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.

 

Mummy nurse to the rescue! Looking after an old cat dying of cancer is totally heartbreaking, but it’s got to be done. Spider is comfortable now and I give him soft food, water and electrolyte solution from a syringe every few hours, but I’m waiting for the vets to call me in a couple of hours, in case she still wants me to bring him in to go on a drip for the day…. Send me strength to get through losing my baby! ???????????? #cats #lettinggo #cancer #cancerincats #squamouscellcarcinoma #tabbies #tabbycats #gatos #katzen #neko #ilovecats #kitties #cute #pets #animals #catstagram #catsofinstagram #catlover #catlady #madcatlady #forever #crazycatlady #catsoflanzarote #seniorcat #oldcat #mycats #catlife #meow #food #catfood

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Soon it’s time to let my beautiful Spider go. It’s already hurting so much, how can I possibly cope with *more* pain than this? ?????? I took him back to the vets this morning because he wasn’t eating well the last few days and yesterday he refused even his favourite treats. There is a swelling under his jaw/chin and my vet said that the tumour had already grown into that area. It’s only been TWO WEEKS since his biopsy, but this tumour is as aggressive as they come and I couldn’t believe that in only such a short time it would grow so much. I thought I would have a few more months with him, but now it’s only going to be days, maybe a week or two. There’s nothing more we can do now, except give him bunorprephine (morphine) to make him more comfortable, and squirt a glucolyte solution in his mouth because he won’t/can’t eat. It’s too late for chemo, and even if it wasn’t, I don’t think I would want to put him through the nasty side effects at his old age, only so he has a few more months. There’s so much more I want to say, but I would talk forever, and I know most of you just want to see cute cat pictures here. But this is also part of life, and as much as I want to post only the “ups”, the “downs” make up about 5-10% of my life too, and it’s important to remember them so I can appreciate the ups so much more. “Universe, send me the strength to get through this, and send peace and no pain to Spider.” #cats #lettinggo #cancer #cancerincats #squamouscellcarcinoma #tabbies #tabbycats #gatos #katzen #katt #neko #ilovecats #kitties #cute #pets #animals #catstagram #catsofinstagram #catlover #catlady #madcatlady #forever #crazycatlady #catsoflanzarote #seniorcat #oldcat #mycats #catlife #meow #catphotos

A post shared by Barbarella Buchner (@the_madcatlady) on

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