Castiel had a check-up recently to look for any signs of cancer re-occurrence or any abnormalities that might signal trouble — and the doctors didn’t see anything worrisome. We can’t be 100 percent sure — and we didn’t do a CT scan because the doctors are concerned about too much radiation exposure if they were done every 3 months, but so far all indicators are good. The radiographs (taken from multiple angles) didn’t show anything and his lungs look perfectly normal. His weight is good (albeit a little fatter still than Dr. Rau would like) but his nutrition is good and she did a head to tail check and everything was normal.
Castiel has adapted well to life on three legs. He goes up and down the stairs multiple times a day for meals and to follow the sun around the house. He’s a big sunbather. I tell him he is going to turn into a tawny brown cat with all that sun bathing. With the help of some ramps and steps he can independently access all his favorite places, including the cat tree. He can get to middle levels of the tree; he can get higher – and has — but can’t get down without assistance. He meows loudly to let us know if he gets himself into a pickle. His tiger siblings continue to look out for him.
We know that the first 1.5 years is a time for careful watching for cancer reoccurrences, but we are cautiously optimistic that he will do well. We were crazy nervous taking him in for his check-up even though there were no signs of trouble. Castiel and his siblings all get fully weekly pat downs, where we diligently check for any lumps or bumps. We are hyper-conscious to any changes. That said, we are learning to relax and just enjoy life with our sweet peas. Despite worries before the surgery that his personality might change, Castiel remains the same silly, carefree parlor panther. He rolls around with his belly in the air, waits for nightly feather play with his humans, spies on wild turkeys from the cat tree, and rejoices with each Chewy delivery — cats love boxes! Just wanted to let everyone know that he is doing great and enjoying life.
