Life is Good....
Good News
The vet called back and the blood work came back purrfect! His anal glands
were full due to the runs he had so thats why he was trying to poop. All my cats
got sick from some virus. They all go outside in our backyard (very high fenced)
with supervision of course! We think they stepped in some other cats poop and
got ill. Pills fixed everyone up.
The spots on his lungs were a build up of tissue..not cancer! He is in great
shape thankfully! What a horrible time though. The stress of thinking I was
going to loose him again.
My devil cat is fine :)
Cancers Back
We've done pretty good! 2 years or so with Simon doing great.
Unfortunately about 2 weeks ago Simon had blood in his poop. I called our vet
who said it could be something he ate or a bug of some sort. Keep an eye on it
but it might not be anything. I have also noticed runny stools in the kitty box
but with having 6 cats its hard to find out who it is without following them
when they do their business. 2 days ago I happen to be in the litter room and
Simon was going to the bathroom. Turns out it has been him with the runny
stools. I didn't think much of it cause I know this can happen sometimes.
Well we got woken up this morning at 6:45 with Simon trying to get into the
bedroom. He meowed funny so thats what got me up out of bed. Simon was straining
to poop or so it seemed. There was liquid barf around the house and over the
next 30 mins while we got ready to take him to the emergency vet he positioned
himself again like he was going to go pooh. I thought it was a blockage of some
sort. Getting him to the vet was easy...he snuggled right into my arms. The vet
had a look and said it wasn't a blockage which I guess was good news..... then
came the bad. X-rays showed 3 small black spots on his lung and one larger nogel
on his lower lung or liver. Blood work was done and he was given an iv with some
fluids incase he was dehydrated and meds for his intestinal track incase he did
have something wrong there. Simon was sent home and we were told we would get a
call later in the day to let us know further results.
Its now 5:18. The vet just called...... blood work came back OK. X-rays are
going to be sent to oncologist tomorrow and we should know tomorrow night more
news and maybe a better idea of what to do. Without Chemo its a few months, with
chemo its anywhere from 6 months to 17 months. I am broken hearted.
6 Months Later........
So now it's been almost 6 months and Simon is doing great! He goes out for
his "walks" (on a leash of course!) daily and loves it. He does hate to come in
and makes quite a fuss when it's time. I have found he runs better than he walks
and boy can he run! Walking looks uncomfortable to me as Simon is very low to
the ground as he tries to balance himself. He looks like he is struggling. When
laying down he puts his arm under his chest to hold himself up and it does
balance him well. Over all I am very happy that we took this route for his
cancer and I would recommend amputation to anyone going through this with their
cats.
I did speak to the surgeon again to find out what type of cancer Simon had
and they are not 100% sure. It's either Fibrosarcoma or Osteosarcoma. I have
done a bit of reading on both and there is a chance that the cancer could
return. I am hoping and praying this doesn't happen but already I am stressing
about it! The surgeon did suggest that Simon come in after a year for more
x-rays to see how he is doing. I think this may be an on going thing over his
life.
I did purchase more ES Clear/Essiac I think Simon will be on this for the
rest of his life. It worked SO good the first time I am hoping that it will
keeps things at bay. I haven't informed Simon yet and I'm sure he won't be
happy! but whatever works.....
** 2 months after Simon had his leg removed, his sister Jezabel passed away. She had kidney failure and I had to make the difficult decision to put her down. She is missed greatly.
**August 2008 we adopted a female from the humane society who we named Scarlett. She looks exactly like Simon except she has longer hair. Of course Simon didn't take to her right away but now they are buddies. Funny enough she acts just like Jezabel.....same personality and manners.
** 2 months after Simon had his leg removed, his sister Jezabel passed away. She had kidney failure and I had to make the difficult decision to put her down. She is missed greatly.
**August 2008 we adopted a female from the humane society who we named Scarlett. She looks exactly like Simon except she has longer hair. Of course Simon didn't take to her right away but now they are buddies. Funny enough she acts just like Jezabel.....same personality and manners.
Life on 3 Legs.....
On April 2nd we took Simon back to the vets to get his stitches out. He was
nervous to get back into the car but once he got to the vets office I think he
was ok. They love him and always lavish attention on him. It’s quite funny to
see Simon sitting in his cat bed and have 5 women around him fussing over him!
This is why I love our vet’s office. You can tell they love animals and they
treat them all like they’re their own.
They took out Simon’s stitches as well as checked his blood level. His blood
count was now at 43! What a change! The surgeon was there and came into the room
to talk to us about how well he was doing. It had only been 2 weeks since his
operation and he was getting around just fine. Of course there were a few
mishaps, like tripping over something or when he tries to get down from the bed.
He slides his leg down and then jumps. We have put steps around the house not
only for him to get up and down on but for Jezabel as well as she is now 20
years old.
I am very surprised at how quickly he adapted to living with 3 legs. He runs
around the house like a cat with 4! He is playing, chasing things and he is back
to intimidating the other cats for the spot they’re in. This is how I knew that
Simon was back to his old self. He was showing the cats whose boss! We take him
out on his leash from time to time but he still gets a bit spooked at being
outside for long periods of time. He will stay outside for about 15 – 20 minutes
and then wants back in. I shouldn’t complain….I had such a hard time getting him
back in before…it’s now a breeze to get him into the house!
The other cats are slowly coming around to him as well. George, Simon’s buddy
has been the first to really start getting back to the way things were before.
Simon will come out of the bedroom and George will run along side him and try to
grab him to play or back up on him and try to sit on his head. That is really
great to see. Still, we have a way to go with the others.
It’s also time now to start giving Simon Glycosimine. This will help prevent
joint problems in his right arm as he is putting all the weight on it now. I
don’t want Simon to have problems down the road with arthritis and have to have
meds again.
I guess it just goes to show you how animals can adapt. I swear Simon doesn’t
realize he is missing an arm. If this was a human that had lost his arm you know
that most, not all! would probably still be whining about how they can’t do this
or that anymore. I know a few people that have had problems with one thing or
another in their lives and they have given up. They just surrendered to whatever
they were dealt. I don't mean to offend anyone with this comment as I know allot
of people are fighters but I am talking about people I know. I hope that if
something happens to me in my life I would be a fighter like Simon. Just pick
myself up and get on with life!
During this emotional time with Simon I found not only a lot of information
on cancer and how to treat it but also support from a yahoo group for felines
with cancer. They were really helpful and supportive. I made a couple of friends
from this site as well. I hope that you don’t have to join this group anytime
soon but if you do, know that there are people out there that understand and can
help get you through a bad time.
The link for this group is on Simon’s front page. A big thank you to
them!!
If you have any questions about Simon or his journey please feel free to
contact me at conniwatson@hotmail.com
Amputation Day.....
So today was the horrible day, March 19th. We had to take Simon to the vets
to have his leg amputated. Of course Simon gave us a terrible time trying to get
him into the carrier. We were both stressed because of the situation and this
just made it harder. I ended up having to put his leash on and hold him in the
car. Then it hit me what we were doing and the tears came. I had held it
together before that day and I knew what we were doing was the best thing for
Simon but still it was so hard.
We arrived at the vets and met with the surgeon who told us what was going to
happen, what to expect and how to prepare for when Simon came home. She was
really great. She answered any questions we had and put our minds at ease. She
told me that Simon was going in at 10:30 so I could give them a call around noon
to see how he was doing. When I called, they had started late so Simon wasn’t
finished yet. The surgeon was going to call me to let me know how things went.
She called at about 1:30 and told me that everything went very well. Simon’s
blood tests were good as well. The surgeon said that the cancer was not bone
cancer but it had started around the cartilage in his arm and then went into the
soft tissue. The surgeon also said that this kind of cancer is usually caused by
some sort of trauma like a broken leg. Simon has never had a broken leg or any
other trauma so I was wondering how this could have happened. Could it have been
from Simon lying on the bathroom wall that stuck under his arm all those years?
Just a guess, but to think that this could have been avoided really bothered me.
The good news was that Simon would no longer have any pain in his arm. He was
scheduled to come home on Thursday.
Of course, being Simon and not liking things on him, he chewed through his IV
on Wednesday night. The vet thinks he did that because he was still in pain.
They said the last time they saw that it was a dog that did it. I told you Simon
was a dog in a cat’s body! I think he was annoyed and didn’t like the IV in him.
So because he pulled that stunt they wouldn’t let him come home on Thursday. I
didn’t find this out until late Thursday afternoon. I had already gone in to the
vet’s office to say Hi to him and see how he was doing in the morning. I didn’t
want him to think we abandoned him! He looked so cute. He was curled up in a cat
bed with a ton of blankets on him. He was all sleepy but opened his eyes when I
started to talk to him. I opened the cage and petted him and told him I would be
back later that night to take him home. I couldn’t wait! Later that day I got a
call from the vet’s office. They told me the story about Simon chewing through
his IV and said they wanted to keep him another night but the only problem was
that it was Easter weekend and they were closed on Friday. So he had to be taken
to the emergency clinic to stay there. This was a total disappointment, but I
knew this was the best thing for him. I wouldn’t want him home and have him in
any kind of pain or suffering because I was selfish.
I picked him up Thursday about 6:00 pm. The vet tech brought him out to me
and apologized because he smelled like pee. Apparently he wasn’t using the
litter box and was just peeing wherever he lay. I didn’t care. I was just so
happy he was going to be ok. He did look pathetic though. He didn’t realize what
had happened and kept falling on his left side because there was no arm to hold
him up. I got him into the car and drove him to the emergency clinic which was
close by. The whole time I talked to him and told him what a good boy he was. I
told him “Your mama’s boy……Your the best boy”. I have been telling him this and
whispering it to him in his ear for years. He always stops and listens to me so
I thought if I told him all the things I usually say to him it would make things
better for him. I was trying to ease his worry and stress. We got to the
emergency clinic and they put us in a room to wait for the vet. The vet had to
access Simon and to read the notes that my regular vet sent over. While I
waited, I talked to Simon and got more and more upset. I hated leaving him
there. He looked so sad and pathetic and here I was leaving him again somewhere
else. Of course by the time the vet got into our room I was crying. The vet was
very nice. Dr. Adel was his name. He talked to us for a minute and had a quick
look at Simon in the cage and left again. I tried to pull myself together before
he came back. It didn’t work. Dr. Adel came back and gave me a quote of $600 for
a 2 night stay. I was shocked!.....$600 to stay there for 2 nights? I wish I had
looked at the calendar before I scheduled Simon’s appointment for amputation.
The money was a big worry. I was not working so we only had one income and the
amputation already cost over $1,000! Well what could I do? I had to leave him
there. I asked if I could call to check on Simon later that night and was told
no problem. I called later that night about 10:30 and was told that Simon’s
blood count was 21. He was resting but wouldn’t eat.
The next morning I called again thinking I could take him home. I was told
that if I took him home it wouldn’t be in Simon’s best interest. His blood count
was now down to 19 from 21. The vet was very concerned. He thought that maybe
Simon was bleeding internally. Normal cat’s blood count should be about 30 – 40
and Simon’s was 19. Not a good sign. I was beyond worried. My fear was he was
going to die. I started thinking that maybe I should have just left him and
given him pain pills for the rest of his life. Why did I have his leg removed?
They ended up giving him vitamin B shots hoping that this would help. I was told
that if his blood count went down to 15 he would have to be given a blood
transfusion. Still I was very worried about the cost of keeping him there but
knew that it was the best thing for him. I asked again if we could come visit
him and was told Ok but only if it wasn’t busy. We got there and had to wait
about an hour to see him. I couldn’t believe how busy it was! Dr. Adel talked to
us before we went to see Simon to give us his current condition and answer any
questions we had. When I saw Simon I couldn’t believe it! He looked SO much
better than the day before! He was lying down but when we approached and started
to talk to him he purred and stretched for us. I was very surprised at how good
he looked. They were doing wonders for him.
We woke up Saturday and scheduled Simon’s pick up at 10:30 am. When we called
we were told that Simon was sitting up and doing very well. His blood count
stayed at 19 so it looked as though it was staying steady. Dr. Snyder came into
the room with Simon. He didn’t look like the same cat! He was alert and checking
things out. He had on pink bandages with hearts all over them…he looked so cute!
Dr. Snyder told us he was sitting up, eating out of her hand and doing much
better. She told us she spent the night with him as she understood what Simon
was going through……she had a 3 legged cat at home. You could tell Simon really
liked her. When she left the room he kept looking out the door for her. We paid
our bill, which in the end turned out to be $420. It was worth it, they took
great care of Simon.
We got into the car and Simon sat on my lap with a blanket around him. He was
a bit uncomfortable and seemed very scared to be in the car. We got around the
corner of our street and Simon started to squirm. I thought it was because he
knew he was almost home. It was because he had to pee. I didn’t realize he peed
on me until I got out of the car and my leg was soaked. As I carried him up the
stairs to the front door he kept peeing. I ended up having to hold him on the
porch while he peed as I didn’t want him to pee in the house. I praised him and
told him he was a good boy so that he didn’t think he was in trouble. I know,
crazy, but it wasn’t his fault that he peed because he was either scared or just
had to go! I remembered that the vet tech told me that he had been peeing where
ever he lay. I certainly hoped that was going to change now that he was home! We
put him in the separate room that we had set up for him but he wasn’t having it.
He was trying to get out of the room, trying to jump up on the computer table
and wanted to walk around. We ended up calling the vets a few times because we
didn’t know what to do! We had been told to keep Simon calm and in one area with
everything around him. The vets got a big laugh out of it because they said
normally cats after having surgery just want to lie down and rest, but not
Simon! So the vets said if he wants to walk around and be out with the other
cats let him go. He went out and laid down in the living room with the other
cats while they came close and smelled him. He not only smelled like pee but of
medicine so the other cats didn’t stay with him long. I tried to wipe him down
with a wash cloth and with wipes that you get at Petsmart for animals but Simon
didn’t like that too much. I got some hisses and growls to leave him alone. He
used the litter box shortly after getting home so I knew things would be ok in
that department. Thank Goodness!! Both Ian and I would hover over him and try to
figure out what he wanted. We pretty much walked behind him if he got up to
move. It was quite comical now thinking about it but we were so worried about
him and what he wanted or needed.
I decided to sleep in the living room that night so that if Simon needed
something I would be there. I didn’t want him to hurt himself on his first night
home. I was up most of the night checking on him and making sure he was ok.
Simon of course slept most of the night or cleaned himself. In the early morning
I fell into a deep sleep and didn’t hear Simon when he got up to move into the
kitchen. The next thing I hear is a huge crash and Simon attempting to run into
the living room to get away from whatever made that noise! It was so loud it
woke up Ian. We both couldn’t’ figure out what it was that upset him so but
figured it might have been Simon trying to get up onto the bathtub to get some
water and he slipped. We calmed him down and took him into the bedroom for peace
and quiet. The bedroom has always been his “safe” place. If anything spooks him
or if he hears the garbage trucks he goes into the bedroom for safety.
Things were going ok for the first few days for Simon. He did seem very
uncomfortable with trying to walk in his bandage so we ended up taking the top
part off of him and leaving the white softer bandage on him so that he wouldn’t
lick his stitches. This helped him with walking around. I guess being around the
other cats so much it started to bug him because he started to pee in the cat
beds. We put him back into the separate room so he could be by himself. This was
what he wanted. We put a ramp up to the window so he could see the world outside
and he had me feeding him out of my hand. We also gave him water out of the cat
baby bottle because I knew it would be too difficult for him to drink out of his
water bowl at this time. He had everything he needed around him and was happy as
a pig in poop! I knew I had to get him to stop eating out of my hand otherwise I
would have a big problem. So I put his food right next to him, dry and wet, with
water and his litter box on the other side. He kept looking longingly at the
mushy food and I knew he wanted it but he wouldn’t get up to get it. I figured
if he was hungry enough he would eat it! I went to bed and thought for sure I
would see an empty bowl in the morning. I woke up at 6ish and went into see the
empty bowl….it was still full. The little bugger didn’t eat a bite! I knew he
must have been hungry! Here I was trying to teach him a lesson and he was
teaching me one. Don’t underestimate a cat! SO of course I caved and gave him
his food. He ate it quite fast. He sure was hungry. Slowly I got him to eat out
of his bowl again and he also drank out of a water bowl so I didn’t have to
worry about the baby bottle anymore. He was getting around ok and he also
started to clean himself so I didn’t have to worry about the baby wipes. Things
looked ok other than the cats not coming around him and Simon still having a bit
of trouble walking on 3 legs. This was very hard to see. He would slip and do a
face plant into the floor.
We took Simon back to the vets on March 24th for his check up and the vet
said his blood count was at 24! He was doing very well. He of course got a ton
of loving from the women at the vet’s office. We also scheduled another
appointment for him the next week to have his stitches out. In the mean time we
tried to figure out how to keep Simon from licking and pulling his stitches. We
came up with the idea of putting a baby top on him. We called our neighbour and
got a few different tops that were for her infants to see if this would work. It
did. Simon looked so cute but I knew he didn’t like the tops on him one bit! One
morning I got up and went into the room where Simon was and he wasn’t in his
bed! I looked around and he was on the computer chair peeking out from the back
of it! I was so happy! It was like he was a new cat! He then climbed onto the 3
level cat scratcher and started playing with the mouse and acting goofy! It
looked as though Simon was back to himself! We let him out again with his
brothers and sister and he climbed up on his favourite green chair and went to
sleep. I guess he just needed some time to himself and some babying. He was
eating and drinking out of his bowls, and going to the bathroom and sitting on
the edge of the tub to wait for some water just like he use too. It was so great
to see!
One day we decided to take him outside so he could have a look around as it
was beautiful out. I held him in my arms and then though I would put him down so
he could smell things on the porch. Big mistake! I put him down; he smelled the
recycle bin and then made a run for it! The bugger ran down the stairs, across
the lawn and around the house before I could catch him!! He’s fast on 3 legs! I
guess that was the end of Simon going out without his leash on! So things were
turning out well. He recovered quickly is back to himself!
Just one more visit to the vets….to get his stitches out…..
Gettimg Bad News......
At our house in the bathroom is a wall with a ledge on it. Simon loved to sit
up there while I took a shower or to look out the window. I’m sure he felt like
the king of the castle up there! When he lay down on the wall he would hang his
arm down over the side of the wall. The ledge on the wall would sit under his
arm pit. In early 2007 we noticed that Simon had a limp on his left side…..the
same side that hung over the wall. We thought maybe it was from having the piece
of wood under his arm and it was cutting off the circulation. So we decided to
cut a part of the wall out so that Simon could still lay up there but not have
the ledge under his arm. Great idea but of course Simon would lie either behind
it or in front of the space so that his arm would still have the ledge under his
arm. Isn’t that always the way! So we decided to take the ledge down. Still he
kept limping. We thought maybe it would go away after a few days. It didn’t. He
didn’t limp everyday and we noticed that if he was lying down for a while and
then got up he would limp. I googled "limping in cats" and found some
information about arthritis and cancer and thought that we should take him to
the vet to see what was wrong. I was hoping for just arthritis but preparing
myself for the worst. In my gut I had a feeling it would be cancer. That fear
wouldn’t go away.
We made an appointment for August 13, 2007 (I will never forget this date!)
and after getting some x-rays done the vet came back in and told me the bad
news. It was bone cancer. I was devastated. This was my baby! We had 6 cats but
for some reason Simon had my heart strings. I always felt differently about him.
I don't remember much after the vet telling me that Simon had cancer. The room
was quiet except for my crying although the vet continued to show me the x-ray
and showed me where the cancer was. It was like she was talking from far away.
She told me that she had checked with 3 other vet techs and everyone agreed it
was bone cancer. The vet didn't recommend amputation because Simon was so big
(16 lbs, tall and long). She explained what to look for when it was time to
bring Simon back in to be put down. His breathing would be laboured; he would
stop eating and hide from everyone. The vet also explained the euthanasia
process to me. This I remember...it is still stuck in my head. The vet didn't
tell me how long Simon had but I could tell it wouldn't be long....I thought
Simon maybe had 3 or 4 months to live. The vet was very nice and understanding
and said how sorry she was. She prescribed a pain medicine called Medicam for
Simon’s pain. I found out after that bone cancer is a very rapid killing cancer
and that is probably why the vet didn’t suggest amputation. Not because of
Simon’s size but because I would spend over $1,000 and he would be dead in 3
months anyways.
I drove home, my eyes full of tears. How could this happen to my favourite cat? Why not Jezabel who was 20 years old or Elvis who already had a heart condition? I know that sounds horrible but I think I could have handled it better. Both Jezzie and Elvis were a lot older and had long great lives. Simon was only 7 years old and in great health! I got home and called Ian and told him the bad news. Then I went to the computer and started to research. "Cats with cancer" I had to fight this. I found allot of information and a great support group called "felines with Cancer" on yahoo. On there I read about a cat that had oral cancer and it was cured by using Essiac! A light at the end of the tunnel!! The owner had changed the cats food, water and litter and gave it Essiac. I started researching Essiac and found out that it was developed by a nurse in Canada called Rene Caisse (Essiac spelled backwards) It was 4 herbs that were used to help with cancer in people. So I started all the changes....I changed their food from Purina One to Purina Pro Plan because I read that protein is great for cats but excellent for cats with cancer. The protein in Purina One was 31% but Purina Pro Plan was 46%!....quite a jump. I also started giving the cats filtered water and we changed the litter from the clay clumping litter to SWheat! The clay clumping litter is not only bad for cats because it coats their lungs and if ingested can block their intestines but it's also bad for humans. It coats our lungs too! SWheat is all natural and works great to keep the smell down and is much easier to use. The Purina brand cat food is amazing for the cats as well. It makes their fur very soft, shiny and keeps their poop from smelling! Good news for all of us! Nothing like a cat that takes a dump and stinks up the house….. and have you ever noticed they do it just before you have company coming?? I also ordered some Essiac from www.petwellbeing.com which is sold under the name ES Clear. It’s already mixed up for animals in an easy bottle with a dropper.
While I waited for the ES Clear to arrive I watched Simon like a hawk.
Looking out for any difference in him, monitored his breathing and watched if he
ate enough. After using the Medicam for a couple of weeks Simon started to throw
up blood. At first I wasn’t sure if it was really blood or if it was something
he was eating. Over the next 12 hours he threw up more blood and a lot of it. I
called the vet to schedule another appointment and stopped giving him the
Metacam. As it turns out Simon was allergic to Medicam. It was causing an ulcer
in his stomach. This is very rare in animals I was told. So the next step was
using Fentenal pain patches. They are very expensive and have to be changed
every 3 – 4 days. They shaved an area near Simon’s shoulder blade and put in on.
We got home and before 24 hours had passed Simon had the patch off! I tried to
stick it back on and Simon would pull it off again. $35 down the drain! So back
to the vets again to get another one put on with an extra step...they glued it
on to Simon’s skin and he had to wear a soft cone around his head. He looked
pathetic but so cute! Simon of course hated it. He had trouble walking with it
on and couldn’t clean himself. Feeling bad that he couldn’t clean himself
properly I took the cone off for a second....I turned back around and Simon had
the patch off, glue and all. SO back to the vets for another solution.
The 3rd and final pain medicine was called Tremadol. It's a pill that makes cats high. Our vet didn’t want to prescribe it to Simon because some cats also get sick on it. This was my last hope for pain medicine. I was hoping it would work! Simon did Ok on the Tremadol. He was totally out of it for the first few times taking it which had us laughing. He would stare at the wall for an hour each night but soon adapted to it and could go about his regular routine on it. We received the ES Clear in September 2007. I tried to put it in Simon’s food but he could smell it so I ended up having to put the drops in his mouth. He hated it. He would see me coming and run and hide. By December Simon was still doing great. The vets called him a miracle cat because he was doing so well for a cat with bone cancer.
Everything was going well until early March 2008. Simon got sick. He wouldn’t eat, drink or get up and move around. He just lay in a cat bed all day. I tried to give him treats and Salmon which he would eat and I started to give him water in a cat baby bottle but that was about it. We were getting very worried. I was very scared this was the end. We scheduled another appointment with the vets to see what was up. We saw Dr. Hobbs who was amazing. She was a different vet at the same clinic that we go too. Dr. Hobbs asked us a lot of questions about Simon while he tried to get back into the carrying case. The only time he wanted in there! He had his temperature taken which was a bit high and gave him a once over and weighed him. He was 15.5 lbs. 1/2 pound lost since Oct which means he probably lost the weight in the last couple of days. Then Dr. Hobbs told us the great news! She didn’t think Simon had bone cancer! She said for Simon to be doing so well and not to have lost any weight it must be something else. She thought it might be traumatic arthritis or a cyst. She said for bone cancer Simon should have been looking a lot worse or dead by now. I was SO excited!! He was given 2 shots, one for the virus he caught which was keeping him from eating and one for the swelling in his arm. Dr. Hobbs thought Simon got his virus from his brother George. George has a virus that is like having a permanent cold. We had to reschedule another appointment to get more x-rays done to see what Simon had.
The appointment was on March 13th…..7 months to the day from the first time we were told Simon had cancer. History was about to repeat itself. Dr. Hobbs confirmed that Simon did indeed have cancer in his arm. It was a bit bigger but did not go into his lungs or anywhere else which is good news. I was so sad. I had to re live the bad news again. I got my hopes up that it wasn't cancer but somewhere deep inside I knew. I knew it was still cancer. Dr. Hobbs said that the next step because he was so young was to amputate his leg. She was so surprised that it was cancer because Simon looked so good and weighed so much. Most cats would be skinny and looking terrible. I’m sure it was the Essiac! So we scheduled another appointment for March 19th to have Simon’s leg removed…...
The 3rd and final pain medicine was called Tremadol. It's a pill that makes cats high. Our vet didn’t want to prescribe it to Simon because some cats also get sick on it. This was my last hope for pain medicine. I was hoping it would work! Simon did Ok on the Tremadol. He was totally out of it for the first few times taking it which had us laughing. He would stare at the wall for an hour each night but soon adapted to it and could go about his regular routine on it. We received the ES Clear in September 2007. I tried to put it in Simon’s food but he could smell it so I ended up having to put the drops in his mouth. He hated it. He would see me coming and run and hide. By December Simon was still doing great. The vets called him a miracle cat because he was doing so well for a cat with bone cancer.
Everything was going well until early March 2008. Simon got sick. He wouldn’t eat, drink or get up and move around. He just lay in a cat bed all day. I tried to give him treats and Salmon which he would eat and I started to give him water in a cat baby bottle but that was about it. We were getting very worried. I was very scared this was the end. We scheduled another appointment with the vets to see what was up. We saw Dr. Hobbs who was amazing. She was a different vet at the same clinic that we go too. Dr. Hobbs asked us a lot of questions about Simon while he tried to get back into the carrying case. The only time he wanted in there! He had his temperature taken which was a bit high and gave him a once over and weighed him. He was 15.5 lbs. 1/2 pound lost since Oct which means he probably lost the weight in the last couple of days. Then Dr. Hobbs told us the great news! She didn’t think Simon had bone cancer! She said for Simon to be doing so well and not to have lost any weight it must be something else. She thought it might be traumatic arthritis or a cyst. She said for bone cancer Simon should have been looking a lot worse or dead by now. I was SO excited!! He was given 2 shots, one for the virus he caught which was keeping him from eating and one for the swelling in his arm. Dr. Hobbs thought Simon got his virus from his brother George. George has a virus that is like having a permanent cold. We had to reschedule another appointment to get more x-rays done to see what Simon had.
The appointment was on March 13th…..7 months to the day from the first time we were told Simon had cancer. History was about to repeat itself. Dr. Hobbs confirmed that Simon did indeed have cancer in his arm. It was a bit bigger but did not go into his lungs or anywhere else which is good news. I was so sad. I had to re live the bad news again. I got my hopes up that it wasn't cancer but somewhere deep inside I knew. I knew it was still cancer. Dr. Hobbs said that the next step because he was so young was to amputate his leg. She was so surprised that it was cancer because Simon looked so good and weighed so much. Most cats would be skinny and looking terrible. I’m sure it was the Essiac! So we scheduled another appointment for March 19th to have Simon’s leg removed…...
Simon Moves Again....
So things were working out well with the new addition of Simon. Calvin came
up every weekend to visit and play with Simon and when Calvin wasn’t around,
Elvis and Jezabel were there to play with him. The odd time Guinness, Calvin’s
brother would come to visit too. I purchased a tall cat scratcher with 3 levels
for the cats to play on which took about a week for the three of them to ruin! I
was constantly buying them toys and anything else I thought of. They were
spoiled for sure! Simon loved these little squishy balls that look like soccer
balls…you can by them in Petsmart. He was always walking around with one or
throwing them up in the air and chasing them when they didn’t land where he
expected. Jezabel and Elvis already played catch if you threw a toy or ball for
them and watching them Simon picked up that trick as well. He could go for ages
running back and forth chasing the balls, bringing them back. I have always said
Simon is a dog in a cat’s body. He not only fetches but he also loves to rip up
boxes, paper and anything else he can get a hold of. He will tear a piece off
spit it out and go at it again. He also loves dogs. He has no fear of them and
usually goes up to them to say hello and give a lick and wait for lick back.
I decided to move in 2002. I was getting married and figured it would be
easier to live in the same city has my soon to be husband, Ian. Moving day came
and we loaded up the truck and put Simon in a carrier for the 1 hour 15 minute
drive to St. Catharines. Ian had Simon and Jezabel in the car with him. Simon,
hating cars and the carrier had a bit of a fit and scratched is way out of the
cat carrier. Ian had to pull over on the highway and get Simon back into the
carrier before he got under the petals. Funny now, thinking back but what a
worry! A crazy cat loose in the car! The house we moved too was bigger than my
condo so all 5 cats, yes 5, had allot of area to run around in. The day after
Ian and I got married we were in a pet store to buy Mr. Spoiled, Simon, some new
squishy balls. They had a cage in the store with 2 kittens. I couldn’t resist a
squeeze and asked to see the kitten that was awake. He was all black. As the
store clerk reached in to get him he jumped down and the other kitten got up and
came over to the door. He was black and white and very cute! He also had the
same face as Simon. After a few cuddles we decided to get him. We called him
George. So Simon had another brother! They are the best of buddies and often
sleep together.
I knew Simon loved to go out and would run out the door any chance he had so
I started to take him out for walks on a leash. He loved it outside. He hated
coming in and would try to open the door to get back out. If the door was
unlocked he would put his two paws up, turn the knob and get the door open!
Smart cookie! He would mostly stay on the front lawn and greet people as they
walked by. He would be sitting down sunning himself and he would see someone
coming down the street and up he’d get, go sit by the sidewalk and wait to greet
them. He was so friendly to everyone. As time went by he got more comfortable
and curious and would want to walk down the street to see what was going on.
Neighbours and people who lived in the neighbourhood started to know who he was
and would stop to greet him and give him a pet. If they had dogs with them all
the better, Simon would get a lick from them. The only thing he wasn’t crazy
about was certain cats that came by. He would get upset if a cat he didn’t like
came on the yard. A few people have stopped their cars to see if it really is a
cat on a leash. He is quite long and tall for a cat so I can see how he would be
mistaken for a dog. I sometimes take him out in the winter as well but for much
shorter walks. Usually I just hold him in my arms on the porch and let him have
a look around.Of course trying to get Simon back into the house was a nightmare.
He hated coming in. He would growl and hiss and try to show me who’s the boss
with a swipe of his paw. He certainly has Cattitude!! I love that about Simon.
He is the way a cat should be I think. He’s cuddly, sweet with a bit of an edge
to him A funny quirk about Simon is whenever he comes in from outside, either
from the vet, his walks or just being held on the porch he always heads straight
for the food dish.
So everything was going great. Then I got some heartbreaking news……....
Finding a New home.....
 | |
| Simon 2 months old |
Simon was born in Whitby Ontario Canada in late 2001. He was born outside and
was the only kitten to survive in his litter. The people that found Simon had
another cat that wasn't crazy about him so they put an ad in a neighbourhood
newsletter to find a new home for him. In the meantime they kept Simon in a
small bathroom so that he didn't upset the other cat. He didn't freely eat or
drink on his own. He was given food and water when they could take the time to
feed him. He wouldn't drink out of a bowl so they gave him water out of a cat
baby bottle. They named him Squeaker because he made squeaky noises all the
time. I never heard him make these noises so I had to pick another name for him.
That was the hard part. How do you pick a name that you will like forever
without knowing the cat's personality? Because Simon didn't have the room to run
around or have his mother to show him the ins and outs of being a cat he was
quite wild. I considered Taz as in Tazmanin Devil which would have been great
but it just wasn't sitting with me. I also thought of Sylvester, Simon, Neo (big
Keanu fan!) and Jersey (as in black and white cows). I have always loved the
name Simon. It fit him purrfectly! Simon it was!! He also developed the nickname
Devil Cat. You will see as this story goes on how it fit him. Anyways....back to
Simon's story......
I already had an female cat named Jezabel and a male named Elvis but wanted
to add to the family. I found out from a co-worker about Simon. She lived in the
same neighbourhood as the current owners and read the newsletter. I contacted
the owners about Simon to get his age and colour. Without seeing him I told them
I would take him. He needed home...I wanted a kitten. Purfect fit! I was really
looking forward to getting Simon but had a bit of trouble arranging to pick him
up. Turns out that the current owners really liked him and didn't want to let
him go. Everytime I arranged to pick him up the wife would cry and beg me to
pick him up the next week. I was getting more and more frustrated!! Finally I
told them....if you want to keep him, keep him. I didn't want to play this game
anymore. After a couple of weeks they decided they couldn't have another kitten
as it was upsetting the other cat so they called to let me know I could pick him
up. When I arrived Simon was in the livingroom under the couch. I could only get
flashes of what he looked like as he was going crazy after a toy! It was a
whindup lady bug that moved across the floor which he still has. From what I saw
he was the cutest kitten! He had a black batman mask like mark on his face and
bits of black on the rest of him. The current owners were really nice and I
could tell they really took great care of him and loved him. I almost felt bad
taking him! We tried to get ahold of Simon to get him into the cat carrier. No
luck! He was running around wild and wouldn't let any of us catch him. This is
something that would never change over his life. He still hates the carrier and
we still have a heck of a time getting him into it! We finally got him settled
and drove home.
When we got home, I introduced Simon to his new brother and sister and of
course some hissing followed. I was a bit worried as Simon was so small...only
about 2 months old...but in the end he held his own with Jezabel and Elvis. I
decided to put down some mushy food and water for Simon in case he was hungry. I
had the baby bottle just in case he wouldn't drink out of the bowl. He gobbled
up the food and drank out of the water bowl no problem! Shortly after he
finished eating he got the runs.....he was covered in pooh. Totally gross! We
cleaned him off and put him back out with the other cats but he wasn't looking
so good. He was just sitting there and shaking so we decided to take him to the
emergency vets because I was worried. I thought maybe he had some illness that
they didn't tell me about. Turns out he just ate to much. $75 to find out that
Simon was a piglet and I let him eat too much! Never did that again!
Simon fit in great with us. He had a ton of room to run around and I let him
sleep with me. At the time I adopted Simon I was dating a man who also had
adopted a kitten. An orange and white cat he called Calvin. Calvin would come
visit every weekend. Simon and Calvin would run around and go crazy and then go
to their separate areas and sleep for a bit before they'd go at it again!
Watching them fight and play was better than watching Tv! Jezzie and Elvis would
just sit and watch and I could only imagine what was going through their minds!
As I mentioned because Simon didn't have a mother he was very wild. He would
bite and scratch everyone. I wanted to give him back at one point because I
didn't think I could handle him. I have never seen a cat that was as crazy as
Simon. Devil cat for sure! I did some research online about cats being raised
without mothers and they said you could show a cat the right and wrong of biting
and scratching. When they bite you, you have to cry out like a kitten would. So
I tried it and it worked! Simon soon stopped biting and scratching as much as he
did. He still was a bit wild but when he would snuggle up to me at night in the
bed or fall asleep on my chest while I watched Tv I knew I had to keep him. He
would get right up to my neck and purr and fall asleep. Another silly thing he
did was he would sit on the floor at my feet and stare at me....then in one
jump, he would be up at my neck trying to suck my ears. He out grew this thank
goodness! Overall Simon was a great kitten. I was very happy I decided to keep
him.
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