Poorly Pussycat

Last Tuesday night (13th Feb) at 8pm, I was just settling down on the bed to watch Oz Clark and James May on BBC2, so my wife could see another program on TV downstairs.

I was immediately joined by one of our 2 Cats, Tiggy, who seems to always want petting whenever I'm watching TV in the bedroom.

Anyway within seconds I realised the Cat had a lump on her neck, and it was quite prominent. Our Cats are house Cats, having been De-clawed in the States, and never meet face to face, other animals.

So I picked her up and carried her downstairs, and my wife saw me coming and said "What's wrong with the Cat ?" The Cats are nearly 12 years old, I said "You need to feel her neck" and we couldn't believe how we hadn't noticed it before now, and she hadn't been behaving any differently.

The next morning, Wednesday, I'm on the phone to Moreton Hall Veterinary Centre at 08:15 and they tell me they can see the Cat if I can get there for 08:30, I'm on my way ! Teeth brushed, Car started to De-thaw the frost off it, I hastily put the two halves of the animal cage together and find the Cat to put in it. On the way the Cat miaows continuously on the backseat of the Car, and I get there at 08:25

After a short wait the Cats name is called to see the Vet. After an examination and questions asked, the Vet took the cat to another room to insert a needle to take a biopsy of the lump, before returning. "We'll look at it under a microscope, and let you know what it is, by phone, by Friday". "Okay, thank you". Tiggy walks back into her cage, with no encouragement, and we're on our way home.

Thursday afternoon, and my wife and I decide to go for a short drive to get out of the house. We've only gone 500 yards and my mobile phone rings, "You'll have to answer it wifey as I'm driving", Its the Vet "I'm afraid it is a Tumour" our worst outcome. My wife's in tears, shes had the Cats since they were 3 days old and hand fed them, after their mother abandoned them.

So we arranged to have the Tumour removed, if possible, on Wednesday morning of this week. We were told the Cat must not have anything to eat after 7pm Tuesday night, and no Water after 7am that Wednesday.

Wednesday morning we both take the Cat to the Veterinary Centre to leave it for surgery, but I then had to go to work. My wife would have to go back and collect the Cat on her own later that day at 15:30. When she collects Tiggy she is told the Tumour was growing around the Cats jugular vein, so it was impossible to remove 100% of it, and also that tests shows she is in the early stages of a renal problem that can be controlled by medication.

Tiggy is doing fine and behaving like she always has done, and has to go back and have her stitches out in 10 days time.

My Pretty Girl, not looking so pretty.

In the mean time I have to give Tiggy one and a half tablets twice a day, because my wife doesn't want the Cat to get mad with her !

No.5