Monday, November 19, 2007

The "c" word

Got a phone call from the vet today -- Spooky's tests came back, and the cyst removed from her ear turned out to be a mast cell tumor, or cancer. The vet said that in cats, such cancers behave differently than they do in dogs. It's worse for dogs. Spooky's tumor did extend to one margin of the ear, though he took a large scoop of the tissue out. This means that the tumor does have a chance of coming back at a later date. When I take her in to have the stitches looked at tomorrow, I'll ask about radiation and the like. She's an old cat, though, and it might not be the best course of treatment for her. She's about 15 or so years old. She has a great appetite, and I don't think she's troubled by the cancer, she's more annoyed by the cone thingy around her neck, so I think she'll recover quite nicely. But I'm still afraid.

I hate this. We've lost three dogs to cancer. They all had nice long lives, but when they got sick, they went downhill fast and died. I don't want Spooky to have this. This cat is my furbaby, my best animal friend. I love her very much.

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