arguchik | jester's lab results

turns out jester *does* have a really invasive, aggressive kind of cancer. i pretty much already knew that--the tumor i found in him back in september is much bigger now. the fur over the tumor doesn't lie flat anymore. that is something that i have noticed just in the last week. the vet i saw on saturday also said jester's puking is possibly/probably related to the cancer--she quizzed me pretty hard about that, asking me if there was *always* a hairball involved when he pukes, and the answer to that is...often, but not always. apparently this cancer arises from connective tissue (mesenchymal cells), and in cats there will be a main tumor that is quite hard and irregular, and it will send out "roots" or "tentacles" into the surrounding tissue, eventually invading muscles, organs, etc. this is already happening with jester's tumor--the smaller, shallower tumors i can feel branch off from the deeper, main tumor, and you can feel that the main tumor is firmly rooted in his muscle tissue (even i can tell that). i've googled it, and discovered that this kind of cancer often arises at vaccination sites in cats--it's possible that inflammation from the shot causes cells to tranform, or from viruses in combination with the inflammation, they're not sure yet. but if you have a cat, it's something to be aware of--when you take your cat to the vet for vaccinations, pay attention to where they stick the needles in, and check those sites regularly for lumps.

the vet who called me on the phone today was not the same vet who examined him on saturday. at first she was recommending surgery to remove the lump, followed by analysis of the tissue by a pathologist. she didn't realize that the tumor is already quite large, sending out branches, and invading his muscle tissue. when i told her that, she said, "oh. well then the cat should be euthanized. and i recommend doing it before he loses quality of life, because if you wait until he loses weight and can't get around anymore, you're not doing him any favors." i asked her if he was in pain, and she said "most likely." cats just don't show it until they are at death's door. but she said cats *experience* pain even when they don't show it, and they know from humans who have this kind of cancer that it is quite painful.

looks like it's time to call the mobile vet. how do you schedule the death of a pet? with perry (my dog, who died a couple of years ago), it was just *time* to let him go, there was no doubt about it. i called the mobile vet and she came right over within an hour or so. perry was almost completely immobile and unaware of his surroundings by that time, so it was very peaceful. he just stopped breathing. with jester, though...he doesn't seem all that sick yet. i agree with the vet's opinion about doing it sooner rather than later, but it's hard to envision how it will go.

so i'm sad about this, but it hasn't really sunk in yet. this cat and i have had a complicated relationship for a long time, and *several* times in his life i have seriously considered putting him up for adoption. he has a number of behavior problems that make him extremely difficult to live with; i'm also somewhat allergic to him. otoh, i've had him for 14 years at this point--got him in 1991--so i'm really used to him being there. and the fact that i've *thought* about getting rid of him before is making me feel really guilty now, and really bad for him.