Sad News: Spider has Cancer
Almost 3 weeks ago, Spider, who turned 18 last month, was found to have a growth in his mouth, which I thought was just a bad tooth. It turned out to be a squamous cell carcinoma, one of the most aggressive cancers in cats. The tumour has since then spread and he now has swollen lymph nodes under his chin on the side of the tumour, and he can’t eat on his own because of pain/discomfort.
On my vet’s instructions, I fed him water, electrolytes and liquid food in a little plastic syringe, which he seems to be enjoying and he has no problems swallowing. He otherwise behaves normally, if not a bit lethargic, and he uses his scratcher for his claws, goes to the toilet normally and responds with big rumbles of purrs to my cuddles and kisses.
Today he is staying at the vets to get IV fluids and corticosteroids. The latter may just help with the pain and reduce inflammation so he may be able to eat on his own again, at least for a while until there is nothing else we can do…
He is comfortable at the moment and not in pain (unless he tries to eat) or suffering. I myself am devastated, of course, and I am already hurting so much from the thought of losing him, I don’t know if I can deal with even more pain when the time comes to let him go. I will just have to take it one day at a time.
I am sorry I have to dump this sad news on our fans and followers, but as much as I want to share only the “ups”, the “downs” make up about 5-10% of our lives too, and it’s important to remember them so we can appreciate the good times so much more… And besides, you have been a big part of his *life* so far, we would now like you to be with him until the end.
Here are a few videos of Spider from my Instagram feed, from the last few days.
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