the back porch crying because I found out my dad was going to die. Geez...like I said all of these little souls have come into my life when I need unconditional love and support. Love them all!!
I love your story! Spooky is my "little dark gray kitten". I found him online at the Shelter website immediately after our first cat passed away. He is my furry angel, and I think that's why it hurts so bad to lose him.
We received the report from the internal medicine specialist, and it began probably as pancreatic cancer and spread. We didn't know there was any problem until the cancer became severe. I can't beat myself up over that.
Spooky is having a good day today. He follows me everywhere, wanting pets, food, or just to nap with me in the room. I keep reminding him that soon I will have to go see grandma and take care of her, but that I will call him everyday. I don't know if he understands my words or not, but I say them anyway, just in case. I know that he understands love, and I'm giving him all I've got.
No, you cannot blame yourself. That is how it was with my boy too. He was more playful than ever in the weeks before I found out he was sick. I was telling stories of him daily to my friends of how this 12 year old cat was playing like a kitten with his pink fur mice.
Then one day he seemed a little rounder than usual around his middle. I thought at first it was gas. I massaged his tummy and he let me. By the third day, though he was still living the high life, he was still swelled around the middle and it seemed bigger, so I took him to the vet, and that was when all hell broke loose. He continue to play and enjoy his life right up until the day before I said good bye. Though he was so happy to go, I know, and to join the two Angels who raised him and predeceased him, I still miss him so much just typing this makes me sob with a heart as broken as if he left me yesterday.
The important thing was, up until that last day but one, he didn't know he was sick. He was happy and loved and I kept cheerful in the house. I was determined his last weeks would not be spent in a morgue. If I had to cry I went out and sat in my car until I got a hold of myself again. The only thing I did that referred to what was to come was to assure him, at least once a day, that when he had had enough, when he was ready to go, I would see to it immediately. And so I did.
Just as you are doing for your precious Spooky. HE doesn't know or care about what's to come, all he knows is the love and happiness he has from you and your husband. I think it is wise of you to tell him that you have to leave for a while, but that you will be back. It may not mean anything to him while you are still there, but while you are gone, I think he will know that you are coming back, and if he can, he will wait for you.
Spooky had a good day today, but I am worried that his abdomen is filling with fluid. Once that starts, the end is close. I have been taking lots of photos and videos of my boy. I attached one from today. I fill his lid with catnip, which mellows him out, and he wanted more. Of course!
My mind works in weird ways, is my disclaimer to this post.
When I read your post, the very first thing my mind did was sing and it will now be a song for you to sing to him:
"Haaaaaaaaaaang on Spooky, Spooky hang on...."
That's what you get for leaving 'mommy vator' stuck in my head.
Today he went to the vet for a checkup. He's been vomiting so he is on new medicine and we are increasing his B-12 shots and his anti-inflammatory meds. He's doing fairly well. The last two days were not the best - lethargic and vomiting - but I think things will perk up for a while with the new meds.
Three Wolves: I have been singing "Hang on Spooky" to him! haha Maybe it will help.
Thanks for the update. Good job getting Spooky right in to the vet when you noticed he was not feeling well.
It was the antibiotic making him sick? Was it clavamox? So many cats have trouble with that. Baytril, while very bitter tasting, is an effective broad spectrum antibiotic and usually doesn't cause such severe side affects. If he's been given baytril, expect some foaming at the mouth.
I haven't posted on CD in many weeks. Not so long ago, my mom found out she had cancer so most of my energy is spent on her. Yesterday we were told our sweet kitty also has cancer, but it's too far gone to cure.
We adopted our boy from a shelter in January 2005. He was surrendered because his previous owner's didn't want to deal with his chronic urinary tract infections (surrender occurred when beatings didn't work). He stayed in a foster home for about a year because no one wanted a five year-old cat, but he was exactly the kitty we wanted. His foster mom warned us over the phone that he might hide the whole time we were there because he was scared of people. When he plopped himself in the middle of the living room to watch us while we were interviewed, she knew she had found the right home for him.
The first two weeks he was with us, he hid under the bed and only came out when we weren't around. Over the next year, he became very comfortable with us, and he was wonderful when we introduced a new cat to the home. He spent most of the day sleeping and following us from room to room like a dog.
A year ago my husband took a new job in MI. It was the second major move for the cats. In December I realized Spooky (our kitty) had lost weight and wasn't eating enough. The vet visits began. The vet wasn't sure what the problem was. The x-rays weren't showing anything severe. The blood work showed slightly elevated liver levels, but the vet said they weren't that high. Antibiotics were prescribed, and Spooky seemed to be getting better.
At this annual checkup this May, his liver levels had increased. The x-rays showed enlargement but not major enlargement. On Friday I discovered the tumor. Yesterday a specialist confirmed: cancer. Spooky has cancer in his liver and pancreas, and it has metastasized to the connecting tissue. There is nothing they can do.
Tomorrow we will consult with our local vet to see what the best course is. We are giving him B-12 shots and appetite enhancers right now. They were prescribed before we knew it was cancer. His eating is not 100%, but he's not losing weight anymore, and he doesn't want to play but he likes to be scratched.
I know the end is near. I am so torn and feel so guilty. I have to leave on June 1 to be with my mom (several states away) for her final round of chemo. Many of my friends don't understand how I can want to be with both. "You only have one mom, and he's just a cat," they say. Still, I feel horrible about leaving Spooky when he is so, so sick. My husband will care for him, I know, but it's not the same.
Mostly, I just feel so sad. My heart hurts. Spooky is only 12. I thought I had more time. I wish I had more time, but I know it would never be enough.
Thanks for reading. I just wanted to share my sadness with folks who understand.
I know if it were my cat I wouldn't give up. Go to Cancer Remedies for starters. See what has worked for these pet owners who treated their pets themselves.
I would change the cat's diet and fight off the cancer. Get Anitra Frazier's book or one of the other good ones out there or get all of them. Don't do ANY of the conventional stuff. That will only lower your cat's immune system and make the cat worse off and drain your pocket book and make your cat feel worse. If you want contact info for Naturopaths I use so you could do a telephone consult, I'd be more than happy to give you the contact info. PM me.
My prayers go out to you.,your mom and spookie. You truly are in a horrible position. Non pet lovers would be the only ones who have NO clue to the love we have for our pets. I have 2 daughters ..one a tabby and one calico and a grandson named smurfie(Chihuahua). It haunts me to think that they get sick and leave me. I have 2 human daughters as well and they feel the same. I so dread those days. My prayers are with you and your family. Please let him know that there are so many of us that sends him love. You are truly an angel
Sorry to hear this, peppermint. We cat/animal lovers know just how hard it is...
We are sad with you and for you.
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I have been taking lots of photos and videos of my boy. I attached one from today. I fill his lid with catnip, which mellows him out, and he wanted more. Of course!
