Hello, friends. I mentioned yesterday how my parents' kitty Trapper, who is my girl Thimble's littermate, was going to the vet for I believe the third or fourth time this month because of some health issues he's having.
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Now, back to Trapper's vet visit. My mom took her sweet Trapper in yesterday, and the short story is that we didn't get the news we wanted. Though we're awaiting pathology results to know more, Trapper almost certainly has cancer.
Trapper's noticeable symptoms all started with skin issues on his head as well as ear infections. Despite treatment, the skin issues continued, and they spread and got worse. Then he began rapidly losing weight and muscle, and his fur became very unkempt. He also became more tired and subdued, though with moments of him trying to do his usual thing. Though his bloodwork overall looked good about a month ago, he did have some mild anemia.
We were hoping we were dealing with a treatable autoimmune issue, given Trapper's odd array of symptoms. The skin issues were the primary reason we thought that, but we now know those are likely hormonally-induced or otherwise secondary to the main problem. That's because Trapper has a 3 cm mass in the right side of his abdomen. His vet believes it is a malignant, aggressive neuroendocrine cancer, and that it's possibly on his pancreas or adrenal gland. Trapper's vet was able to get a fine needle aspirate, and our local university veterinary hospital will be looking at those slides and giving more info on it likely this afternoon.
At this point, until my mom hears back from Trapper's vet with more information following the pathology, we are not yet sure what the treatment or management of symptoms will be. The vet did do further imaging yesterday, and it does not appear that the cancer has spread anywhere else at this time. It's still likely an aggressive form, though, as Trapper lost 2 lbs in less than a month. He had plenty to lose and is still 17 lbs, but it's still not good.
Until we hear more, we don't know if surgical removal of the tumor is even an option or beneficial. If it's not, we at least hope that there are medications that could perhaps help slow things down, or at least treat the symptoms and give us some more time with sweet Trapper. He did get some pep in his step after getting subcutaneous fluids and a vitamin B12 injection at his appointment yesterday, so that's another option that can be done regularly.
Trapper is such a sweet boy, and this seems so unfair. Of course, that's always the case. Like all the kitties in my family, Trapper is considered a senior. He's 12 years old, but that still seems far too young. His and Thimble's littermate Talon passed away early last year, at the age of 10, from a rare lung cancer. The type of cancer Trapper's vet believes he has is also considered rare.
I'm sorry this is such a morose and also rambling post. I find it very cathartic to share this sort of stuff here, with fellow animal lovers. I love all of the animals in my life, of course including my parents' kitties, and I can only hope we still have plenty of good days left with Trapper. We shall see. For now, my parents and of course my sister and myself will be giving him lots and lots of love.
If you have purrs and prayers to spare for Trapper, my family would greatly appreciate it!
Trapper's noticeable symptoms all started with skin issues on his head as well as ear infections. Despite treatment, the skin issues continued, and they spread and got worse. Then he began rapidly losing weight and muscle, and his fur became very unkempt. He also became more tired and subdued, though with moments of him trying to do his usual thing. Though his bloodwork overall looked good about a month ago, he did have some mild anemia.
We were hoping we were dealing with a treatable autoimmune issue, given Trapper's odd array of symptoms. The skin issues were the primary reason we thought that, but we now know those are likely hormonally-induced or otherwise secondary to the main problem. That's because Trapper has a 3 cm mass in the right side of his abdomen. His vet believes it is a malignant, aggressive neuroendocrine cancer, and that it's possibly on his pancreas or adrenal gland. Trapper's vet was able to get a fine needle aspirate, and our local university veterinary hospital will be looking at those slides and giving more info on it likely this afternoon.
At this point, until my mom hears back from Trapper's vet with more information following the pathology, we are not yet sure what the treatment or management of symptoms will be. The vet did do further imaging yesterday, and it does not appear that the cancer has spread anywhere else at this time. It's still likely an aggressive form, though, as Trapper lost 2 lbs in less than a month. He had plenty to lose and is still 17 lbs, but it's still not good.
Until we hear more, we don't know if surgical removal of the tumor is even an option or beneficial. If it's not, we at least hope that there are medications that could perhaps help slow things down, or at least treat the symptoms and give us some more time with sweet Trapper. He did get some pep in his step after getting subcutaneous fluids and a vitamin B12 injection at his appointment yesterday, so that's another option that can be done regularly.
Trapper is such a sweet boy, and this seems so unfair. Of course, that's always the case. Like all the kitties in my family, Trapper is considered a senior. He's 12 years old, but that still seems far too young. His and Thimble's littermate Talon passed away early last year, at the age of 10, from a rare lung cancer. The type of cancer Trapper's vet believes he has is also considered rare.
I'm sorry this is such a morose and also rambling post. I find it very cathartic to share this sort of stuff here, with fellow animal lovers. I love all of the animals in my life, of course including my parents' kitties, and I can only hope we still have plenty of good days left with Trapper. We shall see. For now, my parents and of course my sister and myself will be giving him lots and lots of love.
If you have purrs and prayers to spare for Trapper, my family would greatly appreciate it!
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We're of course still sharing the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.
1. I plan to _________ and _________ in October.
2. _________ was the highlight of my week.
3. 'Tis the season for _________.
4. Though a lot of people like _________, I can't stand it.
1. I plan to _________ and _________ in October.
2. _________ was the highlight of my week.
3. 'Tis the season for _________.
4. Though a lot of people like _________, I can't stand it.
We'll see you tomorrow, friends!
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Spooky Flashback Doodle of the DayHappy October! Which pretty much means, well, Happy Halloween! We'll be sharing nothing but spooky and kooky doodles for the next 31+ days. I'm still working on my new doodles for this Halloween season, so for today I'll share this flashback of a feline version of my favorite nostalgic Halloween movie.
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Tip of the Day
Given how much we love Halloween here, we're going to make a series of tips on Halloween last all the way through October. We're going to start today with none other than the festive decorations. Most people might be more cognizant of their decorations and how they might affect the resident furbabies around Christmastime. However, also keep pet-safety in mind if you put up Halloween decorations. Halloween decorations can come in all shapes and sizes, such as wreaths, garland, and all sorts of trinkets and goodies in between. If you're anything like us, you have all sorts of black cats and pumpkins out on display this time of year. No matter what kind of decorations you put out, make sure that anything your furbaby might chew on is out of their reach. Small pieces of Halloween decor, or parts and pieces of off larger pieces of decor, could lead to choking, obstruction, or perforation of the bowel if ingested. So, while you don't have to refrain from being festive and decorating for Halloween (or any holiday), you simply need to take your kitty or pup's safety into consideration when placing all decor.
