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Tinkie has cancer :-(

Thank you for the kind words. PSers are awesome people and I am thankful for your friendship.

I had a breakdown tonight. I've had 2 days to absorb the news and for the most part have been very busy, so haven't had a lot of time to really process what the vet said Friday night. It all kind of hit me tonight as I was making dinner. I started cleaning out our laundry closet, where the cat carriers are held, and got so angry at all the *junk* that was in there that I just started throwing things down/around and cursing. Meanwhile, I had a homemade pot pie in the oven... DH finally came into the room and looked at me very concerned. I finally just broke down and started crying, because it really hit me, that yes, I am going to have to go through caring for another cat that has cancer. And yes, I am going to lose yet another cat to this horrible disease. It's not fair and I am pissed off at the Universe. I burnt the pot pie, but DH ate it anyway, bless his heart.

I just don't understand. I know that bullshit about "God doesn't give you anymore than you can handle" and "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", but I'm really starting to doubt it. I mean, if that's the case, I'm going to be able to lift a freakin' Mack truck after all this.

Why? Why? I'm not over losing EQ yet. ;( Hell, I still haven't gotten the memorial pendant and the memorial tattoo appt. isn't for another 3 weeks. It's too soon. I don't want to go through this all over again so soon....it's just too soon. :((

Thanks for letting me vent.
 
Lil Misfit|1363569841|3407442 said:
Thank you for the kind words. PSers are awesome people and I am thankful for your friendship.

I had a breakdown tonight. I've had 2 days to absorb the news and for the most part have been very busy, so haven't had a lot of time to really process what the vet said Friday night. It all kind of hit me tonight as I was making dinner. I started cleaning out our laundry closet, where the cat carriers are held, and got so angry at all the *junk* that was in there that I just started throwing things down/around and cursing. Meanwhile, I had a homemade pot pie in the oven... DH finally came into the room and looked at me very concerned. I finally just broke down and started crying, because it really hit me, that yes, I am going to have to go through caring for another cat that has cancer. And yes, I am going to lose yet another cat to this horrible disease. It's not fair and I am pissed off at the Universe. I burnt the pot pie, but DH ate it anyway, bless his heart.

I just don't understand. I know that bullshit about "God doesn't give you anymore than you can handle" and "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", but I'm really starting to doubt it. I mean, if that's the case, I'm going to be able to lift a freakin' Mack truck after all this.

Why? Why? I'm not over losing EQ yet. ;( Hell, I still haven't gotten the memorial pendant and the memorial tattoo appt. isn't for another 3 weeks. It's too soon. I don't want to go through this all over again so soon....it's just too soon. :((

Thanks for letting me vent.
Click to expand...


LM- I think we all understand and can safely say you can vent anytime you want. It's a lot to go through, and it's got to be so much worse when you know it's coming.

Of the 2 I lost in the last 7 years (sisters), one was very sudden when she was 13, and then her sister lived another 6 years. I could tell in that final year that things were not good and that still didn't help me, knowing things were going downhill. I was a mess at the end.

Now, I have 4 kitties on medications. A mama and baby pair (both geriatric now, but I've had them since baby was a kitten, 12 years) and they take thyroid meds twice a day. Then I have an asthmatic one, and a diabetic one. It's a lot of extra work keeping up with them, and I feared losing the diabetic one, and the vet almost had me panicked in to putting him to sleep, because she thought because he was an outside cat, I couldn't keep up with him. He's fine now, but all the rounds of meds take their toll over time. It's like a little part time job caring for them.

I urge you to take care of yourself, and also love and pet and spoil your sweet Tink.
 
LM I'm so, so sorry to hear this awful news. ;( I hope that your time remaining with Tinkie is full of love, peace and sweet kitty snuggles. She's so lucky to live the rest of her days with you, I only wish with all my heart that you didn't have to endure such pain...especially so soon after EQ's passing. Ugh! :(sad
 
I made an appointment for Tinkie to see an oncologist on Wednesday morning. I need a second opinion and to find out if there are any other treatment options available that my regular vet doesn't know about. The thing that's really bugging me is that she is asymptomatic, has no trouble eating, and appears happy and healthy. To think that she only has a few months to live just boggles my mind....especially since she is running around the house like a mad woman as I type this, chasing a toy. A part of me is hoping that they got her test results mixed up with someone else and it's just a big misunderstanding. I know that's grasping at straws, but I have to hold out hope.

I've been researching oral cancer in cats and it's so disheartening to see that there really isn't much hope, as it tends to be very aggressive. I'm driving myself crazy doing this, which is why I really just need to talk to the oncologist.

I did call the Anti-Cruelty Society today to basically give them a piece of my mind...I told them that while I understand that they don't do full cancer or other disease screenings they should have at least noticed that she had a rotten tooth! :nono: The lady I spoke to was the shelter manager and she checked the records (which are the same ones I have, stating that an "exam" was done, but not specifically an oral exam) and said she would look at her card because maybe the doctor had written some notes on it. She said she would call me back....she never did. She wanted to know what I was looking for by calling, because if it was compensation she needed to know that. I told her that some sort of compensation would be great since it cost us over $1000 to have her tooth extracted! I'm not expecting anything, honestly. I just want them to know that this is unacceptable, to adopt out a cat with major health issues, and not disclosing them, because there is no way in hell that that tooth became as rotten as it did in the 3 months that we've had her. No way.

Thank you again for all your kind words and prayers. Tinkie, DH and I really appreciate them. I will continue to keep you posted.
 
Fingers crossed that the oncologist has much better news for you, on Wednesday. I hope it was an error.... DUST for you and Tinkie both!!!

That would be interesting if the shelter could see they did make notes about the tooth or not - and if they did, would they tell you? I'm just a suspicious person... too much TV, I guess!

Hang in there LilMisfit - I hope it goes well for you! (((HUGS)))
 
LM, I thought about you and Tinkie again las night and remembered about a book I used to have called The Natural Cat (Or maybe my version was The New Natural Cat, same lady)

http://www.amazon.com/New-Natural-Cat-Complete-Finicky/dp/B001C2HZH6/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363648557&sr=1-3&keywords=new+natural+cat

http://www.amazon.com/The-Natural-Cat-Comprehensive-Optimum/dp/0452289750/ref=rec_dp_1

I don't know if they are the same or not.

ANyway, I wasn't sure whether to post the idea, but since you have said Tink is asymptomatic, then I will. She has some ideas I think might be good in terms of keeping Tink Healthy as long as possible. Some of her ideas I'm not on board with, so take it all with a grain of salt. But there are definitely concepts I got from the book I still use and maybe some of the vitamin therapies might be helpful.
 
bastetcat|1363648855|3408148 said:
LM, I thought about you and Tinkie again las night and remembered about a book I used to have called The Natural Cat (Or maybe my version was The New Natural Cat, same lady)

http://www.amazon.com/New-Natural-Cat-Complete-Finicky/dp/B001C2HZH6/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363648557&sr=1-3&keywords=new+natural+cat

http://www.amazon.com/The-Natural-Cat-Comprehensive-Optimum/dp/0452289750/ref=rec_dp_1

I don't know if they are the same or not.

ANyway, I wasn't sure whether to post the idea, but since you have said Tink is asymptomatic, then I will. She has some ideas I think might be good in terms of keeping Tink Healthy as long as possible. Some of her ideas I'm not on board with, so take it all with a grain of salt. But there are definitely concepts I got from the book I still use and maybe some of the vitamin therapies might be helpful.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the links. I will definitely consider one of these.
 
I'm happy Tinkie will see the oncologist on Wednesday morning and that you can have some concrete answers. I have to say, though, I found $1000 to be excessive to exctract a rotten tooth. That certainly would have stung the pocket book. Two of my cats had dentals in the last year and this was the cost:
Blood work, Anesthesia, IV Cath, Clean/Polish =$220.00
Additional Cost for extractions:
Extraction -$7.00
Difficult Extraction- $20.00

Luckily, neither had to have extractions, but their teeth and gums are nice and healthy. Perhaps you could pay a visit to the Chicago Pet Clinic in the future to see Dr. Andy. He is great with cats and actually affordable.
 
LAJennifer|1363672099|3408441 said:
I'm happy Tinkie will see the oncologist on Wednesday morning and that you can have some concrete answers. I have to say, though, I found $1000 to be excessive to exctract a rotten tooth. That certainly would have stung the pocket book. Two of my cats had dentals in the last year and this was the cost:
Blood work, Anesthesia, IV Cath, Clean/Polish =$220.00
Additional Cost for extractions:
Extraction -$7.00
Difficult Extraction- $20.00

Luckily, neither had to have extractions, but their teeth and gums are nice and healthy. Perhaps you could pay a visit to the Chicago Pet Clinic in the future to see Dr. Andy. He is great with cats and actually affordable.
Click to expand...


Thanks Jennifer.

We were quoted the following from the Cat Hospital of Chicago for Tinkie's oral surgery:

Oral Assessment/Treatment Plan Level ll
In-hospital eval: $36.50
Analgesia/Sedation Level 4: $45.50
V Cath/Fluids Set-Up w/Pump-Sx: $88.00
Anesthesia Induction: $15.50
IV Fluids Intra-Operative: $15.50
Ultrasonic Clean/Polish II: $56.00
Dental Anesthesia & Monitoring 45 min: $61.00
Intra-op Blood Pressure per 30 min: $41.00 (low) - $82.00 (high)
Inj Analgesic/BPMaintainence (Intra-Op): $13.50 (low) - $27.00 (high)
Dobutamine CRI: $0 (low) - $25.50 (high)
Dental X-Ray Full Mouth: $99.00
Local Oral Regional Nerve Block: $13.59 (low) - $27.00 (high)
Dental Anesthesia & Monitoring add15min: $53.00 (low) - $106.00 (high)
Surgical Extraction of Teeth - Level 2: $91.00
Dental X-Ray Post Extraction: $12.50 (low) - $25.00 (high)
n Hospital Slow Release Analgesic: $0 (low) - $66.00 (high)
Cold Laser Therapy - Oral Extraction(s): $13.50 (low) - $27.00 (high)
Inj Metacam: $0 (low) - $28.50 (high)
Hospitalization / Surgery Day: $11.50
TGH Analgesics: $0 (low) - $55.00 (high)
TGH Antibiotics: $0 (low) - $60.00 (high)
Proactive Dental Care Reward: - $35.00 (this is a discount, thankfully!)
Histopathology 1-2 sites -Marshfield: $208.95
TOTAL: $865.95 (low) - $1247.95 (high)


We ended up paying $1081.05 :eek:
 
Lil Misfit|1363734857|3409036 said:
LAJennifer|1363672099|3408441 said:
I'm happy Tinkie will see the oncologist on Wednesday morning and that you can have some concrete answers. I have to say, though, I found $1000 to be excessive to exctract a rotten tooth. That certainly would have stung the pocket book. Two of my cats had dentals in the last year and this was the cost:
Blood work, Anesthesia, IV Cath, Clean/Polish =$220.00
Additional Cost for extractions:
Extraction -$7.00
Difficult Extraction- $20.00

Luckily, neither had to have extractions, but their teeth and gums are nice and healthy. Perhaps you could pay a visit to the Chicago Pet Clinic in the future to see Dr. Andy. He is great with cats and actually affordable.
Click to expand...


Thanks Jennifer.

We were quoted the following from the Cat Hospital of Chicago for Tinkie's oral surgery:

Oral Assessment/Treatment Plan Level ll
In-hospital eval: $36.50
Analgesia/Sedation Level 4: $45.50
V Cath/Fluids Set-Up w/Pump-Sx: $88.00
Anesthesia Induction: $15.50
IV Fluids Intra-Operative: $15.50
Ultrasonic Clean/Polish II: $56.00
Dental Anesthesia & Monitoring 45 min: $61.00
Intra-op Blood Pressure per 30 min: $41.00 (low) - $82.00 (high)
Inj Analgesic/BPMaintainence (Intra-Op): $13.50 (low) - $27.00 (high)
Dobutamine CRI: $0 (low) - $25.50 (high)
Dental X-Ray Full Mouth: $99.00
Local Oral Regional Nerve Block: $13.59 (low) - $27.00 (high)
Dental Anesthesia & Monitoring add15min: $53.00 (low) - $106.00 (high)
Surgical Extraction of Teeth - Level 2: $91.00
Dental X-Ray Post Extraction: $12.50 (low) - $25.00 (high)
n Hospital Slow Release Analgesic: $0 (low) - $66.00 (high)
Cold Laser Therapy - Oral Extraction(s): $13.50 (low) - $27.00 (high)
Inj Metacam: $0 (low) - $28.50 (high)
Hospitalization / Surgery Day: $11.50
TGH Analgesics: $0 (low) - $55.00 (high)
TGH Antibiotics: $0 (low) - $60.00 (high)
Proactive Dental Care Reward: - $35.00 (this is a discount, thankfully!)
Histopathology 1-2 sites -Marshfield: $208.95
TOTAL: $865.95 (low) - $1247.95 (high)


We ended up paying $1081.05 :eek:
Click to expand...

That pricing is flat out robbery. :angryfire:

I would definitely be looking for a new vet. Living in the land of outrageously high prices that is Perth (where a Coke, glass of wine, and two pastas cost DH and I just short of $70 last night), my vet charges around $350 for a full sedation tooth extraction. He rebuffed me for having abdominal surgery done on my dog somewhere else for $2700 once - said he had done open heart surgery that very day and the total cost was around $1750.

Getting a second opinion, with perhaps more reasonable prices, is a very good idea.

And please understand that an animal shelter does not have the funds to reimburse you. Their vet checks are done for thousands of animals as quickly as possible to minimize costs. They miss things. It's terrible for you to go through, but thy are undoubtedly doing the best they can with a never-ending, overwhelming, emotion-draining situation. If they had seen a rotten tooth, they would have euthanized her immediately. There are so many needy, healthy cats being found/surrendered that ANY health issue is an immediate death sentence. Our local Cat Haven euthanizes for sneezes, runny eyes, ear mites, ring worm. To me, it's a huge blessing for Tink that the tooth was undetected.
 
I am definitely going to check out Dr. Andy that Jennifer recommended. I agree that Cat Hospital is super expensive. I've kept all of my receipts for the past few years when EQ started getting sick and one of these days I'm going to (gulp!) add them up to see just how much we spent. It's a LOT.

We've always liked Cat Hospital for the simple reason that it's cats only, no dogs or other animals. It can be very stressful to a cat to hear dogs barking or smell them or other animals, especially when they're already super stressed about the situation as it is. But, I agree...we've been over paying for years, and we can't afford to keep spending that kind of money.

I am hopeful that the oncologist will have something positive for us to hold onto tomorrow. I will definitely be back to keep you all updated. And I (and DH and Tinkie) all continue to appreciate your kind words, prayers, thoughts, and dust.

JustGinger - I understand what you're saying, but the shelter we adopted her from is a no-kill shelter. I would have expected full disclosure as to what we were dealing with. Like I said earlier, I would have adopted her anyway, but I would have taken her to my vet ASAP and gotten a proper exam/diagnosis if I'd known we were dealing with dental issues or cancer. We may have been able to catch the cancer sooner that way....but who knows.
 
Good luck for tomorrow! I will be thinking good thoughts
(and sending lots of PS ***DUST*** ) for you and Tinkie!!!
 
Thanks Missy!
 
The vet at Anti-Cruelty Society finally called me back tonight and we spoke for about 30 minutes. He expressed his sympathy over our situation and really listened to my concerns. He seems concerned that her dental problems weren't identified, since she also had to have a crown removed on the other side of her mouth that wasn't affected by cancer. He said he was going to speak to the actual MD who did the exam and encouraged me to send in all the invoices for all the $$ we've spent so far. He said it's up to administration to determine if there's any compensation due to us. He did seem genuine, so I am hopeful.
 
*Dust Dust Dust* for tomorrow's appointment. Here's hoping the results were a mix up of some sort - I agree that running around like a kitten, all playful and happy certainly doesn't sound like a cat who is suffering. I'm crossing my fingers and toes for you (kitties are crossing their paws).
 
I REALLLLLLLY hope it goes well to tomorrow! A BUNCH of dust to you! And Livi and Emma wanna send dust to you too! I told them about Tinkie... And they looked like they were actually listening. Who knows... They are dogs but I feel like they knew what I was saying. So they wanna extend their doggie dust to Tinkie.
 
Keeping Tinkie (and you) in my thoughts - hoping for the best here - Hugs to all.
 
I'm entering this late but just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear about EQ and Tinkie! big hugs to you.

I know this probably doesn't help much but I think it is wonderful how you are giving Tinkie a wonderful and loving home. She could have died in the no kill shelter. Instead she is experiencing love and affection in a HOME with owners who appreciate her. I know this is so hard for you and I rue the day when I loose my own pets who mean the world to me. We are here for you!
 
You guys are amazing. Seriously. I love this forum so much. Even though I'm not as educated in diamonds, etc. as some of you, I appreciate that you all take the time to offer your love and support. I am eternally grateful. :wink2:

So....our appointment with the oncologist this morning went really well, I think. She was awesome and the look on her face and the concern in her voice upon finding out we've only had Tinkie for 3 months spoke volumes. She examined her and read over the records from the Cat Hospital. Apparently the pathologist who did the pathology report is one of the top cancer pathologists in the country, so at this point, I don't think there's any doubt that she definitely has oral cancer.

The oncologist was great. Her first response, since the pathology report was unable to differentiate the type of cancer she has, was to do a chest x-ray, to see if there was any metastasis to any other organs. Thankfully, the chest x-ray was clear. :appl:

That leads her to believe that it's localized in her mouth, and I'm thinking it's probably squamous cell carcinoma, which is the most common form of oral cancer in cats. Of course, we don't know for sure. There are no obvious lumps or bumps and she's asymptomatic otherwise, so the oncologist's next step is to get an MRI of her head. I'm a bit concerned that the cancer may have spread to her nasal cavities since she's had so much sneezing these past few weeks, but I'm going to table those concerns until we have the MRI results...which will tell us for sure just where the cancer is. As far as we know now, it's in her bottom jaw and nowhere else.

The oncologist made us an appointment for Friday morning at 9:40am to get an MRI and to meet with the surgeon. If the MRI results indicate that she is a candidate for mandibulectomy they can do the surgery right then and there. I'm a bit nervous about surgery to remove part of her jaw because my regular vet told me that "cats don't normally do well with that type of surgery like dogs do". When I told the oncologist that she said "I'm going to have to disagree" and went on to tell us that cats actually eat with their tongues, not their teeth, and she's seen cats do very well after this surgery.

Of course, I had to google this to see for myself and found this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBpQYZtXt40

This gives me hope. As much as I would hate to see her disfigured after having part of her jaw removed, I know that cats aren't vain like humans, and if it will improve her quality of life and extend her years with us, I am willing to do it.

We also talked about chemo and radiation in addition to the surgery, but again, we won't really know what we're dealing with until after the MRI. We also asked, at the advice of the oncologist, to have our regular vet run special stain tests on the tissue that was biopsied, because she said that will help a) determine what type of cancer it is, b) what treatment to do and c) the likelihood of cure/remission/recurrence of the cancer.

All in all, I'm feeling better about things. I know I won't have all the answers for a few days, but I am hopeful.

In the meantime, I wanted to post this picture. Tinkie is not a lap cat at all. She prefers to sit near me, not on me, much to my dismay. And she really doesn't hang out with DH at all. But...after coming back from her x-ray today, she snuggled up in DH's arms and didn't want to leave. It was so damn cute! :love:
russ_tinkie.jpg
 
Oh, Lil Misfit, I am so happy that your visit went as well as could be expected today and I am continuing to send you guys good luck/good health PS ***DUST***. And I will continue keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers. Here's hoping it is very localized and can be successfully treated so Tinkie can have a long and happy life!! (((Hugs))) to you and Tinkie!!
 
Thank you, Missy!
 
I forgot to mention earlier that I had an awful dream last night that there was a fire in our condo, and I was trying desperately to get all of the cats, including EQ, into their respective carriers so I could safely rescue them. I didn't care about anything else in the house except my cats, and I had all 3 cat carriers lined up on the kitchen counter. I think that this dream represents my feelings of
helplessness of the situation, not only with Tinkie, but with EQ too. I was very sad and emotionally exhausted when I woke up. ;(
 
Lil Misfit|1363819083|3409888 said:
I forgot to mention earlier that I had an awful dream last night that there was a fire in our condo, and I was trying desperately to get all of the cats, including EQ, into their respective carriers so I could safely rescue them. I didn't care about anything else in the house except my cats, and I had all 3 cat carriers lined up on the kitchen counter. I think that this dream represents my feelings of
helplessness of the situation, not only with Tinkie, but with EQ too. I was very sad and emotionally exhausted when I woke up. ;(
Click to expand...

I totally get that Lil Misfit. You poor dear. You guys have been through so much in the last year!

Little off track but fyi-
My dh and I have an escape plan in case of fire on how to get our 4 cats and safely get out. You see, our cats are not normal cats (though is there such a thing as normal cats? LOL) and they sense when we are about to get them and put them in a carrier. If I had a nickel for every time we got scratched up when we are rounding them up for a car ride, well, I'd have an awful lot of nickels!! But yes, the cats are first on our list of who/what to get in case of fire and in fact, they make up the whole list. As in, everything else gets left behind because you cannot spare a single extra moment for "stuff" if there is a fire - only for beings!!
 
Thanks, Missy.

Ya know what's weird? In the dream, the fire was in our living room, which is on the opposite side of the house as the kitchen. My jewelry is in my jewelry box in our bedroom, which is right next door to the living room. Further down the hall is the dining room, where our wedding album is held. This room is next to the kitchen, where I was, trying to get all the carriers together and gather the cats. In my dream, I actually walked into the living room amidst the fire, looking for the cats I couldn't find. I burnt the inside of my left arm. When I woke up, my left arm actually hurt/burned for a few minutes. And I briefly thought about grabbing our wedding album, but never once considered grabbing my jewely box...weird.
 
Lil Misfit|1363821152|3409910 said:
Thanks, Missy.

Ya know what's weird? In the dream, the fire was in our living room, which is on the opposite side of the house as the kitchen. My jewelry is in my jewelry box in our bedroom, which is right next door to the living room. Further down the hall is the dining room, where our wedding album is held. This room is next to the kitchen, where I was, trying to get all the carriers together and gather the cats. In my dream, I actually walked into the living room amidst the fire, looking for the cats I couldn't find. I burnt the inside of my left arm. When I woke up, my left arm actually hurt/burned for a few minutes. And I briefly thought about grabbing our wedding album, but never once considered grabbing my jewely box...weird.
Click to expand...

Not weird at all- you're a smart woman! Even in your dreams!! :appl:
 
I hope the MRI and other tests show her as a good candidate for the surgery. It sounds like you are working with a wonderful team of vets!

Ahhhhh!!!!
I love the picture! Kitty snuggles! Tinkie knows where she is safe :))
 
Oh I am just loving that picture...

And so glad to hear that there seems to be hope/good news for Tinkie!
 
LM- Thanks for posting the update on Tinkie! I'm so glad she seems like a good candidate for surgery!
 
Thanks for the update LM, so glad you took her for a second opinion! I have everything crossed that Tinkie is a good candidate for surgery - big hugs to you and hang in there.

And what a sweet picture! :love:
 
Aw... that pic of Tinkie with your DH is sooo moving --- what a special moment captured in time. She looks VERY happy to be held and secure. I feel all weepy looking at that and reading the update.

I hope it goes well from here forward - as well as things can go. And I guess, if you get compensation back that would be wonderful, but the bottom line is that she is here with you and you are loving her to bits. What a perfect way to leave this mortal world - loved!
 
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