Sad kitty

So, haven't written here is a while. Things have finally slowed down at work, we are almost finished the renovations at home and we are starting to allow ourselves some time to do fun stuff. Unfortunately, at the beginning of August we started having health problems with our kitties. Tiger was diagnosed with hyperthyroid. Then within weeks he started sneezing. We went out of town for a few days and when we came back, mucus was streaming out of his right nostril and right eye. We have been to the vet many, many times and they kept doing tests and prescribing meds, all to no avail.

This week we finally were able to get Tiger into a specialist, Dr. Mircovic from Canada West Veterinary Specialists. She is a lovely woman who unfortunately had some very bad news to give us. After a CT scan, she found a tumour in Tiger's nose. Apparently it started in the right nostril and ate through the cartilage to the left nostril. Also, it has eaten through to the soft palate at the top of his mouth. She told us it was far too large to remove. She biopsied it from the back and front. Today we got the results from the biopsy. Unfotunately, it is a carcinoma which is the worst option. This means it is cancer (the other options were a fungal infection or lymphoma). Carcinoma is the least responsive of the possible causes of the tumour.

Tiger is still bleeding a bit from the biopsies from his right nostril. He still sounds like he is snoring, because of the breathing difficulties from the tumour. He is slow to react for parts of the day. He is obviously is pain and is not a happy kitty. We both feel terrible and wish to make the rest of his life as easy as possible.

This weekend we need to decide which course of action we are going to take. I think it is likely we will try piroxicam - an anti-inflammatory drug that apparently can also sometimes shrink tumours. We also have the option of chemotherapy for him, but we wouldn't be able to get him in until Friday. Both Claude and I want to act as quickly as possible because he is obviously suffering. We'll call our family vet tomorrow and make a decision then.

It has been a hard week. Lots of tears and lots of sadness. Lots of evenings just spending time with the cats. I think it is harder for Claude than it is for me. Tiger was originally his cat. He has had him for 12 or 13 years (Tiger is currently 14). Also, Tiger, with his brother Rascal, are Claude's first pets. He has been a wonderful dad to them and they adore him. You can tell by their demenour what a great parent and guardian he has been - they are two of the sweetest, most trusting kitties you'll ever meet. Having a pet die is an unbelievably difficult thing to go through. It is that much harder when it is the first time. Also, I believe it is harder still when you are an adult. When you are a kid, your parents are making the decisions as to what is the best course of action. Claude is going through this for the first time, is the primary decision-maker in this situation and is feeling the pressure of being responsible for Tiger's quality of life.

I wish I could take this away from him. I am trying very hard to be strong so he can lean on me - usually it seems to be the other way around. I want him to feel that he is supported and not that he must be strong so he can support me.

This isn't to say that this isn't hard for me too. Tiger is one of the sweetest cats I have ever owned and he is far too young to be as sick as he is. Of our three, he has always been the most kittenish. He has these funny little habits that are so endearing. When we would get the wet food ready for their evening meal, every single night he would run around in circles until we were ready to put the food down. Not in little circles in the kitchen. He would run out of the kitchen, into the dining room, through the living room, down the main hallway, turn right into the entranceway/hallway and right again, into the kitchen. He would do three or four laps every night, pausing briefly in the kitchen to see if the food was ready yet. If it wasn't, he would do another lap. He could always get us laughing with his antics. Now, he will sporadically eat and prefers to lay on our laps and try to sleep/breathe.

It is a very sad time.