<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 5.50.4522.1800" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>The crisis part is over so I can talk
about this now.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>Wednesday A.M. </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>A 3 day ordeal of my oldest cat, Charlie
Cat, 17 years young, fussing with his bad ear that had the tumor in it got much
worse. He started hissing and growling because it was bothering him so bad. I've
known of this tumor for some time. It is malignant but the vet said because of
his age to just keep an eye on it and if it got to bothering him too much to
bring him in. Well, it was obviously at that point.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>I bundled him up in his carrier and took
him in. I was sure I was coming home with a dead cat in that carrier.
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>Once there, I was confronted with 3
options. </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>1. Do nothing, take him home and watch
him suffer and die slowly. (I know. Not much of an
option.)</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>2. Say goodbye and put him down there and
then.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>3. Excise the tumor and try to give him
some relief and a few more good months or years.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>Needless to say, the last option was
quite expensive. But he had not lost interest in his food. He was bright eyed
and curious. He didn't have a fever. And this cancer seemed to be fairly slow
growing altho' we don't know yet if it has metatastized. So we opted for the 3rd
option. After all, its just money.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>There was some question as to his
suitablity for surgery. The first hurdle was the "senior screen" where his liver
and kidney function was checked. Those seemed positive so we proceeded with the
surgery.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>The second hurdle was the surgery itself.
At 17 years young, Charlie Cat had a better than average chance of not waking up
from the anethesia. But he did ok. No seisures and woke up like a "trooper" the
vet said. The tumor was bigger than my thumb and had grown a "leg" down into his
ear canal. That "leg" was what had been giving him all the pain and pressure. It
was pretty frightening to see. </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>The vet said he had to do quite a bit of
"damage" to the ear to get it. He also said he know he didn't get all of it as
he could see where it had spread under the skin. He said that to try to
get all of it he would have had to do too much damage to Charlie's head and
possibly even to have removed skin down to the bone. He chose to only remove
enough to give him some relief for now. There is a chance that because it is
cancer, the wound may heal very slowly or possibly not at all.
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>We discussed chemo and radiation but
Charlie Cat would have to go away to a University, probably Texas A&M and
he's not a good candidate being so old. So we decided not to have a pathology
done on the tumor. We can see it is malignant. That knowledge we have had for
some time. A Path report would only tell us how fast this tumor might grow again
or if it is the type that will metatastize. </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>He will be staying with the vet for the
next 5 days to stay on IV antibiotics/pain meds and to be observed for
complications. I got to see him last night about 12 hours after the surgery. I
had expected just a nub to his ear but other than the red bloody wound inside,
his ear looked pretty normal. He was very alert and curious about the room. He
purred and tried to rub his head against me but the "cone" they had his head
encased in wouldn't let him. He was pretty frustrated with that "cone".
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>He did still look pretty drugged up as
his eyes were just all pupil. But he knew me and the technicians caring for him
said they were renaming him "Charlie Chow-hound" because ever<FONT size=3>y time
</FONT><FONT size=2>they would take the "cone" off to clean it from the drainage
from his ear, he had his face in the bowl "chowing down". All this is very good.
I hope to get to see him again in a little while this
morning.</FONT></FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>The hard part will begin Monday when I go
pick him up and bring him home. I don't know at this time how long he will wear
the "cone". Nor do I know if he will still be on pain meds or not. And of
course, I do not know how fast this cancer will kill
him.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>I am asking that each of you who read
this, in your own way, to ask for healing and comfort for my old cat and courage
for myself. I may be absent from certain meetings because I may have to stay
home to care for him. I ask that you all understand if I can not be with you. It
is all up in the air at the moment.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>Thanks for
listening.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Papyrus size=2>Annes</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Papyrus size=2><STRONG>Dear God, Help me to be the
person<BR>my dog thinks I am. Amen</STRONG></FONT></DIV><!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| --></BODY></HTML>