Castiel, parlor panther

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.

There was a lot of things we thought wouldn’t happen with a cat with three legs and we were wrong on so many accounts.  We were afraid he’d never be able to get up the stairs. He managed that on the first day we brought him home. We thought he wouldn’t want to play anymore…nope, still happy to play feather toy, bat balls around his toy, wrestle with his adopted kid sister, and chew up catnip toys. He was our best mouser, and I expect he probably could still get a mouse, if one were dumb enough to enter a house with three cats.  I really thought he couldn’t get up on the kitchen table anymore, wrong again! I stepped away from the table to start to clear the breakfast dishes only to turn around and catch him on the table cleaning up the remnants of my waffle and eggs.  He can jump.  His landings aren’t always perfect but it doesn’t slow him down, especially when there might be butter left on a plate.

He flies off the bed and races me down the stairs in the morning to receive his breakfast.  He can’t get up on a high dresser or the top of the cat tree but short of that, he can get anywhere he wants to be. We have steps and ramps to help him, but when excited he forgets all about them. He uses them more when tired — and it is true, he does tire more easily. We have a two-story house and he will pick which floor he wants to be in more now than he used to and that is okay. And he occasionally gets frustrated when trying to get up from the bed or a blanket pile — it’s hard to get his balance, and we’ll hear what we have come to recognize as the “frustrated meow,” and well give a hand getting up.  We are just so happy to have him with us, and I know his adopted siblings “the tigers” are happy to have him too. Castiel remains the alpha cat and the caretaker of his younger siblings. And check it out, his fur has all grown back now.  We think he looks very handsome.

We do have one challenge though where we could use some guidance.  His sibling Aleksandr likes to go for walks in the backyard on his harness. Castiel would like that too. A harness is needed because our home backs up to open space and there are a lot of wild animals (coyotes, bobcats, foxes, hawks, etc.), and despite his three legs — Castiel can move fast! Are there any harnesses that are secure on a three-legged cat? He is missing a front leg.  Anyone have any ideas?

 

Merry Christmas everyone! Castiel and his siblings are having a wonderful Christmas morning. Santa brought them all lots of new toys and they had a special treat of sliced Canadian bacon with their breakfast.

I want to send a special thank you out to this group. You helped us get through one of the lowest points of our life. We were so scared and paralyzed with fear and you helped guide and support us in our decision making. There is no way to know if the cancer will return, but we are thankful today for this Christmas morning together.

Castiel is doing very well. He had a good check-up and  a nutrition consult to help us manage his weight.  (He still tries to steal his siblings food and break into cupboards!) So far, there have been no signs of any cancer return. Castiel does tire a little more easily but aside from that, he is doing well, and he is our same old silly panther.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate and best wishes for the New Year!

XOXO,

Michelle, Brian, Castiel, Aleksandr, and Clover Maeve

 

 

Castiel is so happy that his fur is finally growing back. He’s got a nice layer of black fuzz now. Castiel is doing well. He has mastered a hoppy walk. He places his front leg toward the center and splays his back legs a little wider when he walks. He can move fast. I snap the lid back on a can of Fancy Feast and the next thing I know he is right behind me. We’re amazed at how well he can jump and maneuver on the stairs. He utilizes step and ramps for going down mostly — they sure make things easier. He does seem to tire a little easier especially when playing with his siblings but short of that he is doing great.

We’re going to have a second consult about the radiation treatment but are still leaning away from it and toward close and careful monitoring. As we are not certain that his fibrosarcoma was a result of a vaccine — none of the usual markers and not in a normal vaccine spot — there is some question as to whether the radiation is needed. As we understand it, the chance that the cancer could return is 20-35 percent. If it comes back, we’re told the first 1.5 years is the especially worrying time. We have set up regular vet appointments for him for follow-up checks. Fingers crossed. Right now, he seems happy but we panic at the slightest odd behavior. I got worried today because he was hiding in the closet, then I remembered that the doorbell had rang a few minutes earlier. He is not a fan of doorbells. If he gets a fur ball, I fear it is the cancer spreading to his lungs, when in actuality it’s just him hacking up his long-haired sister’s tiger fur (he bathes her daily).  She literally sheds a rug daily. I want so much for him to stay healthy and happy.  I’m so thankful that he is still with us and that he is his usual loving, silly self.

Castiel got his stitches out Wednesday and is very happy to be able to groom himself again and not wear the onesies. We can also let his sister Clover snuggle with him without close observation. We were afraid she would groom him or try to remove his stitches for him. Clover was a holy terror about stitches after her spay.

We were a little concerned the day after we removed his stitches because Thursday morning he was hiding in the leopard house (a rectangular cat house with leopard patterned fabric.). He usually only goes in there on cold nights as it’s a very snuggy house. It was warm that morning and the sun was shining though the window, so usually he would seek out a sunny spot. My husband gently picked up the house and we emptied him out of it to check on him, in case there was a sore spot or something had opened up — but everything was fine  and Castiel seemed fine, just anxious. We think he was afraid he was going to be scooped up and taken to the vet again. It was Veterans’ Day and we had slept in later so breakfast was later. The change is routine probably got him thinking vet.

Castiel has been doing great walking around. He can get to all his favorite spots and the ramps and steps help. He can even do the stairs, which we try to get him not to do as we worry it’s just a little too soon. He hasn’t got up on the cat tree yet but I think that is because it is in a room without carpet so it’s a little tougher to navigate the hardwood. We’re going to pick up a runner at the shops so he can easily get to the cat tree and best window for squirrel and possum watching.

Castiel has been a little anxious and jumpy. We think he just needs some time to relax at home and have some normal time. He doesn’t seem to be in pain, just scared that we’ll go to the vet again. We put the furniture back to normal and are giving him freedom to roam without us  hanging directly over him. He is also allowed to freely interact with his siblings again and I think he likes that. Now if we could only get his tiger sister (Clover) to stop lying across his ramps.

We’re still trying to decide whether to do radiation or close monitoring every 1-2 months at our vet. We don’t think Castiel would do well with the 5 x a week radiation for three weeks, so we are steering away from that.  He gets so stressed travelling and we worry about the anesthesia. Also we don’t know if it’s necessary.  There is no evidence it is a vaccine associated sarcoma — it still could be, but we don’t know this for certain (none of the usual indicators were present, but the absence of the indicators is not definitive). The margins were clear but the top margin was only 1.5 cm, not as good as 3-5 cm, which is ideal. Removing the leg may have been enough…we just don’t know. One oncologist who saw him before surgery advocated for radiation and chemo as general treatments for fibrosarcomas, the second oncologist said we could do radiation if we wanted to treat it aggressively but didn’t strongly recommend it. The radiation oncologist recommended SRT but said it would depend on the CT scan. He was in favor of radiation though but said he would understand if we wanted to do close monitoring. Our local vet deferred to the oncologist as the most knowledgeable but said she wouldn’t recommend it for Castiel and she knows Castiel well. Our vet friend, who saw Castiel as a kitty, also wouldn’t recommend radiation.  The risk of reoccurrence is low but not zero. But our local vet and our vet friend both think quality of life and what Castiel would want should be important considerations in our decision-making, and it is hard to disagree with that logic.  If it does come back, we may be able to treat it with radiation then, although the radiation oncologist warned it might be harder. It’s an impossible decision…the humans are very stressed. We thank everyone who has listened to us, followed our progress, and has weighed in with tips, advice, or just with kind words to let us know we are not alone. Thank you so much!