In Memory of Talon

It's been a rough few days for my family. My parents' happy, sweet, social, and just generally amazing cat Talon gained his angel wings on Friday evening. Talon was the littermate of my girl Thimble, and also littermate to my sister's boy Toby and my parents' other boy Trapper. Talon of course lived with his brother Trapper at my parents' house.

Talon is the handsome black and white boy on the left in that photo, posing with his tabby brother Trapper.

My parents, sister, and myself bottle-fed the litter of four kitties after my grandma discovered her neighbor had found them and put them in a bucket at 3 weeks old, no mother in sight. They were the first litter of kittens we took in with the intention of fostering, but we failed miserably at that and adopted them all instead. Every single one of these kitties, Talon absolutely included, means so much to my parents, my sister, and myself. I still remember bottle feeding Talon, as he was the most enthusiastic about his food as a baby. He earned his name because he wildly used his sharp little kitten claws to get that bottle to his mouth. Bottle feeding him brought me so much joy, and I cherish every single second of the nearly 11 years that Talon blessed our family.

A little over a year ago, Talon started coughing on occasion. His vet at first thought it was asthma, and then chronic bronchitis. For many months, steroid shots and occasional oral steroids, in addition to a bronchodilator and other various meds, kept his coughing at bay. He did end up with steroid-induced diabetes recently, but the oral medication Bexacat kept that in check, just like it does for his brother Trapper's diabetes. Over the last couple of weeks, though, Talon's coughing was no longer responding well to the steroids or other meds, and his respiratory rate was starting to regularly rise well above what's normal for a cat. X-rays of his lungs also showed that what was originally believed to be mild inflammation related to bronchitis, had worsened and was also no longer responding to the steroids or other meds.

With all of that, the vet determined that Talon actually very likely had cancer in his lungs, that being pulmonary carcinoma. The only way to confirm that diagnosis would have been surgery or a procedure that involved flushing out Talon's lungs with water, something he very likely would not have survived given his condition. Pulmonary carcinoma is very rare in cats, and Talon is only the third cat our vet has ever diagnosed with this cancer in his 20 years as a vet. No one in our family smokes or anything along those lines, but the vet also indicated that there were also no obvious environmental factors for the other two cats he'd diagnosed with pulmonary carcinoma in the past. There's no knowing what truly caused it, though it could have been any number of genetic and/or environmental factors, or even something like a retrovirus. For what's it worse, not long before Talon started showing symptoms over a year ago, a kitty cold went through both my parents' house and my house, and we do wonder if that spurred something.

On Friday, nothing the vet tried would bring Talon's respiratory rate even remotely down to normal. As his x-rays indicated, he did not have a distinct tumor in his lungs, but instead a diffuse form affecting the entirety of his lungs. Surgery was not an option in any regard, and quality of life had to be considered for sweet Talon.

We said goodbye to Talon on Friday evening, and it was one of the worst days of my family's life. I love every single cat in my life, and I visit my parents' house pretty much every single day. They live right down the street from me, and even if it's just for a few minutes, I see their kitties every day. What's more, Talon honestly had the biggest personality of any cat I've ever met. He was an incredibly social cat. He loved everyone, and he excitedly followed around anyone and everyone who visited my parents' house. Talon loved jumping on my back when I was there, and I'd walk around giving him piggy-back rides. And that's all just barely skimming the surface of the amazing kitty Talon. His absence is very, very noticeable, and we will never let him be forgotten. Not ever.

We all love you so, so, so very much, Talon. Always and forever.

***

I will still be sharing the last few doodles in the April A to Z Challenge, you just might see them sprinkled in over the next week or so. I simply haven't had it in me to pull out my sketchbook or scanner or anything like that over the past few days. I also plan on scribbling up something in honor of the sweet Talon. May 10th is the 11th birthday of Talon and my Thimble and their brothers Toby and Trapper. It's going to be a rough one this year, but you better believe Talon will be honored and will absolutely be included in their birthday doodle.