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On Easter Day, one year ago, I sat with tears streaming down my face, gazing out into the backyard, trying to decide where to bury my sweet Calico cat. Three days prior, I put Calico's breakfast down; she took a bite, vomited, totally lost her balance, splayed out on the floor. I picked her up, rushed her to the local Vet who examined her, found nothing obvious; thought it may have been a one-time event, advised to monitor her. Next day, the same thing happened only worse. She could not stand, just rolled on the floor, her eyes darted left and right, she had left oriented head tremors; it looked like a seizure. Off to the Vet we went again. This time the Vet took X-rays of the torso. A small lung tumor was seen. Vet surmised the cat had a brain tumor. The only question at that point was whether the lung tumor was the Primary tumor or was the brain tumor the Primary and had metastasized to the lung. Either way, the prognosis was grim. On Easter Day, unable to stand or walk, I just held Calico on my lap knowing the end was very near.
The next day, we took her to a specialized Veterinary hospital as I wanted a diagnosis no matter what. A CT scan confirmed the lung mass; about 1 cm., most likely adenocarcinoma. Next a brain MRI was done. To everyone's surprise, there was no mass,
just some inflammation and fluid around the left "bulla", like a drip-pan at the base of the inner ear. The Neurologist explained that polyps, or infection can occur causing Vestibular dysfunction which Calico had. Calico then underwent Ventral Bulla Osteotomy surgery. A large amount of purulent fluid was removed. No wonder she had lost her balance! Other than suffering loss of dignity wearing the "cone" over the head afterwards, Calico came through the surgery like a champ! Her balance and gait is now as good as new, actually better! Two weeks after this, she underwent surgery again to remove the lung lobe containing the mass, which was cancerous. Again, she came through like a champ. This was followed by five months of chemo which she tolerated very well. She beat the lung cancer!
In December, we noticed symptoms of possible IBD. Ultrasound showed mild IBD, but incidentally also showed a bladder tumor, most likely Transitional Cell carcinoma, unrelated to the lung tumor. It is not operable, so she is receiving Leukeran in the hopes of containing or limiting its spread as long as we can. She tolerates Leukeran very well.
Easter one year later, Calico is enjoying a good life, basking in the sun, enjoying the sound of birds chirping outside, savoring her favorite food, playing with her sisters, and being showered with love, as if each day were her last.
Moral of the story: Never give up. Things look darkest just before the dawn. Calico says, " Don't throw in the towel, us cats have nine lives"!
The next day, we took her to a specialized Veterinary hospital as I wanted a diagnosis no matter what. A CT scan confirmed the lung mass; about 1 cm., most likely adenocarcinoma. Next a brain MRI was done. To everyone's surprise, there was no mass,
just some inflammation and fluid around the left "bulla", like a drip-pan at the base of the inner ear. The Neurologist explained that polyps, or infection can occur causing Vestibular dysfunction which Calico had. Calico then underwent Ventral Bulla Osteotomy surgery. A large amount of purulent fluid was removed. No wonder she had lost her balance! Other than suffering loss of dignity wearing the "cone" over the head afterwards, Calico came through the surgery like a champ! Her balance and gait is now as good as new, actually better! Two weeks after this, she underwent surgery again to remove the lung lobe containing the mass, which was cancerous. Again, she came through like a champ. This was followed by five months of chemo which she tolerated very well. She beat the lung cancer!
In December, we noticed symptoms of possible IBD. Ultrasound showed mild IBD, but incidentally also showed a bladder tumor, most likely Transitional Cell carcinoma, unrelated to the lung tumor. It is not operable, so she is receiving Leukeran in the hopes of containing or limiting its spread as long as we can. She tolerates Leukeran very well.
Easter one year later, Calico is enjoying a good life, basking in the sun, enjoying the sound of birds chirping outside, savoring her favorite food, playing with her sisters, and being showered with love, as if each day were her last.
Moral of the story: Never give up. Things look darkest just before the dawn. Calico says, " Don't throw in the towel, us cats have nine lives"!
