Some PIctures

FUN CAT FACT!!!

The American cat population reached nearly 68 million in 1996. American Demographics magazine estimates that's about 200 million kitty yawns per hour and a whopping 425 million catnaps each day!

Sorry bloggites, Ive been neglecting you

Apologies to all who have been wondering and perhaps worrying about me. I am still doing alright, I just let time get away from me. Mom had been busy with her sister in town whom I haven't seen in a while; since we lived in Kentucky. And work is that ever present being sucking away time from blogging. And sun bathing! And she doesn't let me blog unless she's there. Someone should tell her I'm nearly ten which makes me nearly twice as old as her in my human years!

I had a few more appointments at the vet as of late. A couple of weeks ago they did the more extensive examination where they took a urine sample and did a broader blood panel. Everything came back looking good and we are waiting on the blood work from yesterday, but I imagine all is well.

All this is to assess the reaction I may or may not have from the Palladia. The main reaction that I have not had which we were hoping for of course is that it would cause my tumor to shrink. It has not.

It has not and rather has continued to grow just a little bit each week. I have now gotten the urge to scratch at it with my back claws. And now I have made a sizable scab. It bleeds sometimes. Sometimes mom tries to put a band-aid over it but as soon as she comes home, guess who's rubbed that band-aid off... at least half way.

Today mom ordered some soft paws which are little vinyl caps that can be glued on the ends of my nails so that they have blunt edges that can't scratch. They are pink!

We'll let you know how those go over!

FUN CAT FACT!!!

Ailurophilia is the "love of cats." Are you an ailurophiliac? I am!!

Dictionary.com also had this to say about it:

an abnormal fondness for cats.

To that I say....so?

Missed an Appointment!

Due to some car trouble, we missed our last appointment. I can't say I'm disappointed. This visit was supposed to be a big one, them running more tests than normal, yuck!

But it will just be moved to this Friday.

I still get to enjoy the 4th of July and welcome mom's sister who is in town for the next ten days. Mom's says since the weather is nice we will go on more kitty walks like we did back in February when it was last nice in Seattle!

Hope you enjoy these pics from said walking. Or rather me standing and looking around and then attempting to run into the nearest bush. I never could quite fool them enough to let me go in there.

Oh yeah, last time I went into the vet, dad thought I would benefit from kitty morphine. I guess it's nice for the times that I am scratching at my face a lot or get all worked up from having to take my medicine. I look pretty dopey after I take it, but I haven't a care in the world at that point!

FUN CAT FACT!!

Did you know that Venus likes to sleep under the covers? That's right, she makes a weird noise when she wants in and noses at them. If you're sleeping, she'll tap you on the shoulder so you can lift up the blanket for her!

"Feline" Fine

Just because I have cancer doesn't mean that I am not the same cat I always was. Sure I sleep a lot, but maybe not more than usual, maybe a little bit more. I'm feeling a little skinnier these days, but my appetite for kibble has been pretty good all things considered. I am missing all the teeth on my left side you know. Mom has been treating me to dumping the kibble out on the couch so that I can eat where I sit.

Some may call that lazy, I say they're jealous...

My tumor has really been bothering me lately. I was hoping the fact that I got my stitches removed last week that I would be more comfortable. Well I say you try having a lump on your face that you can see with your own eye! It's hard to resist the temptation to extend my hind quarter around to my face and scratch away. Impossible even.

Mom catches me and asks me to stop, I have to abide.

Yesterday was a big day sort of, I felt a little frisky for the first time in a while. To be fair, I have never been a very playful kitty. I will always willing to come and sit on your lap before I will bat around a fake mouse. Please, I'm too good for all that, even laser pointers.

Anyway, Mom and Dad got a wild hair and decided that the crappy couch that Mom has had for almost five years had to go. Now you can't just dump a couch. I mean I guess you can, but it's sketchy and wrong. Dad said they could take it apart and throw out the pieces. So they did, or rather Dad did. I was enthralled about the whole process. I wasn't even scared when the hammer was making all that noise. I crawled all around the mess. At some point the wiring underneath made this perfect kitty tunnel. I felt like a kitten again!

I'm still on my Palladia. I think everyone has a different opinion as to its effectiveness as far as my tumor being larger or smaller. All I know is that it isn't gone and that's what would make me happy.

My supplement for my, er, um.. eh-hem; defecation, doesn't seem to be working all that well. Although mom hasn't been giving it to me as often as they said to. She has to open up my mouth and force it in, so I think that's why she hasn't been and not to mention it's possibility of giving me diarrhea...

For now I lay sleeping on Dad's dresser on top of a pile of clothes. I had a nice day sleeping on the bed with the windows open and the sun on my fur. Tomorrow I go to the vet again, but I don't know that yet!

FUN CAT FACT!!

The papillae, or hooks on a cat's tongue, have a characteristic arrangement depending on its species. They also compensate for the lack of grinding molar teeth.

Fridays at the VCA

Whew! It's been a week since my last post. I guess I've been busy catching up on my beauty sleep. I had another appointment yesterday at the vet, a weekly routine for me lately.

We got results for last appointment's blood work and all is well. We actually got the blood work already from yesterday and my white and red blood cell counts are all within the normal ranges. So I continue with the Palladia.

I did drop a little weight from last week. I weighed almost 8 pounds and now I'm down to about 7.6. I guess I'll have to eat a little more fancy feast!

On another note, mom mentioned to the doctor that my stool hasn't been frequent enough for her liking and that it looks dehydrated. So nice for her to rat on my because now I have to take another medicine. This one is some kind of liquid that is similar to castor oil. Mom wonders if they did not just give her castor oil and charge her $15 for it. Mom's always suspicious that way...

I have to take this twice a day and it has to be given in my mouth and not mixed in my food. BOO!! It's sticky when it's dry, I should know, I have gotten it all over my coat twice now.

So total, I have to take two things twice daily,one thing once daily, and one thing every other day. I feel very old typing all that out!

But my spirits remain strong. I might be sleeping a little longer, I might be a little more restless, but I refuse to be jaded. I am a little purr box as usual and I sleep curled in mom's arms every night.

FUN CAT FACT!!

The reason why cats rub their faces and tails against objects, including pet owners, is the fact that they are leaving traces of their own scent as territorial markers.

My second visit to VCA

I had some follow up blood work done yesterday at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Seattle, which is also called VCA. Until right now, I didn't question as why that is their acronym, now I am...

We get the result from that in a few days. We met the new doctor who will be in charge of my treatment, protocols and so forth. He seems nice, but he's still a doctor telling me things are wrong with me. He explained a little bit about what radiation might look like if that is an option for me. It sounds horrible.

I'm glad I really don't realize what's going on besides the fact that I have to go to the doctor all the time. I've been acting just as sweet as ever. I have lots of purring and rubbing to share with mom and dad. That's just how I roll!

Kitty Adoption Event!!

check it out, adoption event in capitol hill!

FUN CAT FACT!!

The claws of a cat are actually properly termed protractible as opposed to retractable. This is because muscles are required to stick them out, but they pull back automatically.

Biopsy

The man from the vet called a couple of days ago to tell us about the biopsy results. He confirmed that the cells looked like cancer and that it was a sarcoma. He said they couldn't determine for certain the type of sarcoma because the cells looked so abnormal. Because they are so abnormal, he felt like it was a bad sign as far as its aggressiveness.

I slept in a chair away from mom and dad the night we found out. That is totally unlike me. I also had to take another Palladia, that night so I was really feeling out of sorts.

The doctor was supposed to call and tell us that they were mistaken all along, that it was just an abscess or an infection or just a bump on the snout that would go away on its own.

But no, confirmation cancer is in the air.

We go back to the doctor today for our first blood work check up. We will be seeing a new doctor today because the other one is transferring to open her own practice. I hope he's nice.

I did sleep with mom and dad last night, though it took me awhile. I came in the middle of the night all sneaky style. Mom was having bad dreams, she needed me. She felt better when she woke up and found me there.

I wish I could wake up from this bad dream.

FUN CAT FACT!!

Cats have large pupils to let in as much light as possible at night. A pet cat's eyes are only slightly smaller than ours, yet it can see six times better than a human in the dark.---Kitty! Show me to the bathroom!

Itchy and Scratchy

I am officially ready to have these stitches out of my face! They are bothering me and I think the fact that my incision site is scabby is making me itchy as well. Last night as I sat on mom's pillow, I sneakily fussed with them. I pretended I was just cleaning myself, but really I was trying to loosen those darn stitches so they might fall out of my face!

They caught me, and I was asked to stop doing that.

Tomorrow is another day for Palladia. I'm not sure if we've seen any shrinkage in the tumor, but mom and dad think maybe a little bit. I hope so. It makes my mouth feel funny to where I feel the need to lick my chops a lot and rub my paw against the area. But at least the fancy feast is a flowin'!

FUN CAT FACT!!

The term "cats" is sometimes applied to people with a noticeably laid back or relaxed attitude, such as jazz musicians, who almost mimic the coolness of real cats. HA!

Down the Hatch!-Second Dose of Palladia

Last night I had to take my next dosing of Palladia. Boy I hate having someone open my mouth and force a pill down it! I eat my other pills just fine since they are hidden in my cat treats, but this one I have to swallow. I know when the gloves come out it's time for unhappy kitty action.

I went to my cat perch and sat for a while after that, gotta teach mom and dad a lesson you know. But then I forgot about it and headed back over to the bed where I slept some under the covers and some on top of mom's head.

I got a whole case of Fancy Feast last night! 24 cans of pure delight. I think mom has given up on trying to buy me that natural organic kitty stuff from Mud Bay. Sometimes you just need the comfort food.

FUN CAT FACT!!

Amazingly, a kitten from Switzerland once managed to follow a group of climbers right to the summit of the Matterhorn in the Alps at 14,691 ft in 1950. Go kitty!

My first Palladia

It's been a day since I had my first Palladia, the experimental chemotherapy drug that we are trying out to help my cancer. First off, I just want to say that I do not like taking pills. They gave us some of those pill pockets that cats and dogs are supposed to be crazy over, but guess what? I'm not into them. But you're also talking to the cat that won't eat fresh seafood. Mom used to bring me pieces of Salmon and Halibut home when she worked at a restaurant and I turned my nose up at it! I likes what I likes, I can't help it.

Anyway, I took my other meds pretty well. Mom figured out that if she put the pill in a piece of the pill pocket and then fused it to a feline greenie (a delicious green cat treat that is good for dental health and for some reason I like) then I would eat it. She thinks she's so slick... I guess she is, because I ate it without a hitch. The Palladia is a different story. The other pills I only have to take 1/4 of, this one I have to take the whole thing.

That one they decided they would have to force feed me. BOO! They tag team me; one of them holds me and opens my mouth and the other puts the pill in there and then they close my mouth and massage my throat so I swallow it. The whole thing is a nightmare for me, but I understand they have to do it. I don't even hold a grudge and am ready to for purring right after. Gloves have to be worn when handling the Palladia. I wish I didn't have to eat it even more knowing that!

I have to take another one tonight, it's an every other night medication. I think I feel fine, no nausea or problems with my bowels, but it's only day one. We'll see how I feel in a couple of days. My incision from my biopsy is crusting over, so hopefully it won't be too much longer before these stitches dissolve. I want to be ready for my close up Mr. DeMille!

FUN CAT FACT!!

The largest litters have been recorded in domestic breeds of cats. Burmese and Siamese cats can give birth to as many as 15 kittens in a single litter.

Cat-ching up on yesterday

So, yesterday was a pretty big day for me. We knew this day was coming for 2 weeks and not one of us was looking forward to it. Yesterday was the day I had my appointment with the specialist. We started at 10 am and I didn't get to go home until nearly 7 pm!

We went back into a room pretty quick. First I got weighed and all should be proud to know that I gained back some weight! I was 7lb 2oz two weeks ago, down one pound, and yesterday I weighed 7lb 15oz!

I had to have a lot of stuff done to me : ( They took my temperature, tested my blood, took chest x-rays, and did another biopsy. This time I had to go to sleep so they could get a bigger sample from my tumor. They said that would allow them to understand more about what type of cancer it is and how fast it's growing.

Mom and Dad left for a bit while I had my mini surgery and when they came back I looked a little different. I had a hot pink bandage on my front leg from where they had put an IV and stitches in my face. Even so, I looked pretty adorable.

They sent us home with some medication and instructions for the next little bit. I am going to be taking an experimental drug called Palladia. It has been used for dogs, but they had used it in smaller dosages in some cats, four to be exact with this particular doctor. They all had really good results, some having their tumor nearly disappear (in appearance) in the first week! I have to take it every other day and I also have to take some anti-nausea pills and pepcid ac everyday. Once a week I go back to get blood work done to make sure this experimental drug is working OK for me and not hurting me.

Mom is going to call the radiation therapy place on Monday to schedule an appointment for me. There is only one machine right now in the Seattle area because the other one is down and it has apparently caused a back up in appointments. It probably won't be for another 4-6 weeks, that's why we're calling now. I might not even have to go if the Palladia works well.

So that's where we are right now. It still doesn't feel like cancer, I'm in the great mood that I always am. Here's to things staying that way!

FUN CAT FACT!!

The domestication of cats is estimated to have begun some 9,000 years ago. They were probably useful to early farmers for catching vermin such as mice.

Are you there world? It's me, Venus

Hello all, this is Venus and I am a cat. I enjoy sleeping, sun bathing, napping, talking, walking, and sometimes batting around fake mice. My birthday is coming up at the end of the year. I'm going to be 10. Or at least I hope. You see, two weeks ago today I got some disturbing news. I have a malignant tumor.

I hadn't really noticed anything different. I mean I sleep all the time, I am a cat after all, but I felt fine. Mom and Dad took me in for a health exam about six weeks ago and except for having some missing teeth, all seemed normal.

A month later Mom notices a lump on the left side of my face. I thought maybe I just ran into something. I'm a cat, but I can be clumsy too. Dad brought me to the vet the next day. They stuck a needle in my face and told me I had lost a pound since I was last there.

The next day the results came back with less than desirable news. How could I have cancer? I'm in my prime and I feel just fine. One day everything is normal and the next I''m off to the vet getting poked and prodded. Mom and Dad are my best friends. We all hang out all the time. How can I ever plan on leaving them, much less anytime soon?

We went to a specialist today, someone who can tell us more about my problem. I want to share all about it, but I have had a rough day, so I think it's time for a cat nap. Until then, think positive thoughts for me. I'm not through purring and loving up everyone who meets me!