# Sad news. It's SCC



## Fransurrey (20 September 2013)

Squamous cell carcinoma came back from the biopsy. I worked in cancer research long enough to know the score. Absolutely devastated. My little cat has weeks left to live. He will most likely be pts before my holiday (that'll be great...) in mid-October.


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## MotherOfChickens (20 September 2013)

I am sorry


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## webble (20 September 2013)

Oh no you must be heart broken I'm so sorry


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## Meowy Catkin (20 September 2013)

I'm so sorry to read this. Poor little cat and poor you, that's devastating news. Give him lots of fuss and give him a wonderful last few weeks.


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## Mrs B (20 September 2013)

I am so sorry. Had a similar thing happen earlier this year ... gentle hugs to you your little guy x


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## Fransurrey (20 September 2013)

I'm absolutely crushed.  He's my world. It's only just over a year since I lost my other cat to a kidney tumour, too. I can't believe I have to go through it again so soon.


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## pines of rome (20 September 2013)

Oh no, I am so sorry, its such a shock when they tell you its cancer , I thought Jaffa had just sprained his leg , didn,t think of bone cancer!
Thankfully he is doing ok atm, but I do not know how long it will last and to make matters worse one of my other cats has suddenly gone blind, think he had a stroke!
I am just going to love and fuss them while they are still with me!


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## City Mare (20 September 2013)

That's made me cry. In public. On the train :-( 

I know exactly how you feel. I am so sorry xx


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## Fransurrey (20 September 2013)

Sorry, City Mare. You've obviously gone through it, too. I just need to write it down as he's being his usual cute self, patrolling the yard, sunning himself next to the chickens. Looks great, aside from the swelling. Vet told me to try Tramadol again and gave me gelatin capsules to hide them in. What a bloody waste of time. Back to a cat refusing his*own food and stealing Sandy's grub. Think I might just stick with the metacam and double dose if necessary. It's not as if I have to worry about his kidneys! Hugs to you, too, Pines. Hope the vision returns to your other cat and hugs to your little man going through bone cancer. Xxx hugs to everyone who's lost or is losing a kitty.


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## City Mare (20 September 2013)

Agreed - You absolutely do need to write it down.  It so helps - especially when you know those reading will completely understand how precious your fluffy boy is to you.  It's just such a shock isn't it. 

It's awful trying to force feed tablets - if only he knows why you are doing it eh. 


Just have lots and lots of cuddles (especially your night time ones  ) treasure every moment. 

Hugs again go both of you. xx


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## EmmaC78 (20 September 2013)

I am very sorry to hear that.  I lost my cat just before last christmas at the age of 20 and it is so hard.


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## E13 (20 September 2013)

I am so sorry. It's crap, I know. xxx


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## Fransurrey (21 September 2013)

Broke down at the yard, today. Thankfully just the one person and she's a lovely nurse, so I got a hug and a cup of tea. Haven't even seen Rosco since I came home. It's a nice day and he's obviously enjoying it.


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## pines of rome (22 September 2013)

How are you and Rosco today? I have been trying some things out on Jaffa and amazingly enough he is looking much better and has put his weight back on!
 He gets his metacam once a day and I also give him Promaxol which is an american homeopathic painkiller, which also boosts the immune system and I am also syringing 2.5mls of salmon oil down him daily, tumours do not like this, also they feed of carbs, so I have cut those out!
I do not know how long he will stay this good , but he is doing much better than the vet predicted, as she only gave him a couple of months and he has already done that!
I hope you are ok! x


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## Fransurrey (22 September 2013)

No breakdowns today.  Yesterday he caught and ate a vole, so clearly  still feeling ok! You really wouldn't think anything was wrong, to look at him, so it's all a bit surreal at the moment. Maybe he'll be another who does better than expected, but having worked in cancer research for so long, I know this won't last. As he won't take the Tramadol, I'm just sticking with the metacam and antibiotics. Once we can't manage the pain on that, I think I'll have to let go, as he'll starve anyway, due to refusing food. Anyway, he's doing great for now, unlike the vole population...


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## pines of rome (22 September 2013)

Good to hear he is catching voles, must be feeling ok atm! I know what you mean about them looking fine and it does send me into denial about what  is actually wrong!
Here is Jaffa and his blind mate Helby, photo taken quite recently!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1229877_540935395978563_99340739_n.jpg


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## Hairy Old Cob (22 September 2013)

Big Hugs I lost my old lad in July and its still raw.


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## Fransurrey (23 September 2013)

pines of rome said:



			Good to hear he is catching voles, must be feeling ok atm! I know what you mean about them looking fine and it does send me into denial about what  is actually wrong!
Here is Jaffa and his blind mate Helby, photo taken quite recently!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1229877_540935395978563_99340739_n.jpg

Click to expand...

Bless him, he looks like he really can't be bothered with that ball!! Spoke too soon, yesterday. I sobbed myself to sleep s badly, Rosco got up from our cuddle and moved off. I must have peed him off with the salty tears and shoulder shakes. His way of telling me to man up, possibly! Tried Tramadol in a lump of paté, this morning. One sniff and he avoided his food bowl. Had to do the windowsill feeding, where he gets lifted up there and I pull the curtain and give him privacy. That's how I get him to eat when he's stressed. Oh well, another tramadol down the swanny...


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## FubsyMog (23 September 2013)

So sorry to hear this. Losing a cat is so much harder than non-cat owners ever know. I lost my childhood cat last year, to kidney failure. I still miss her. *Hugs* to you.


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## Blanche (23 September 2013)

So sorry to hear the news . Will be thinking of you and Rosco .


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## GreekGrape (23 September 2013)

Oh no, that's terrible.  Always hard to lose them, and especially if you've gone through something similar recently... You and Rosco will be in my thoughts!


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## Fransurrey (23 September 2013)

FubsyMog said:



			So sorry to hear this. Losing a cat is so much harder than non-cat owners ever know. I lost my childhood cat last year, to kidney failure. I still miss her. *Hugs* to you.
		
Click to expand...

My Cleetus had kidney failure. As he lost more weight at the end, we found a huge mass on one kidney. That was the end of August last year and I still miss him, dearly, too. I do have another cat which I took on in April - a 16 year old deaf ginger female. She's been given strict instructions to die in her sleep!!


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## pines of rome (23 September 2013)

Fran, you sound as bad as me with your cats, out of my five ,I only have one that is healthy!
My little black one has kidney failure, he is coping on his drugs atm, Helby the old white one is not looking well and his sister just sleeps all day! Then there is Jaffa with his leg, who actually looks really good atm,and I am taking him into the vet this week to have a fine needle aspiration done to see if is really malignant!
So my one healthy one is Eric the big Forest cat!


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## Fransurrey (26 September 2013)

Just an update, really. He's fully recovered from the surgery and it's hard to accept that he's ill, as he's so sprightly! He's eating very well and has been going out as normal. Part of me wishes he looked ill so it would be easier to accept, but this way he's enjoying life. He shows no signs of needing further pain relief. Obviously I'm sticking with the metacam and he's taking antibiotics well, too. Not sure if it's coincidence, but the grumpy old one is being nicer to him, which is fab. My other half is now struggling with things, though. I have to drag out his emotions kicking and screaming and like many men, he's been converted very easily to a kitty lover. Last night was one big hug fest in bed. Rosco was giving hugs to both of us all night, so it was the best sleepless night I've ever had.


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## pines of rome (27 September 2013)

I am glad to hear that Rosco is feeling well atm! Jaffa is too and I am also having trouble accepting that there is anything wrong with him!
He was a complete monster at the vets yesterday and she was surprised to see him looking so good!
Its great they are both enjoying life for the time being!!!!


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## Fransurrey (3 October 2013)

We've had what feels like a temporary reprieve. I took him in for a check up, today, partly fuelled by a terrible reaction to the tramadol he was prescribed. It took me a week to get one inside him and it resulted in a freaked out kitty. One pupil MUCH bigger than the other, anxious and paranoid. Not a happy high! So, I called the vet yesterday and she said bring him in and we'll discuss options. So I did.

He's put on weight, which considering he's had the tooth surgery in between his last weigh in, is great. The infection has all gone from the tooth site and there is no sign of inflammation from the oral cavity side. Vet also is sure that the tumour is still the same size. That, combined with him having TWO rodents yesterday (one I managed to salvage and set free) means he's still feeling quite well. So, vet is happy that we should forget the tramadol for now, reduce the antibiotics to normal dose (not osteomyelitis dose) and let him enjoy life for a while!

Obviously this is a temporary positive, but the diagnosis came back as advanced SCC, so we both thought weeks. It'll be two weeks on Friday since the results came back and vet thinks it'll be at least a month before he goes downhill, given that the growth has slowed signficantly. So, I get to love my little man for a while longer. How's Jaffa, PoR?


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## pines of rome (3 October 2013)

So glad Rosco is doing well atm! Jaffa is too, I don,t know how long it will last! I have had my old white boy Helby to worry about, he had a stoke and went blind, the vet has put him on blood pressure pills and although his retinas have reattached , he is still blind! 
:


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## Fransurrey (3 October 2013)

Oh no! Poor little chap.  Hope he's coping ok. X


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## Tiffany (3 October 2013)

So sorry how heart breaking for you.


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## ILuvCowparsely (4 October 2013)

Fransurrey said:



			Squamous cell carcinoma came back from the biopsy. I worked in cancer research long enough to know the score. Absolutely devastated. My little cat has weeks left to live. He will most likely be pts before my holiday (that'll be great...) in mid-October. 

Click to expand...

I  am so sorry to hear this, one of ours had cancer.  Its horrid and so sad that your little cat will be leaving you and moving on.  My world fell apart when I lost Kassie last year to rta.  These majestic beautiful animals really imprint on our hearts.  They leave paw prints never to be forgotten.  Thinking of you at this sad time.


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## Fransurrey (1 November 2013)

Another update. No change in the tumour. Rosco is still hunting and acting normally. He did develop Horner's syndrome not long after the last vet visit, but aside from the droopy effect from that, he's still full of life. His last catch and eat that I know of was a few days ago and he only left the stomach, so I know he's ok eating! He's put on more weight, too and looks quite healthy.

I did find out that metacam is a cox-2 inhibitor. Recently this enzyme has been shown to play a role in tumour growth, so metacam can be used to modulate tumour progression as well as for pain relief. This, I assume is why he's still a bouncy kitty! So, I don't know how long this will last. I may go home today and find him struggling, I may get to love him for another month. Who knows?

How's Helby, PoR?


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## pines of rome (1 November 2013)

Glad Rosco is still doing ok, I am dreading Monday when Jaffa goes in, not so much for the amputation, but in case the xray of his chest is not clear and I have to make the decision wether to let him go then!
Helby is doing ok, blind as a bat, but he is coping ok, bless him


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