Tumor / SCC: Defying the Odds with Hospice Care - Living with a Terminally Ill Loved One, I share w

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing Simon's story. I love the idea of a journal that gives insight to how this particular journey is going. I will be thinking of you and Mr. Simon and sending positive prayers in your direction.

I am going through a some what similar situation. My heart has been breaking for a few weeks now... ever since I saw the X Ray of my precious girl's spine. I have blogged a little bit about it, but I think a journal would be a beautiful tribute. I've been crushed bringing her back and forth to the vet for pain management, calling places that will take care of the cremation, and worst of all - watching her decline.

Your dedication and care for your fur babies lifts my heart. Thank you.

2Cats4everLoved said:

Did you go through the same cancer, or another awful ordeal? I'm sorry you went through this process.  I'm still getting myself familiar with the members and their experiences.

I suppose it's never easy.

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Not cancer, but went through a very sudden, very profound kidney failure with my boy Lucky in late October/early November. It was only a 16-day ordeal for him however (and not with a happy ending). But, there's a lot I learned about it, and now that Sara has the same thing, I was able to actually help her immediately. I think I spent the first week after Lucky's diagnosis just sobbing. Although I will say, it's amazing how you can forget so much when it comes to your own babies. Can help others, but with your own, you just feel clueless sometimes.

I had tried to put together my story with Lucky, a day-by-day synopsis if you will, but I couldn't get myself to write about it past a certain point. Trying to share my "if I knew then what I know now" story. One day I'll finish it.

I'm so glad you are sharing your story of Simon with us. It's amazing how much that can help someone you'll never know down the line, as well as yourself.

Donutte said:

Not cancer, but went through a very sudden, very profound kidney failure with my boy Lucky in late October/early November. It was only a 16-day ordeal for him however (and not with a happy ending). But, there's a lot I learned about it, and now that Sara has the same thing, I was able to actually help her immediately. I think I spent the first week after Lucky's diagnosis just sobbing. Although I will say, it's amazing how you can forget so much when it comes to your own babies. Can help others, but with your own, you just feel clueless sometimes.

I had tried to put together my story with Lucky, a day-by-day synopsis if you will, but I couldn't get myself to write about it past a certain point. Trying to share my "if I knew then what I know now" story. One day I'll finish it.

I'm so glad you are sharing your story of Simon with us. It's amazing how much that can help someone you'll never know down the line, as well as yourself.

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So true Donutte, helping others sometimes is so much easier then personally experience for ones self.  If it's okay, I'm going to PM you, I'm curious about what Lucky went through, for it was Chestnuts Kidney issues that brought me to The Cat Site.

This may help:   I'm the notebook princess, I'm old school, I write things down.  

I find when dealing with health issues, whether it be for human or furry loved one's, if I write down the issues/[procedures/doctorsapts/medschedule, etc, it helps me stay focused and "mentally" one step ahead of the illness at hand.   Most of all, writing it down allows me to leave the disease on paper, giving me the freedom to enjoy the patient. Thus being the main goal. Keeping things as normal as possible.

2Cats4everLoved said:

So true Donutte, helping others sometimes is so much easier then personally experience for ones self.  If it's okay, I'm going to PM you, I'm curious about what Lucky went through, for it was Chestnuts Kidney issues that brought me to The Cat Site.

This may help:  I'm the notebook princess, I'm old school, I write things down.  
I find when dealing with health issues, whether it be for human or furry loved one's, if I write down the issues/[procedures/doctorsapts/medschedule, etc, it helps me stay focused and "mentally" one step ahead of the illness at hand.   Most of all, writing it down allows me to leave the disease on paper, giving me the freedom to enjoy the patient. Thus being the main goal. Keeping things as normal as possible.

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Yeah, I've been considering writing it down with Sara. Something about the physical activity of doing that is a bit more satisfying that just typing things out. Mom had suggested I do that to keep track of how much she ate. I've yet to do it but think I will. I just hate *writing* though :lol3:

And of course you can PM me

Simon's Diary:  "Our Bittersweet Journey...the long goodbye"

Another week's gone by and my precious boy continues to surprise me. Strategy again has been changed and there were moments of doubt, but all in all we continue moving along steadily on this bumpy road.  

I didn't post daily updates last week, as nothing major happened and I didn't want to keep running off threads of posters who had pressing issues at hand to be answered quickly. Plus I needed to step aside, regroup.  I was feeling overwhelmed and helpless at times and needed to clear my mind... start fresh with new eyes.

Physically I did notice Simon's bottom teeth shifted to the left again and also pushed up. In this photo you can see his bottom tooth directly in the middle of the mouth.  If I knew this was a possibility, again I say, I would have removed the bottom canines. He's been yawning more which is something he hasn't done in a while and I was able to look down his throat, thankfully it's clear, no obstruction.  I wasn't sure at this point almost 2 months after diagnosis what was happening in there. Even though he wants food and didn't mind too much being syringe fed, I couldn't help thinking he may be choking.  I feel a little better now.


Sunday, March 27th was interesting.  Simon's habits changed... again.  He didn't eat much yesterday and didn't want any food in the afternoon. I had to trick him into eating by dipping the syringe in bacon fat, he ate about 68 ml of food in the afternoon and drank a fair amount on his own.  I woke him up in the afternoon to shoot some Pedialyte down his throat. At one point while feeding, he bit his cheek and slightly bled.  I never felt so bad in my life.  I didn't force the issue, he had enough food in his belly to absorb the med's, I fixed his sleeping area and let him be.  He looked so tiny to me.  


Of course, once again I was worried and thinking decisions would be made within the next day or two.  Was I going to have to mark this day down as the first BAD day? Was the countdown starting? How many bad days should pass in a row before we'd have to say goodbye?  My mind was reeling.  Simon had already lost weight, his legs are on the short side but his body is long, he stretches out to over 5ft. his frame can't take anymore weight loss.  I was beginning to feel his bony spine. It was upsetting.

At around 6:30 pm he stood in front of the fridge, so I knew he was hungry, he ate 40 ml of what we had left of the RC Urinary SO, he drank "lot's" on his own and went back to sleep.

Later that night our neighbor gave us a few cans of IAMS maximum calories. I had to use the hand blender on the grainy food to make it smooth enough for the syringes and consumption. At 11:30 pm he ate 40ml, then another 40ml and wanted more and ate an additional 20ml.  I was thrilled.  

 While feeding Simon we were happy and verbally expressed this to him "good boy" "there you go" etc, when out of nowhere, Chestnut (my girl who brought me to The Cat Site with her kidney issues), started howling. crying, going in & out of her litter box and peed on the floor a few times. My elation turned to utter despair.  Chestnut has issues again? Seriously?  Was this a cruel joke being played on me?  Her urine was clear so I didn't think it was crystals again and her kidney tests came back A OKAY, I was dumbfounded. We cleaned up Simon and put him to bed.  I Cleaned up after Chestnut and wiped her down. While taking care of her I noticed something was off with her actions, she seemed happy to get attention. I put water in a syringe and wrapped her in a towel, burrito style which she hates and gave it to her like we did her med's, miraculously she was healed.  Could she be jealous?  I just posted a thread in Cat Behavior:  

Cat Jealous Over Sick Sibling.     This day was strange and mentally exhausting...

Monday, March 28th, Tuesday, March 29th and Wednesday, March 30th were the same.   Simon's old habits were in play, I woke up to him people & bird watching.  He hadn't done that in the morning since January. if I remember correctly.


His  faculties were somewhat normal considering he wasn't eating much.  He did sleep a lot but the weather was rainy and miserable at times. I also had to keep in mind, in the past I'd let him sleep all day.  I was starting to think too much about his every move.  Over the three days, he remained cranky, happy, playful, sleepy, all acceptable, but he wasn't eating enough on a daily basis even though he was eating more than he'd been with a higher calorie food.  He also began to growl while eating which made me nervous, sad and frustrated. His stares were deadly.

By Wednesday night I thought, if I was really going to pay attention to this journal and be honest with my observations, I was going to have to count Simon as having 2 bad days in a row. I was giving him 5 bad days in a row, then we would help him Cross Over the Bridge...

I created a formula, example, 1 bad day then 2 good days in a row resets to 0, 2 bad days then 3 good days resets to 0 and so on.

Thursday, March 31st started off like old times.  At 3am Simon crawled on top of me, and being half a sleep, I knocked him off, then he crawled back on and I jumped up, very apologetic. He jumped off the bed and walked me to the bathroom to turn on the water for him to drink.  I was pretty happy, he hadn't done that since January.  I went back to sleep and he remained in the bathroom on "bug patrol" until 5am, we get silver fish and he likes watching for them.  For the remainder of the day, he was still grumpy, eating was minimal, he needed help grooming.  Interaction took place when I started going through his toys, which was something I wanted to do since Christmas, get rid of some he doesn't use, chewed up, old and unsanitary etc, well he heard me, and I turned around with him looking at me with the expression, "What the hell are you doing with my stuff", LOL  I felt so bad, then we played a little but he went back to sleep.  All in all a Good Day...

The med's and antibiotics are working well, this past weekend he was a handful, and I'll bring this journal up to date in the morning.  I need some sleep...

Simon's Journey Continues.

A throw back to my pride and joy, Simon at 4 weeks.   Thanks again for the support.

Oh Simon! What a glorious little fuzz ball [emoji]128525[/emoji].

Thank you for allowing us to take this sad but beautiful journey with you. You and Simon have a piece of my heart and I wish you comfort and peace in the daily tasks and all of the hard decisions you have to make.

This story is one of love and companionship and cherishing the moments you have with Simon! He knows how loved he is and he will let you know when he is ready [emoji]128149[/emoji]

Please do what you need to take care of yourself.  I've found that melatonin is useful when it's hard to get to sleep, and it's definitely safe.  Also, it's generally wise to supplement B vitamins when under stress.

I find it very easy to believe that Chestnut is jealous of the special attention Simon is getting.  She has no way to understand what is causing it, or the price that Simon is paying; she just feels left out, and she obviously remembers what she did to get this kind of attention in the past.  Poor baby.



If you have the energy, the easiest way to handle it is probably just to humor her.

Margret

Had to laugh at Chestnut's "antics" (YES, cats can definitely get jealous ) AND that picture.  Have no idea what a Jackfruit is, but it sure looks like it could feed an army .

Hoping Simon continues to surprise you .  You're doing AMAZING with him

I found this post after looking up "cat cancer". My little guy had a small bump 3,weeks ago, between his eyes. I thought he got in a scuffle with a housemate, no biggee. It got bigger and bigger and I have been waiting for it to burst. Over the weekend there was a sudden swelling .. Huge swelling, his eye is swollen shut. Made the soonest vet appointment (for tonight) and was told it is probably cancer. He tried to aspirate it, and it was just so hard, after 6 pokes in different positions, nothing came out. It did not even bleed. He told me to put him down. Right then and there. I was aghast... He is eating, drinking, playing... Normal! He told me, that is when you letnthem go, so they dont know what it is like to suffer. I left there feeling so torn because I felt it made sense, yes, but why cut his days short when he is happy and still feels good? Your post gave me peace. My journey begins tonight with the palliative care too I suppose. Im told he will become severely disfigured and blind as it is a very aggressive cancer to do so much damage in just 3,weeks, but I am taking your approach.. One day at a time. Thank you for sharing your journal, it is easing a lot of torment on my end to not let him go right now.

Terri holly ivy said:

I found this post after looking up "cat cancer". My little guy had a small bump 3,weeks ago, between his eyes. I thought he got in a scuffle with a housemate, no biggee. It got bigger and bigger and I have been waiting for it to burst. Over the weekend there was a sudden swelling .. Huge swelling, his eye is swollen shut. Made the soonest vet appointment (for tonight) and was told it is probably cancer. He tried to aspirate it, and it was just so hard, after 6 pokes in different positions, nothing came out. It did not even bleed. He told me to put him down. Right then and there. I was aghast... He is eating, drinking, playing... Normal! He told me, that is when you letnthem go, so they dont know what it is like to suffer. I left there feeling so torn because I felt it made sense, yes, but why cut his days short when he is happy and still feels good? Your post gave me peace. My journey begins tonight with the palliative care too I suppose. Im told he will become severely disfigured and blind as it is a very aggressive cancer to do so much damage in just 3,weeks, but I am taking your approach.. One day at a time. Thank you for sharing your journal, it is easing a lot of torment on my end to not let him go right now.

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Are you serious? (I realize of course you are otherwise you probably wouldn't have been searching for this thread). Are you planning on staying with that particular vet? How did they confirm cancer? Did they explain whether surgery was an option or why it's not? Did they suggest chemo or radiation?

I posted up above (and multiple times in the forums in general) that I'm in a similar situation. That's why Simon's story really hits home. My vet told me to take my cat home, love the heck out of her, and is prescribing pain medication and steroids. We will worry about euthanasia when when quality of life is no longer good.

I'm so sorry about your kitty. I know how hard this is. We're all here for you.

Lol thank you on the "are you serious". I swear I heard you leap right out of your chair and yell it! I spent an hour with the vet, although I am not close with him, I have used him for the last twenty years and he tends to be honest. He first suggested doing an xray, and then talked me out of it saying it is expensive and will only show what he has seen so many times before, and that the facial bones have been eaten away. He checked his mouth and said he has bad teeth on that side but it is "secondary" and unrelated. He did not want to pursue treatment, saying that the swelling is just so hard it is unlikely to be anything else but cancer, and had me feel what he was talking about. The swelling honestly feels hard like a table top and when he tried to draw fluid out of it to,relieve pressue, nothing would come out at all. The syringe didnt have a single drop.. and the poke holes did not bleed. He said that the tumor is in a very, very bad spot, there is virtually no way of removing it, as its between his eyes and towards his left eye... and that since it is so aggressive, chemo, radiation will only make the cat suffer and not work. I will look up your posts, I am interested in what you are going through .. Besides hell. This really is hell. My heart goes out to you and little Simon's parents too ... And all those in the same boat.

Terri holly ivy said:

I found this post after looking up "cat cancer". My little guy had a small bump 3,weeks ago, between his eyes. I thought he got in a scuffle with a housemate, no biggee. It got bigger and bigger and I have been waiting for it to burst. Over the weekend there was a sudden swelling .. Huge swelling, his eye is swollen shut. Made the soonest vet appointment (for tonight) and was told it is probably cancer. He tried to aspirate it, and it was just so hard, after 6 pokes in different positions, nothing came out. It did not even bleed. He told me to put him down. Right then and there. I was aghast... He is eating, drinking, playing... Normal! He told me, that is when you letnthem go, so they dont know what it is like to suffer. I left there feeling so torn because I felt it made sense, yes, but why cut his days short when he is happy and still feels good? Your post gave me peace. My journey begins tonight with the palliative care too I suppose. Im told he will become severely disfigured and blind as it is a very aggressive cancer to do so much damage in just 3,weeks, but I am taking your approach.. One day at a time. Thank you for sharing your journal, it is easing a lot of torment on my end to not let him go right now.

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@Terri holly ivy, You're exactly why I decided to share Simon's Diary, so someone would have hope in a dark time.  In some ways, I can understand your vets thinking, let them go so they don't know pain and suffering, on the other hand as a "mommy" it's the toughest decision to make.  How can you set a date for a loved one to depart?  Honestly I've never prayed so much in my life.  I pray asking God, Please don't make me set a date for my baby to leave me, I need you to make that decision.    

Simon's cancer is progressive, I've watched his appearance change and wonder if I'm actually doing the right thing. But when I see him happy and playing, I feel I am.

It's not an easy road, Simon's mouth was attacked by this cancer so I need to help him eat, for the most part he doesn't mind, but he doesn't care for the "sort of" schedule I have him on, he had only eaten dry and never an over eater, so we left food out for him so he ate whenever.

Take this time to have fun with him and like my vet told me, feed him anything (within reason) and enjoy every minute.

What is his name????  Best to you and your wee one.

mrsgreenjeens said:

 
Had to laugh at Chestnut's "antics" (YES, cats can definitely get jealous

) AND that picture.  Have no idea what a Jackfruit is, but it sure looks like it could feed an army

.

Hoping Simon continues to surprise you

.  You're doing AMAZING with him

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@Inanna  -  How's Toothless doing, I hope you're both well.  Thank you as always for your support.

@mrsgreenjeens  - Chestnut stopped seeking attention after the "medicine" scare, although I'm looking forward to finding out from the new vet once and for all. She doesn't have much to say, but when she does, she makes it known what she wants. 

I've been living off Jackfruit for 5 days now. LOL it's strange, sort of pineapple and banana, lot's of recipes can me made and the seeds are like chestnuts.

2Cats4everLoved said:

 

@Inanna
 -  How's Toothless doing, I hope you're both well.  Thank you as always for your support.

@mrsgreenjeens
 - Chestnut stopped seeking attention after the "medicine" scare, although I'm looking forward to finding out from the new vet once and for all. She doesn't have much to say, but when she does, she makes it known what she wants. 

I've been living off Jackfruit for 5 days now. LOL it's strange, sort of pineapple and banana, lot's of recipes can me made and the seeds are like chestnuts.

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Toothless is having her bad days and her good days. Over the weekend she had 2 accidents. She never goes outside of her box so that's a big set back for her. Since she prefers to hang out in my daughter's room I put a litter box in there for her so she'll be a lot closer to it. She seems to be happy about it. No accidents since.

She went to the vet yesterday for a fentanyl patch change. It's supposed to changed every 5 days, but I had to work all weekend. The vet said being two days late isn't a big deal unless we notice it wore off, which it didn't. The vet was actually really sort of shocked that Toothless had gained some weight and her coat is looking a lot better. She told me that's not something she normally sees in cats with cancer. She wanted to know how I was accomplishing this. I know it doesn't mean the cancer is gone, but it still really made me feel good about the quality of care she is getting.

Last night she was pretty high from the medication and actually started playing with the string from my sweat shirt. I'm happy that she's still having good days. At the initial dx, her vet sort of alluded that Toothless only had a couple of months left.

Thanks for asking. I definitely fixate on it a little too much. While I love all of my cats, Toothless has made impossible for anyone else to fill her shoes. I love her for that.

@2Cats4everLoved  Thank you so much for posting yours and Simon's story. You tell it so beautifully. I felt as heavy as lead when I started googling 'Squamous Cell Carcinoma' earlier but reading your posts has lightened the load somewhat. Your cat is adorable and you are creating such a lovely tribute to him.

I have an 'Edward Scissorhands'. He is 15, I call him my House Panther because he looks like one and he has a growth on his nose that the vet thinks is almost certainly a tumor.

It has not responded to antibiotics and it has been growing, slowly but steadily for the past five weeks. Having had surgery to remove his tail last November (he had a gangrenous lump & surgery to remove the tail was the only option) and knowing how hard the recovery was on him, at a grand 15 years old, I feel reluctant to put him through more trauma. My vet, who normally takes quite a hard line shocked me by suggesting radiation therapy last night as he assured me that it mightn't even need a general anaesthetic. But everything I have read about radiation treatment makes it sound like a tough path, general anaesthetic or not.

The trips out of the house to the hospital alone would be challenging for Eddie (he's not half as tough as he looks) and I wonder how much we would actually achieve? Or if its best to take note of your inspiring story, stay home and have as much fun and love as is possible whilst we still can. Difficult times but reading your story has really really helped. 

Simon's Diary:  "Our Bittersweet Journey...the long goodbye"

Edwardthefirst said:

 
@2Cats4everLoved  Thank you so much for posting yours and Simon's story. You tell it so beautifully. I felt as heavy as lead when I started googling 'Squamous Cell Carcinoma' earlier but reading your posts has lightened the load somewhat. Your cat is adorable and you are creating such a lovely tribute to him.

I have an 'Edward Scissorhands'. He is 15, I call him my House Panther because he looks like one and he has a growth on his nose that the vet thinks is almost certainly a tumor.

It has not responded to antibiotics and it has been growing, slowly but steadily for the past five weeks. Having had surgery to remove his tail last November (he had a gangrenous lump & surgery to remove the tail was the only option) and knowing how hard the recovery was on him, at a grand 15 years old, I feel reluctant to put him through more trauma. My vet, who normally takes quite a hard line shocked me by suggesting radiation therapy last night as he assured me that it mightn't even need a general anaesthetic. But everything I have read about radiation treatment makes it sound like a tough path, general anaesthetic or not.

The trips out of the house to the hospital alone would be challenging for Eddie (he's not half as tough as he looks) and I wonder how much we would actually achieve? Or if its best to take note of your inspiring story, stay home and have as much fun and love as is possible whilst we still can. Difficult times but reading your story has really really helped. 

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@Edwardthefirst  - First I'd like to thank you for your kind words and support.  I'm glad you're inspired by Simon's journey.  It's never easy watching our beloved furry friends in pain, especially since you can't explain to them what's happening.  Simon looked at me the other day as if to say, "why can't you fix this" and it broke my heart.  But by the graces from above, he seems to always bounce back and is able to do things normal again-it's then when I catch a glimpse of the fur ball we're used to, and he seems glad to be with us... still

I felt the same about Simon, even if there was an option, radiation or some treatment, it wouldn't prolong life long enough for him to forget about the ordeal, leaving the apartment alone would have caused stress, he has a murmur plus I didn't want him to be upset anymore than he already was.

I would love to see a picture of Edward Scissorhands if you have one.  He sounds like a trooper who's been through a lot in his 15 years.

Don't forget to take care of yourself too, that's important.  If you haven't already, keep a calendar or notebook to log his activities, bathroom, eating habits, sleeping, etc  I have found it's been in helpful in noticing patters of behavior.  Seeing the patters has eased my mind at times, it made me realize it wasn't me overthinking things, it was just a cat being a cat. LOL

Be well...

@2Cats4everLoved  thanks for your reply. So much appreciated. Simon looks like a legend. I particularly like the picture of him and his 'girlfriend'. We call the sheepskin rug Eddie's girlfriend as he was all over her when she first arrived. Now he's to be found kneeding whatever bed linen is the cleanest, freshest and whitest in the house and we let him do whatever he likes of course because he's the king of us.



In the first picture you can see the lump/tumor on his nose, the second is him in fine stroppy form last year.

It would be so easy to dwell on the medical issues he's had in his life - he's been hyperthyroid/on medication/regular blood tests since 2009, was hospitilized with hepatitus that same year and had his tail removed last November - but someone told me something recently that helped me frame this in a more positive light: animals do not have the capacity to ruminate on their illnesses in the way that we do.

He won't remember any of the above in the way that I do (with great angst!!!). He lives in the present moment. That said, for me, as the carer of my senior cat, my instinct today is to make his present moment as great as it possibly can be i.e. no backwards and forwards for invasive uncomfortable treatments that won't guarentee results. 

His tail amputation back in November wasn't an easy decision to make but it wasn't cancerous and I knew that once the tail was off, it was mainly a question of recovering from the surgery. I actually think the worst thing for him about that procedure was wearing the cone-of-shame for FOUR WEEKS. He looked so depressed it actually radiated out into the house and everyone felt depressed on his behalf. The moment that cone came off he perked right up and started skipping around the house again.

Which does make our present situation harder to take. Its sad to go through all that and now this. What can I say? Its part of the pet/pet owner contract and I'd do well to take a leaf out of his book. He is not bothered by whatever is on his nose for the moment so perhaps I should try and live more in the present moment too.

Signing off before this turns into an essay but can I say that its hugely therapeutic to talk about this in full view of a community that gets what I'm talking about. Sending best vibes to your fur ball and you....

Edwardthefirst said:

stroppy.jpg

• edwardthefirst
• Apr 6, 2016

In the first picture you can see the lump/tumor on his nose, the second is him in fine stroppy form last year.

It would be so easy to dwell on the medical issues he's had in his life - he's been hyperthyroid/on medication/regular blood tests since 2009, was hospitilized with hepatitus that same year and had his tail removed last November - but someone told me something recently that helped me frame this in a more positive light: animals do not have the capacity to ruminate on their illnesses in the way that we do.

He won't remember any of the above in the way that I do (with great angst!!!). He lives in the present moment. That said, for me, as the carer of my senior cat, my instinct today is to make his present moment as great as it possibly can be i.e. no backwards and forwards for invasive uncomfortable treatments that won't guarentee results. 

His tail amputation back in November wasn't an easy decision to make but it wasn't cancerous and I knew that once the tail was off, it was mainly a question of recovering from the surgery. I actually think the worst thing for him about that procedure was wearing the cone-of-shame for FOUR WEEKS. He looked so depressed it actually radiated out into the house and everyone felt depressed on his behalf. The moment that cone came off he perked right up and started skipping around the house again.

Which does make our present situation harder to take. Its sad to go through all that and now this. What can I say? Its part of the pet/pet owner contract and I'd do well to take a leaf out of his book. He is not bothered by whatever is on his nose for the moment so perhaps I should try and live more in the present moment too.

Signing off before this turns into an essay but can I say that its hugely therapeutic to talk about this in full view of a community that gets what I'm talking about. Sending best vibes to your fur ball and you....

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First let me say, Edward looks like a serious & regal looking fellow.  He's been though a lot and yet his expression is that of a proud and dignified feline, very handsome.  I don't know if Simon would have handled losing his tail as gracefully as Edward, I've always made a fuss about his tail, I'll say, show me your "long beautiful tail" and he'll come up and hit me with it.  He grooms it with such pride, losing it would have done a number on him.  He had a small lump on his tail, but with this other issue, it's not worth treating and the med's we're giving him have reduced the pea size lump. Thank God...

As for Simon's "girlfriend" he still takes her on "dates" lol.  In his case, he only "dates" the same sock, LOL and it's always faced the same way, if not he turns "her" around. LOL it's really funny.  If we're not looking at him, he drags "her" in front of us, and will chirp until we look, LOL.  I think if he was my human son, he'd be working in the "film" business, if you get my drift.  What can I say, he likes an audience. lol

I'm so glad Edward is able to live in the moment and seems content, it's really hard to watch them in definite discomfort and not be able to talk to them and explain what's happening.  Simon gave me a run in emotions this week, but he too seems to be making the best out of a bad situation.  My little trooper.  

Also sending positive vibes to Edward, you and your family.  Be well, and make sure you take care of yourself also.