Stella is going to be 13 in September. She is a wonderful cat (as long as she isn’t with other cats). She likes the dogs when they come to visit and Bearnard and her seem to have a thing going on lately.
Sadly, we just found out that Stella has Feline lymphoma. It is affecting her gut. The feline lymphatic system is a complex network of components that transport all those life-sustaining substances throughout a cat’s body and help prevent the circulation of harmful agents. Among these components are the spleen, bone marrow, and what veterinarians call “gut-associated” lymphoid tissue, which lines the surfaces of various areas of a cat’s body and prevents its exposure to infectious agents. It mostly shows up in cats around 10-12 years old.
Dr. Sims, Stella’s Vet, said a definitive diagnosis requires a biopsy of the intestinal tract. We are not going to put little Stella through that at her age and weight (7 lbs). We are treating her at home with a steroid (prednisolone) and another drug to assist with peristalsis. The x-ray shows that she has considerable thickening of the intestinal tract. We are hoping with the medication and our love and care she could continue on for many months.
Stella does not know that she has cancer and it does not appear to hurt her much (if you don’t touch her belly).
Lymphoma is the most common cancer in cats. You can learn more about it here. Hug your furbabies a little closer tonight. They are such a gift, each and every one of them.
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tags: cancer, cat blog, cat health, cats, DogDaz, feline lymphoma, lorian lipton, Pet, pet blog
Mr. Nine crossed the rainbow bridge into the big meadow unexpectedly on March 10.
If it isn’t weird enough to have 1 pet with oral cancer (Louise has Canine Acanthomatous Ambleoblastoma which we have been dealing with for months), who would ever expect to have another pet with cancer at the same time? Though they are different oral cancers.
I did not know that oral cancer is the 4th most common cause of death in cats. Cats are stoic animals, and sadly, by the time Nine’s cancer, Feline Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, was even discovered, it was too late to treat. His jaw had disintegrated and though we tried to treat the secondary infection for over a week, we knew that he needed to be out of pain before it got out of hand for him. The growth had doubled in only a week. He didn’t want to eat and he clearly was in discomfort.
We are all in shock. Poor little Mini Cooper is lost without him. She is crying and wandering all around looking for her buddy.
There is a large hole at the DogDaz_Cats2 Zoo and in our hearts. We are keeping a light burning while he makes his journey to the big meadow over the rainbow bridge.
The vet took his paw print and made a little stone for us.
“IN THE RISING of the sun, and in it’s going down, we remember them. From the moment I wake till I fall asleep, all that I do is remember them. In the blowing of the wind and the chill of winter, we remember them. On the frigid days of winter and the moments I breathe the cold air, I warm myself with their embrace and remember them. In the opening of buds and the rebirth of spring, we remember them. As the days grow longer and the outside becomes warmer, I am more awake and I remember them.” – Hebrew remembrance
NOT Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: cancer, cancersucks, Cat People, catblog, cats, DogDaz, dogdazcats2, feline oral squamous cell carcinoma, lorian lipton, rainbow bridge
DogDaz Zoo 