Smokey's Cancer Scare

We've had the cancer card hit our house several times already - Pita in her leg, Rollie in her throat/behind her eye, Jasper in his stomach. So we know it's not an easy road that ends with euthanasia and broken hearts. The cost of testing, vet appointments, and just giving them the best quality of life for their last days is astronomical.

Smokey's very swollen check - that progessively got worse each day.

So when Smokey stopped eating dry food and truly only wanted wet/soft food, we had to determine whether this was due to old age, an issue with teeth, or something else. A few weeks after she stopped eating hard food, her chin and cheek swelled up—immediately we thought infection or tumor/cancer. Infection would be the most ideal, easiest thing to deal with. We headed to the vet where they poked and prodded, took x-rays, and reviewed them. From how badly she was swollen and whatever mess was going on, it looked like it was a mass and cancer. Such a hard blow—cancer AGAIN. Every time we have gotten a cancer diagnosis, I question what we are doing wrong, how is it we've had that many cancer diagnoses. This time around was no different. I stood there ugly crying in front of the vet and vet tech and said how I felt. The vet had the absolute best answer. "You've given them a life where they were able to live long and healthy lives, cared for in the best way possible. Extending their life, long past the average age." If we let them go outside, left them outside, and didn't get regular vet care, they would have lived a much shorter life. THIS was eye-opening and so true.

We discussed options for care, ultimately deciding to prioritize her quality of life by letting her live her best days at home and making an appointment when we feel those days are over. She received a shot of pain medication and an antibiotic to hold us over while I waited to hear back from a specialist. We went home, and the next 24 hours were a mess. She swelled up more, and then out of nowhere, the infection ruptured. Smokey is Siamese, so she is a white/grey colored cat. Now she's got blood-stained fur down her chest, and no amount of cleaning could get it out.

Once that happened, she's back to normal (or as normal as a senior cat of 17+ years can be). Eating her dry food, demanding wet food because she knows we will cave and give it to her. Her only sign of old age is a slight bit of dementia—getting on the counters, sleeping on top of the stove, climbing on the printer or other random things that she never did and we never allow. She gets a pass because she is the old lady cat.

This entire cancer scare took one of my lives (and I only get one!) She has 8 more to go....I'm not sure I can handle another scare like that anytime soon.

With a happy heart - we love that smokey is still around demanding attention, to be held, sleeping in bed like a little human, under the blankets head on the pillow and getting extra wet food.

Til our tails cross again,

Mel