13 week old kitten 13 year old cat

[Hellenww]

My 2 kitten, Leo & Luna, turned 1 this week. I got them at 6mts. Sqeeker is 14yrs and only 6lb when I got the twins. I got them from a rescue and they were in foster with their Mom and sibs.

Leo is now 13.5lb and Sqeeker is 7lb. Leo gets overexcited at meal time. As soon as Sqeek jumps on him Leo lays down and calms down. It amazes me every time.

Here's a pic or dinner time discipline. The 3 of them will sleep near each other and cuddle if I turn the heat down. The other pic is the 2 headed monster (twins)

 

[Furrywurrypurry]

Hellenww you have 3 absolute beauties!!!!
It’s incredible isn’t it, the dynamic between them, how amazing the respect that Leo shows his elder despite that he is now almost twice as heavy.

How were they together when they were first introduced, did it all go relatively smoothly?

Honestly the wealth of information on this site and the different experiences people share of their cats is so invaluable.

 

[Alldara]

Alldara i think if the neutering takes even the slightest edge off him then we will have a pretty harmonious household, yes he’s a typical crazy kitten but as kittens go and from some of peoples stories I’ve read on here, he’s a good kid.

i was intrigued watching him watch her eat too, he was the stillest I’ve seen him when he’s not sleeping haha. He also does the heavy blink when I stroke precious, only when he’s not at full speed mind, but I still take that as a positive. He isn’t blinking at me but at the motion of my hand on her.
Even if precious doesn’t enjoy the roughness at times I’m still convinced he’s brought her a new lease of life, she became very sedentary when Smeagol got sick, he slept a lot and she kinda followed suit, I had assumed it was just age but she spends way more time awake now and gets around the house a lot more after spending the majority of her time in the bedroom when Sme was sick.

We found Nobel got significantly more active and playful again once we got Magnus. I hadn't seen him play with another cat in years (since we lived with Minou and we lived with many other cats afterwards). He also started doing some things again that he stopped doing. Magnus really made Nobel's last couple of years a joy for him.

 

[Furrywurrypurry]

Alldara thanks for this response again it’s so hugely appreciated.

It hasn’t been a good week but not for the reasons related to this thread. Their relationship is progressing well but that’s another story.
The day after my last post I found a lump in precious neck, near her windpipe, it’s not insignificant in size. I thought perhaps an enlarged gland as I hadn’t felt it before but I called the vet within the hour and got the next appointment, on examination, they went deep into the tissue and estimated it’s the size of a lime. We ruled out hypo?hyper?thyroidism right away by bloods and they wanted to do conservative antibiotics plus anti inflammatories for a week, I agreed to begin her on them but wanted to push ahead with non conservative ultrasound and biopsy given I’ve been through this so recently and how aggressive his tumour was, I don’t want to be waste time. Today we had the ultrasound and biopsy under sedation. They know the ultrasound verdict but won’t tell me anything because they have to send the biopsy away and they want the full picture, I appreciate that but I’m now stuck here waiting til next week for any information. I’m by no means a pessimist but I know it doesn’t look good, a hard immovable mass in that location, and I may be imagining it but I feel I can see it even more in just a few days.

I didn’t want to start a new thread about health etc, but still wanted to say something as I’ve been sharing our journey.

I let precious choose her own place to go when she came home from the vet, which was initially the living room, she was sat behind the curtain not speaking to me to begin with but now she has eaten and gone to our bedroom and I’ve closed that door and brought Gollum out to play and am sat here trying my best to hold it together and wear him out so that I can go be with her if she wants me to.
It’s the first time since he arrived that I’ve felt the need to try and be in two places at once. And feeling like I’m failing at being in any place at all because I’m not fully ‘there’
And I’m also feeling incredibly guilty for not discovering this sooner. I’ve been too involved with my own grief of losing my boy and then a new kitten introduction to discover this lump sooner, she’s never been a cat you can pick up and really love on but occasionally she will she will rub her face on your hand and then fall on to her side for a good head and body rub, that’s how I found it.

 

[Hellenww]

I'm so sorry for you and Precious. Do not blame your self. Cats are good at hiding any kind of discomfort and you said it appears to be growing fast.

Wear him out and give him the hugs and kisses she's not comfortable with. I've found some of my cuddle cats were even willing to take the tears. Take in some of his joy if you can and bring it to her. He'll be ok alone for part of the time. When my Yoshi was sick all I wanted to do was be next to him, he was a cuddler but wanted time to himself sometimes. Taking care of yourself is one of the best things you can do for all of you right now.

 

[Furrywurrypurry]

Hellenww thank you so much for your kind words. It’s so difficult to not feel guilt, I’ve been consumed with grief, not eating, not sleeping, and then I’ve inflicted a kitten on her.
but from the bottom of my heart she’s seemed so alive, so vital, so much more interested in life since he arrived, I’ve really not felt I’ve done her a disservice, but maybe I’ve been distracted, not taken enough notice of what’s going on with her. I play with her multiple times a day, I touch her multiple times per day, but mainly she’s always been comfortable with strokes down her back and flanks, I was blessed if I got to touch her chin, head or belly. And that’s how I’ve missed it. I’ve never tried to touch her in places unless she allowed because of her temperament, she would never bite or scratch, she would just withdraw and so I always stuck to her allowed places, and when she rolled on my hand at the weekend I felt it.

I will continue to give her love in the way she is comfortable with. I lost my cuddle cat, the one who would take my tears, he left me just in February. New guy is trying, he is the smallest, little terrorising love bug. He nose bumps, snuggles and nuzzles on me. I only wish he was able to keep still long enough to do it to precious.

They are still in separate rooms at night currently, precious is in our bedroom, and although she doesn’t cuddle she sits on my pillow next to my head every night whilst I go to sleep, not for long but it’s her thing. Good grief, I’m starting to cry so I’m just gonna leave this here.
Thank you for listening

 

[Alldara]

You did only have the best in mind. And we can't catch everything quickly.

Nobel only had 2 years with Magnus but he was so alive during that time. It's like he learned how to cat again.

Try to take it one day at a time until you know what's truly going on.

 

[Furrywurrypurry]

You did only have the best in mind. And we can't catch everything quickly.

Nobel only had 2 years with Magnus but he was so alive during that time. It's like he learned how to cat again.

Try to take it one day at a time until you know what's truly going on.

That’s exactly it, she has seemed so much more cat again and not the little old lady she had become when sme got sick.
She hasn’t come down to see Gollum this morning when I’ve been playing with him as she usually does, which tells me she is probably still shell shocked and sore. And so I will keep him away from her until she feels ready to be around him again.
Thank you, I’ll try to do that, my head has been going a million miles per hour, but I think it’s best for all of us if I try to put it out of my mind until the results are in.

 

[Alldara]

That’s exactly it, she has seemed so much more cat again and not the little old lady she had become when sme got sick.
She hasn’t come down to see Gollum this morning when I’ve been playing with him as she usually does, which tells me she is probably still shell shocked and sore. And so I will keep him away from her until she feels ready to be around him again.
Thank you, I’ll try to do that, my head has been going a million miles per hour, but I think it’s best for all of us if I try to put it out of my mind until the results are in.

It's something you'll feel more up to managing.

 

[Furrywurrypurry]

It's something you'll feel more up to managing.

no results as yet but then I didn’t expect it y be so quick, I’m a little concerned with the long bank holiday for Easter that it may even be next week.
Meanwhile the attached image is of precious observing Gollum play. She does this a lot, watches over him like mother hen, she looks at me concerned when I allow him to go to another room by himself and then promptly follows as if to say if you won’t keep an eye on him I will.

More and more she actively seeks to be where he is, in fact I think them not seeing one another for 2 days whilst I allowed her to recover perhaps made her more fond of him. She’s like glue with him a lot of the time, sometimes she will engage in some playful batting at him if he’s below her, others she prefers just to be in the same room as him and watch on. The very very rough play seems to be slowly reducing on his part, he seems to be better at picking up her lead when she’s not in the mood.
He hasn’t quite mastered the art of allowing her to just sleep but she does keep attempting it and she lies with half belly showing around him pretty regular which tell me she’s pretty relaxed with him despite his nonsense. Each day I see them growing a tiny bit closer and it’s wonderful.

 

[susanm9006]

Just having something new to observe can be great entertainment for an older cat.

 

[Hellenww]

When they're that little they always bounce before settling in. My big ones eventually just held them down when they had enough and wanted to sleep. Yep, the adults put up with a lot of nonsense. I guess they find them as cute as we do.

 

[Furrywurrypurry]

Just having something new to observe can be great entertainment for an older cat.

Haha yes I guess you’re right!!! It’s great entertainment for me watching them together too!!!

 

[Furrywurrypurry]

When they're that little they always bounce before settling in. My big ones eventually just held them down when they had enough and wanted to sleep. Yep, the adults put up with a lot of nonsense. I guess they find them as cute as we do.

It seems that way. This is so funny, I have heard him hit the ground a few times when he oversteps and a few days ago when you mentioned this I never believed precious was capable. Well now I believe . Haha agreed I mean how can you not find him cute

 

[Furrywurrypurry]

Results are in. Well to an extent.

it turns out the vet had to hold back from full biopsy and just perform a fine needle aspiration from two sites. Due to the location, precious began to haemorrhage with just the FNR. Location of mass is next to her windpipe on left side and is around the size of a lime according to ultrasound.
The results of the FNR indicate tumour, but not the type. Possibilities are adenoma, carcinoma and carotid tumour.
The vet has pretty much said they don’t have facilities to provide further treatment because of the potential for her to bleed out, and suggest a specialist. They said given the location of the mass that we would be required to sign a waiver to have any biopsy or surgery undertaken because of the likelihood of haemorrhage.
There are two factors at play here, cost is obviously going to be substantial as diagnostics alone have been estimated to be in the 1000s but that’s my secondary concern, my primary concern is that precious with her very delicate disposition and age that the process of just going through multiple diagnostics, I believe may take more of a toll on her health than whatever that mass is. My husband and I had already discussed that given age and location of the mass that we would likely decline surgery, and having more information hasn’t made me feel any more inclined to change my mind.

I respect that everyone has a different view but I’m not a believer in treating an animal for things like this just because we can, my focus is her and her well being and the fact that I can’t possible tell her that I’m going to put her through all this stress and pain and discomfort so that perhaps I’ll get to keep her longer. She is 13 and the vet agrees the her age and the likely aggressiveness of the lump aren’t providing the best prospects in terms of surgery.
Vet has said that if I decide not to go ahead with specialist then we would do a full blood work panel and potentially try steroids and just monitor her well being and notwithstanding metastasis, she could well go on comfortably for a substantial length of time.
I’m in a bit of a daze at the moment. I’m gonna let all the information marinade in my brain, we can’t proceed with anything til Tuesday because of the Easter holidays, so I’m going to try and take the weekend to process everything.
I am doing my very best to put my feelings and devastation to one side and focus entirely on what’s right for her. I’m inclined to think that for her that a shorter and more stress free time in this world would be preferable to more time with super high stress.
Please any thoughts and advice or anything at all anyone may have is welcomed

 

[Hellenww]

I feel for you and your family. Completely agree with and respect your decision. It's not an easy but loving one. I made the same one last summer with my Yoshi and mouth cancer.

Let Gollum's antics distract all of you and have some joy.

edit: Ask your vet for pain meds now so you have them when she needs them

edit2: you should be able to go for a quick tech appt for a blood draw less stress on her.

 

[Furrywurrypurry]

Hellenww
Thank you for the kind words and understanding. If she were younger and of a different disposition, I may choose a different course, but I feel it is what is right for her.

For pain relief, She has been on metacam since I first took her to the vets as they prescribed antibiotics and anti inflammatory on a just in case basis.
I have kept her on the metacam with the vets approval until we established where we were at, she has said to continue it until we establish if she is ok to go with steroids, thank you for the advice.

 

[Alldara]

I'm so sorry. That is difficult news for sure.

I made the same decision for my late cat Nobel. I based it on a lot of things, but much of which I wanted to prioritize quality over quantity. He didn't like us having to handle many things for him. And we tried to extrapolate the way he'd want to live his life and make a decision based on that and the vet's information.

There are those of us who will do everything down to the end, and those of us who do as I have. We all have one thing in common: our beloved pet's best interest.

 

[Furrywurrypurry]

Hellenww Alldara
I can’t thank you both enough for your responses. It’s hard not to feel like a monster when they suggest avenues you can go down but you choose not to. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one that has chosen this path. The vet in all honesty agreed with me in terms of that the specialist route wasn’t really in her best interests in terms of her age and the odds of surgery being viable or successful, but she said she had a duty to offer me the option.

I’ve booked her in for some more extensive bloods and urine next week, with a view to beginning the steroids. It feels like it was yesterday that I collected smeagol from his ultrasound with his first prescription of prednisone and a terminal diagnoses. I can’t believe I’m here again so soon. The steroids prevented his hair from regrowing properly on his abdomen where they had shaved it for the scan. He just had this bald patch with some wispy hair on when he passed, I don’t think he ever quite forgave me for letting them steal half of his fur. At least precious shaved patch it smaller and perhaps we will have more time for it to grow back. Who knows

 

[Hellenww]

It’s hard not to feel like a monster when they suggest avenues you can go down but you choose not to.

The vet has to provide all choices and ache a little no matter which path the parents choose.