dturm
Lake County, IN
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Sorry to hear about Spotacus. Is this lymphoma? If so, this form not associated with the feline leukemia virus has been "successfully" treated with chemo. I've seen reports of remission that lasts for years with only mild side effects from the chemo.
Whatever your plans involve, I know Spotacus' best interest will be the major consideration.
Our thoughts are with you.
Doug & Sandy
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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It is lymphoma. We'll discuss what the best route is for Spotacus' quality of life, compare that to what we can/can't afford, and go from there.
Years ago, we lost a cat to cancer. The vet kept weasel wording what she was recommending, until WLToo finally pinned her down. "So what you're saying is you can treat her and she'll maybe have three more months, and be miserable. Is that what I'm hearing?" When she finally said yes, we said no and let sweet Heidi go.
Yesterday, Spotacus decided to go outside with WLToo. He spent all evening on his favorite porch chair, then tucked himself under my chin when I went to bed and purred a while. Today, he stayed in bed and hasn't purred for me. He doesn't act like he's in pain, but most cats will not let you know that, so it's not an indicator of anything. He did talk to WLToo.
It's cooled down enough to go to bed, so I'll just tuck myself around Spotacus. Later, y'all.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Czarny, black cat
Rainbow Bridge: Spotacus, Alexander the Grrreat, and so very many more
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magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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We'll pray for remission for the mighty Spotacus. It's never easy.
"The only time you should fear cast iron is if your wife is fixin' to hit you with it."-Kent Rollins
First law of science: don't spit into the wind.
Magnus
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agteacher
Ohio
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Get some colostrum from Vitacost. Can't hurt but might definitely cure. Feed 1-2 capsules / day mixed in food or milk.
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Spotacus can barely walk now. We lift him onto the bed and into the litter box, where he does pee, but hasn't pooped since the last vet visit. He's barely eating (hence the lack of poop), yet still drinks his water and is very alert. I put some wet cat food with gravy into a blender and liquified it, so when he drinks he's still getting a little nutrition. His breath is very fast, no doubt because of the pressure inside.
We've been placing him on the chair with us, so he can stretch out between someone's legs and be in the room with us. At the moment, he's back in bed, thinking about whether or not he'll bother to eat or drink what I've got on a tray there for him.
It the doctor can't do the surgery on Wednesday, or it's too outrageously priced, we're not going to leave him in this state. He's quiet but alert, and if he's in pain he's not letting us know. But his immobility, breathlessness, and not even eating his treats is killing us.
I'm going to lay on the bed with Spotacus for a while. Later, y'all.
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dturm
Lake County, IN
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That's tough, our thoughts and prayers are with you and Spotacus through this.
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ColoRockiesFan
Virginia
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Heartbreaking.
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Bright Bay
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
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Power up, Spotacus! Prayers for hope, strength, and healing to this family and their big-hearted cat.
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magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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Keeping y'all in prayer. He might like sweetened condensed milk too. That seems to help. Our old cats would lick it off our fingers.
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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He did eat his treats last night. Early this morning, I woke up when I felt something unusual. Spotacus had his head resting on my ankle. The unusual was that he was doing a throat purr. I stayed still until he moved over against WLToo's leg, then got up.
The fog was so dense it was hard to tell that it was actually 0615. So rare for me to sleep longer than four hours straight (aging is not for wimps). I got up, put Spotacus into the litter box, and while he did his thing, I did mine. Then I was awake, so I got him some water, while I liquified more moist food for him. He drank a little of it, refusing his dry kibble with treats in it. Probably had filled up on plain water already. I'm sure his stomach is the size of a black-eyed pea by now.
Must have slept like that because I watched/listened to the entire William Tell opera on YouTube, by the Wichita Opera. Even when I was in my university's pit orchestra, opera has always had a somewhat sedating influence on me. Good thing I was percussion and rarely had something to do in the pit. We never did William Tell, which has a very nice amount of percussion. For the interested, the overture is the most interesting music. Practically none of its themes or motifs were identifiable in the opera itself. The singing parts are very difficult, especially the tenors, so even though I understood maybe one word in twenty (was in French), I did appreciate the singers' overall musicality.
There was a bit of nostalgia there. One of the chorus/dance troup was a tall, slender blond who looked so much like a college buddy that I watched him far more than the lead characters. My friend died suddenly a few days ago, at a much too young age. RIP, Gene.
Strolling out of the fog was a lovely 8-point buck. He's not particularly afraid of humans, just looking up when the sliding door opened, then back to grazing. I'm pretty sure he's one that our neighbor hand feeds (please do not do this, folks. It's incredibly dangerous, especially during the rut). He's so nice looking that I'm sure one of the local poachers will have him before long (can't hunt on less than 10 acres, and there aren't that many 10 acre plots around here, therefore it will be poaching).
Meanwhile, a very industrious spider decided to build her web on the poolside glider, in spite of wind blowing the occasional hole through it. She's hugely pregnant, too. I do wonder how spiders survive outside in the winter, when there's so little food flying around.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/yVhuoA6l.jpg)
Fog isn't lifting much; in fact, it seems thicker now. Good thing we don't have to be anywhere until late afternoon. But WLToo will do that by himself; I'm not leaving Spotacus alone.
Until then, I think I'll try to edit a book. Later, y'all.
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