Tiger can finally breathe!!!!!

[Emeraldgreen]

Well, Tiger and I left the house at 5:30 yesterday morning and my other cat Jimmy looked so worried. He saw me pack Tiger up in his carrier and I think Jimmy thought that I was taking Tiger to the same place that I took Charlie and that he wouldn't be coming back. I tried to explain that this was our last hope for Tiger but Jimmy wasn't convinced! :(
We caught a ferry (just a short ferry ride) and then drove for a few hours and then caught a float plane (which was very loud for Tiger but he seemed to handle pretty well) and then caught a taxi and arrived at the vet by 9:00a.m. He told me he was going to have another look in his throat with the endoscopy and then his nose but I asked him to really focus on his nasal area because I was sure this was where the problem was. I asked him if he ever watched that tv show about the doctor called HOUSE (the guy that figures out all the weird medical mysteries) and he said that he had. I told him that he was my HOUSE and that after 4 other vets I was sure he was going to be the one who finally figure this mystery out for us.
A few hours later I went back to see how things had gone and the vet told me that they had immediately found either a polyp or a mass inside his nasal passage and had removed it. They will find out exactly what it is when the results from the lab come back in a week or two. I'm praying it is not cancer but in the meantime, I'm so thankful for his new and improved condition. The vet said that he thought Tiger sounded much better upon waking up from the surgery but wanted me to listen for myself. I walked over to the cage that he was recovering in and he was silent. No wheezing!!! He spent the next couple of hours there before our flight home and I couldn't help but notice how bright eyed he was in his cage as we drove the last couple of hours home. Despite being groggy from the anesthesia, he looked good. Oxygen makes all the difference! I can't imagine how awful it's been for him these past 7 weeks struggling to get oxygen and not being able to get full breaths.
When we got home around 11:00p.m. last night, I opened his cage door and Jimmy ran right up to him and sniffed Tiger's nose and face for a minute and then with what seemed like complete and utter joy, raced around like a madman playing with toys, flying up and down our two steps in our bedroom and going ballistic on the cat tree. I haven't seen Jimmy act this way since before Charlie died. Tiger also started attacking the tree and even played for a moment with his favourite stuffed caterpillar toy! We're all pretty happy! Thank you to everybody on this wonderful forum for your help and support. Mary, a very special thank you to you for your personal story about your cat Yodie that you PM'd to me. That in combination with the pet psychic's reading is really is what motivated me to book the appointment that I hope will ultimately give Tiger his life back. Thank you so much! ;)
p.s. here are two youtube videos of Tiger taken this morning. He was still a little groggy today but I think the painpatch meds have worn off and he is feeling some of the effects of the surgery now. He's doing well though. Here are the videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vpo21qgw8w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhteV--gAJQ

[Catty1]

Oh how WONDERFUL! That is the HAPPIEST face-washing I have ever seen! Even though I didn't see the video of him before, I would guess he really is perkier!

Cancer in the nose is rare in cats...my mom's cat unfortunately was one of the rare ones, but that means good odds for Tiger!

That second video - I love how his eyes look up and over at you for just a moment...then he seems to decide enough playing.

When my cats attack a moving object like Tiger does, I tell them they are 'fierce and mighty hunters!' :D

Emerald - he is just the most BEAUTIFUL boy...I could gaze at that face and those eyes for hours. *sigh* *melts*

I am so happy he can breathe again!

:) :) :) :) :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

This is wonderful news!!!:D I'm so glad that this vet was able to help Tiger and now he can breathe again.:) I hope that the test results come back normal and that he'll remain a happy and healthy cat for many more years to come. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

OH THANK GOD! I have been waiting for the newest update! I am SO GLAD that he is not wheezing anymore! I could not hear a noise other than licking in the newest videos! YAY!!!!! The last ones made my stomach pang :eek: I was so worried!

Please give him a head scritch for me! ;)

And I am glad that now Meowmie can finally take a breather, and just enjoy Tiger without all the emotions,guilt, worrying and wondering :D

[Medusa]

YIPPEE!!! No wheezing in either of those videos! Polyps are weird things. Judging from how Tiger was breathing, I was almost certain it was a polyp that was causing it but to locate it was another story, eh? It's so good that you found a "House" vet. :p I have one, too, and that makes all the difference in the world. I'm so happy for you and Tiger. Now you can have some peace. And so can Charlie.

[moosmom]

I'm SO glad they found the problem!! Now Tiger can breath again. That's great news!

[Emeraldgreen]

Thanks for all the well wishes everybody and for taking an interest in the upate on my Tiggy!! :D
Day two and Tiger is doing great. This morning I heard some noise and went to investigate and found Tiger not only playing with his caterpiller stuffie but pummeling it and rabbit kicking it, a sign of true happiness! :)
p.s. Thanks Candace, I think he is a handsome fellow too and have always marvelled at what a wonderful job he does grooming himself. On occasion I have to help him with a bit of matted fur but rarely. Usually he does it all himself. I think he knows he's handsome too and he really works at it to keep it up. LOL
I also thought he looked 'happy' in the video where he is washing his face.
p.s. I'll post another message when the results come back from the lab.
p.p.s. the two pictures of Tiger were taken the same day of the surgery (about 13 hours later) and the other one was taken last year before all this started.

[Laura's Babies]

I am SO glad they found what was causing him so much problem and took care of it... keep fingers crossed and saying prayers that everything comes back fine!

[Catlady711]

I'm SO happy that this other vet found and fixed Tiger's problem! Tiger must be very relieved to be able to breath normally again, and I'm sure you are as well. :)

Sometimes a specialist or even another set of eyes looking at the problem can make all the difference. While having to see yet another vet for the same problem can be very frustrating, sometimes the results are so well worth it!

I'm very very glad that Tiger is now back to his old playful self! :D :D

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi everybody. Well, the vet just called. The results show squamous carcinoma. I'm so sad. Tiger is doing so well and I'm trying not to let myself think about what the future holds.
The vet said there is the option of chemo but he didn't recommend it. He said it is sometimes effective with dogs but rarely with cats.
Does anyone know of any natural remedies that might prolong Tiger's life? Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. :(

[Catty1]

Oh, sweetheart! This is heartbreaking for me, even more so for you - my mom's beloved Pyka had nasal surgery for blocked breathing...and it came back cancerous. And this doesn't often happened - I so hoped that where Pyka lost the battle, Tiger would come through fine!

1. Email or call this vet and ask him for the name of an animal oncologist. This may not cost a lot, since your vet has the medical records on Tiger and could send them to this person for another opinion. Specialists have a different slant on things - for example, just how chemo might affect Tiger.

2. Is this a single tumour, and some cancer is left behind?

3. PM Craftlady - she has a lot of knowledge about herbal stuff that WORKS.

Pyka had nasal lymphoma; Tiger has squamous cell carcinoma. There MIGHT be a difference in prognosis.

Above all, don't feel guilty - there is NO way to spot nasal cancer without a biopsy or surgery and actually testing the material.

You get hold of an oncologist - I'll go Google....


HUGS!

[Catty1]

EG - I've found no news of this being CURED...but there are quite a few kitties that have good quality life for a few more years. Kind of like 'kidney' kitties - they don't get cured, but with some treatment, they can carry on good lives.

It's a matter of managing the illness, it seems - and hey, Tiger just might fool all of us! :D

HUGS!

Link #1 - I will copy and paste some of the pertinent paragraphs below.

http://www.fabcats.org/cancer1.html


"There are many different types of cancer, and they are often classified according to the origin of the type of abnormal cell they contain. Thus cancers known as ‘carcinomas' and ‘sarcomas' are solid tumours that arise from various different tissues, whereas ‘leukaemias' are cancers that affect the bone marrow where blood cells are produced and often cause large numbers of abnormal cells to appear in the blood stream. ‘Lymphoma' is a solid cancer caused by the growth of abnormal lymphocytes – a type of white blood cell that can also be found in tissues and is part of the immune system.

When cancer is diagnosed, a natural and common reaction is ‘What have I done wrong?' or ‘What could I have done to have prevented this from happening?' While these are entirely natural responses when we first learn that our pet has cancer, it is important to remember that in the vast majority of cases we don't know what will have lead to the development of the cancer, and therefore it would have been impossible to prevent.

Although a diagnosis of cancer is never good news, it is not necessarily a ‘death sentence' for a cat. Many treatment options are available for cancers (these are covered in more detail in Cats and Cancer 2). Not all cancers respond well to therapy and the choice of whether or not to treat, and what to treat with, will depend on many factors. Some forms of therapy are only available at specialist centres, and your vet may suggest that he or she refers you to one of these places.

In many cases, appropriate treatment of cancer can result in a significant prolongation of very good quality of life for cats. Treatments can carry side effects, but your vet will be aware of these, and the aim is always to improve the quality of life of affected cats, and not to cause any increased suffering through the treatment. Generally, with careful monitoring and assessment, significant side effects can be avoided.

It is not always right to treat a cat with cancer, and the cat's quality of life must always be the overriding concern – it is worthwhile discussing the options available in depth with your vet before arriving at any decision.

Squamous cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma affecting the tongue (one of the more common oral tumours)

Squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer of the skin. Exposure to sunlight is one trigger-factor for this cancer and it is seen more commonly in white cats, and cats kept in hot sunny countries. The tumour commonly affects the nose or the ears and can initially look like a small scratch or wound that won't heal. Spread (metastasis) of these tumours is uncommon but local lymph nodes are sometimes affected.

Early treatment of these tumours can be very successful and most commonly involves surgical removal or radiation therapy. For some tumours affecting the superficial layers of the skin local radiation therapy (applied via a probe touched onto the skin) can be very effective. The response to drug therapy (chemotherapy) is generally not very good. For some affected cats, an alternative to conventional surgery may be ‘cryosurgery' where the affected tissue is frozen using liquid nitrogen applied via a special probe, although conventional surgery and/or radiation therapy are usually the preferred option."

I'll find Part 2, as it deals more with treatments.

[Catty1]

Here is Part 2 - it is fairly general information, but worth a look.
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/infosheets/disease/cancer/cancer2.html

Also - what I have read so far indicates that SCC does not spread like other cancers. Might be hopeful.

1. This one is new...may be hard to find, and the cancer has to be on or near the skin. So far.

"Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been shown to be an effective treatment modality for surface-oriented neoplasms of the skin, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urogenital systems. The purpose of our study was to assess the safety and efficacy of PDT using Photofrin in the treatment of squamous cell carcinomas of feline facial skin."

2. There are several chemotherapy drugs that have been studied for the treatment of SCC in cats. The likelihood of a patient experiencing meaningful tumor shrinkage with chemotherapy is less than 10%, but the tumor may shrink a small amount or stop growing for a time. Chemotherapy for this type of cancer is typically given once every 3 weeks, starting with 2 treatments and then determining whether there is benefit of further therapy.
Chemotherapy is generally well tolerated with some cats experiencing mild side effects that usually go away without treatment. Less than 5% of cats experience severe side effects that would require hospitalization and supportive care.

3. The use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs may be useful for cats with SCC. These drugs (meloxicam and piroxicam) may help to slow tumor growth, especially when combined with radiation or other chemotherapy drugs. In addition, these medications are also potent pain relievers.

4. Another good link: http://www.zzcat.com/resources/treatment.htm

Near the bottom of the page there is a long list of alternative treatments...they stress talking with your vet.

REMEMBER - PT People will help if you need it. iMOM.org also helps with non-normal surgeries. Maybe just peek at their website and see if you would qualify. If you don't need it, great - and if you do, you will have a heads-up already about it.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear that Tiger's results say he has cancer.:( I sure hope that you'll be able to keep him comfortable and that he'll be able to live many more years with you. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

[Laura's Babies]

Man! I hate to hear it is cancer... He looks like he is feeling so much better and he is such a handsome boy. My prayers will be with you and him in hopes of of finding some way to treat this.

[Hellow]

Couldnet they just laser it out?

[Medusa]

Boy, Lara, this is a toughie. We're all praying that some form of treament is going to work and that Tiger is going to come through this. Lots of prayers headed your way and noggin noogies to Tiger.

[Catty1]

Lara - if you can find someone to do the lasering, there will be a way to get it done.

For example: If there was treatment in another town or city - there might be a PTr who could temporarily foster Tiger. Etc. Possibilities abound.

Hopefully an oncologist could do it. Please keep us posted if you are going to try something.

Keep the faith!

[Emeraldgreen]

Thanks for all the supportive messages everybody.
Candace, I really appreciate the research you've done on behalf of Tiger. It means a great deal. I'm at work right now and have quickly read through the posts but will reread everything in great detail when I get home and will post again after that :) Lara

[Catty1]

Hey, Lara!

How are Tiger and Jimmy doing?

As I PM'd you, if you want to PM or email me, I can search out some information in your area of the country.

Hope our boy is playing and eating and happy! :)

[Kirsten]

Oh no, I was just happy to read that Tiger is doing better and can breathe again, and now I read in your update that it's a squamous carcinoma! :( That's bad news indeed, and I'm so sorry!! :(

I don't know much about alternative medicine, but you may want to contact a holistic vet. I'm sure there are some homeopathic remedies that may help to keep the tumor at bay for a while, and that will give Tiger more life quality.

Kirsten

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi everybody. I wasn't able to use the computer for a few days but I'm finally back online and just finished reading all the posts. Thank you to all for so many good suggestions. Candace, I've been reading the links you included in your posts and they are so informative. Thank you!!! I'm going to talk with my vet about meloxicam. I used to give it to my dog (metacam) for the last two years of her life. It really helped her arthritis. If it could help shrink any remaining tumor or any new growing tumor and ease any pain Tiger might be in that would be good. I'm concerned about his kidneys though because I know it can be taxing on them and he does have some kidney issues. But, of course, tackling the cancer is equally important. Hard to know what to do. I'm also going to talk with my vet about continuing with prednisilone. I just weaned him off it as the vet who did the surgery suggested but after doing some research it seems it might be effective.
I'm very interested in the homeopathic route though and we do have a homeopathic vet in the area that I have never been to. She is Chinese.
Candace, I've reading through the list of natural herbs and supplements from the Dr. Charles Loops link and it's fascinating. I'm not finished reading it but feel so hopeful with all the possibilities. I realize I have to pick and choose only a few of the many options. So far, the Chinese herbs sound good, the Astragulus 10+ that helps boost immune systems and the Chih-Ko and circuma that fights tumors.
This next part gave me absolute chills!!!!!!!
Curcumin (Tumeric) – yellow pigment that is the main component of Tumeric, an Indian herb in the ginger family. Seems to have anti-carcinogenic properties at many levels of cancer as a prevention and treatment. Has been used effectively for tumor shrinkage topically as a paste also. Exact dosages unknown. Available in grocery stores and specialty stores.
The reason it gives me chills is because my father was diagnosed with liver cancer 2 years ago and within 3 weeks of his diagnosis he was dead. But while in his hospital bed 2 days before he died he woke up laughing. I was by his bedside and I said "dad, what's so funny?" and he told me about a dream he had just had. He said that he and the fellow across from his hospital bed, a guy named John who was dying of Aids, were together in India. They were having the most wonderful time. He was laughing while he told me about it because it brought him so much joy. He was absolutely smiling from ear to ear. He said "Lara, we were walking along the streets of India and there was this wonderful, beautiful yellow powder all over the streets, it was all over us and our clothes and all over everyone. It was so amazing and beautiful but no one else but John and I understood how valuable this stuff was. It was there for all of us to take but no one seemed to want to use it!!" and then he laughed again. I asked him what he thought it meant and he said he wasn't sure. The amazing thing is my father has never been to India or ever talked about India for as long as I knew him. WOW. I'm so in awe about it.
I believe in God and pray alot and I'm really wondering now if he dreamed about a cancer fighting treatment that is natural and available to us all. I think it was a poem by William Blake that writes about the idea that we are closest to God when we are first born and in the first few years of our lives and then become close to him again at the end of our lives. Maybe my Dad was given that dream for a reason.
I'm definitely going to try this with Tiger. In any case, I'm sure it won't hurt him.
p.s. Tiger is still doing very well. Happy, hungry and playful and can breathe with ease. :D

[Kirsten]

This next part gave me absolute chills!!!!!!!
Curcumin (Tumeric) – yellow pigment that is the main component of Tumeric, an Indian herb in the ginger family. Seems to have anti-carcinogenic properties at many levels of cancer as a prevention and treatment. Has been used effectively for tumor shrinkage topically as a paste also. Exact dosages unknown. Available in grocery stores and specialty stores.
The reason it gives me chills is because my father was diagnosed with liver cancer 2 years ago and within 3 weeks of his diagnosis he was dead. But while in his hospital bed 2 days before he died he woke up laughing. I was by his bedside and I said "dad, what's so funny?" and he told me about a dream he had just had. He said that he and the fellow across from his hospital bed, a guy named John who was dying of Aids, were together in India. They were having the most wonderful time. He was laughing while he told me about it because it brought him so much joy. He was absolutely smiling from ear to ear. He said "Lara, we were walking along the streets of India and there was this wonderful, beautiful yellow powder all over the streets, it was all over us and our clothes and all over everyone. It was so amazing and beautiful but no one else but John and I understood how valuable this stuff was. It was there for all of us to take but no one seemed to want to use it!!" and then he laughed again. I asked him what he thought it meant and he said he wasn't sure. WOW. I'm so in awe about it.

Wow, now that gave me chills also!! There must have been a reason why he had that dream, and why you remembered it now.

I'm very sorry you have lost your father.

Maybe he pointed out a way for you now to help Tiger.

Kirsten

[Emeraldgreen]

Thanks for you note Kirsten. I just wrote one to you about Luna. :)
I think that might be the case too, about the dream helping me now with Tiger. I might also start taking it as a preventive measure for myself. My birth mother died from breast cancer and although I'm only 39, I have a mammogram every year for the past 5 years just to be extra careful.
Anyway, it might be helpful and I'm now thinking that my father's dream might have been for me too. I'm going to pick some Tumeric up today and get both Tiger and myself started on it. :)
p.s. thanks for your kind words about my dad. We were very good friends and it was so hard. But time is a healer and it gets easier. That's one thing we all have or will have in common, losing loved ones. It sure helps to be able to communicate with other people about helping animals in distress though. I appreciate it very much.

[Kirsten]

I'm sorry that you have such a history of cancer running in your family; it's the same with mine. Almost everyone in my family has died from cancer, or has at least been sick with cancer, both on my father's and my mother's side. That's why I fear it a lot. It's such a scary disease.

It's sad that after all you've been through, you now have to face this illness again, in your beloved Tiger. May the Tumeric help him to deal with it, and to fight that thing as long as possible.

Best wishes to you and your furry friend!

Kirsten