This is an update since I promised to keep people informed.
So today for me started early – at 5:30 AM. I did laundry and a more or less normal routine to keep him from becoming suspicious. Keeping the cat carrier upended in the living room seemed to have had its intended surprise effect. I picked Twister up lovingly and he was licking my face when I dropped him unceremoniously into the carrier and closed the prison bars in less than a second. Bad, evil dad!
Of course the moaning started immediately.
I got him to the vet on time and the doctor was very nice. Actually one of those rare types who seems more concerned about your animal than whatever distractions are going on or the size of your wallet.
Surgery of this nature, I was a bit surprised to learn, is an all day affair. I expected wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am when it comes to kitty surgery, but this was a bit different, and I was told I wouldn’t be able to pick him up until after he had gone through recovery from general anesthesia.
I had wanted to be there for his surgery but I would just have been in the way, so I went home.
The vet called me after they had put him under general anesthesia and before beginning surgery. More bad news. He had a massive dental infection and so both his canines and another couple of teeth would have to be removed. Twister must be a hero at hiding pain because he must have been in a great deal of it with the tooth infection he had and I had no clue whatsoever. The doctor also said that his breath smelled bad, and to tell the truth I had thought little of it, expecting bad breath from animals and also being a smoker having a somewhat dulled sense of smell.
3:30 or so .. the call comes in. Surgery went well. But what had to be done to get the lump and all surrounding tissue removed was a bit radical. He has an incision running almost half way around his body at the midsection.
The vet says he is still unsure. This was no cyst, but did not look like a typical sarcoma cancer either — vet says the matter the lump contained appeared “unusual” to him and the other vet already said it contained abnormal cells. The lump was well encapsulated and didn’t appear to be spreading any “tendrils” out. Just to be safe, the doctor removed as much surrounding tissue as was safe and “closed the margins”. We will have to wait for the pathologists’ report to see what this actually is.
After 6:30 I got him home. He is very unhappy and disoriented. He keeps licking his chops, which I understand because his mouth feels different with those missing teeth. I have special soft hypoallergenic cat food to feed him. I had to take the carrier apart to get him out of there, because I want to be gentle with him.
I had hoped he would rest, but after being in his bed for all of three minutes he starts wandering around. The cone, he hates. And I am horrified, a bit, by the size and extent of the incision and the stitches.
At first, he seemed to be like a massively drunk person trying to walk. He couldn’t take two steps without falling over. My friends who knows cats says that is just the side effect of the pain and surgery. And it seems to be true. Several hours later he is walking better, although to Twister The Cone is the Bane of His Existence. He is still falling over but a bit surer on his feet now than before.
Somehow, just before I was to give him his first meds, he had gotten under the bed (how he did this, I am not sure, because the cone would block him at his first attempts) and got The Cone off.
He had decided for about two hours that He Hates Dad and Wants Him To Die, but has slowly mellowed out over the evening. He finally let me touch him enough to carry him into the living room, grab him by the scruff of the neck, and do the oral squirt medications. Yet Another Betrayal by the Bad Dad who is Torturing Helpless Kitty for No Reason Whatsoever.
He is still unhappy and disoriented, and the Cone is Still the Bane of His Existence, but I am hopeful that he will forgive Bad Dad his transgressions and not get The Cone off too many times.
However, when it comes to getting things off his neck, Twister is diabolically clever.
Thanks for everyone’s good wishes. It was a very bad day for Twister, but hopefully better days are ahead.
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is right: when they come out of anaesthesia (sp?), they walk like they’re drunk. After major surgery, he may not be very playful for a few days: he’ll probably want to sleep a lot.
And I’m sure The Evil Cone will annoy the shit out of him.
But I’m SO glad that the doctors did a thorough job of removing the tumor.
My fire-escape kitty (King Tut) has been away for about 24 hours now; I hope he’s okay. He seems to know to check traffic before crossing the street…and seems to know a bunch of warm places to hide…so I think he’s okay somewhere. But I did expect him to be waiting for me when I got home from work. The poor guy’s gotta be hungry by now (unless he raided some particularly delicious trash cans).
at how quickly he will recover. One of my cats had part of his colon removed, with an incison down the whole length of his belly, and within a few days he was running around the house as if nothing has happened!
Another cat had ALL his teeth removed at once because of an infection. When I brought him home, he went right to his food dish and started eating! Cats can do very well with no teeth at all, and having a mouth free of infection will make him feel so much better.
Did your vet give you pain meds for Twister? I hope so. But even after major surgery, our cats have only needed the pain meds for about 48 hours. They are amazingly resilient creatures.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery for him, and for some well-deserved rest for you. Thanks so much for the update!
I still have scars from a cat I had to medicate. I sure hope the results are good and things turn out fine. I’ve gone both routes. Too expensive and uncertain, just put them down. Felt guilty for years. Next pets, we tried and still had to put them down. Felt guilty for putting them through the pain of surgery and then putting them down. (Yes, I’m an ex-catholic). In hindsight, the best we can do is the best we can do. Your kitty understands.
Once, when one of ours was recovering from injury, we got him a special warm fuzzy bed and he practically lived in it for a week or more. After he got all better, he would have nothing to do with it!!
man I hate those guilt feelings! But you’re doing all the right things, he’ll forgive you! hang in there!
after the surgery, it seems, so you’re seeing the recovery period that most pet owners wouldn’t see if the cat was at the vet’s for a few days. Twister will forgive and forget all of this, and you’re the best nurse he could have!
If Twister doesn’t eat or drink today, you may want to check with the vet to see if you can remove the collar to encourage him to eat. Also, the vet can give him subcutaneous fluids if needed to keep him hydrated.
There’s a canned cat food called Hills A/D that is available only from vets, and it’s loaded with nutrients and cats can’t resist it. My vet calls it “cat candy.” It might be something to ask the vet about.
Sending good wishes to you both. Drop me an email if I can be of any help/support!
days, one a 17-year old who had been quite ill, the other a 4-year old, suddenly and unexpectedly. We’re pulling for you guys from here in N.C.
he’ll pull through, cause he sounds pretty tough.
and you’ll be okay too . . .
good luck Andy.
btw, I was born in Denver. never lived there (grew up in NY), and the only time I ever visited Colorado was many years later. Spent a week in Durango, which i really liked.
I hope the lab results come back clean. cats are surprisingly tough. he’ll get used to the cone. just pamper him a bit, and follow whatever instructions the vet gave you.