First of all I would just like to thank you for your website. Of all the websites I found when my Kitty was first diagnosed with oral SCC, this was the only one I found to be of any help in dealing with what I was going through. Being able to read about others' experiences with this horrible disease and how they handled it was so helpful. It took me a few months to be able to handle even writing Kitty's story, but I wanted to do it, so you could add it to your site to help others as well.
Kitty was 13 years old when she was diagnosed on October 18, 2004. She had been a happy, healthy cat her whole life, but one weekend she started drooling profusely. By Monday morning, it wasn't as bad, but I called the vet anyways, and they said to bring her in. The vet looked in her mouth, and the whole underside of her tongue was bright red. He suggested a biopsy and said she would need to spend the night. When I picked her up the next day, the drooling was bad, and that was the beginning of her not being able to eat. At first I thought that the biopsy had made her mouth sore and that was all it was. She had been chewing on a plant I had in the house the weekend that she started drooling, so I was convinced that the plant was the culprit, so I called the vet's office to tell them my theory, only to be told that it was SCC of the tongue and that there was nothing they could do for her.
They explained that surgery was not an option, as this kind of cancer spread so quickly that it would only be a matter of time before it came back. I knew I could not put her through that anyways, as the cancer was covering much of the underside of her tongue. He had also said that chemo would only prolong her life for a couple months, and I could not put her through that either. He suggested a pain patch, so on Friday I took her in to have it put on. She did ok with the patch on, but she looked so pitiful, as the drooling had stained her otherwise beautiful white mane orange. No matter what I tried to wash it off with, it was still orange.
Due to the fact that she could no longer eat any type of solid foods following her biopsy, I spent the next couple weeks trying soft canned foods, putting anything I could think of through the blender, just so she could eat. This was the hardest part, because she would take a couple licks and walk away...no matter what I gave her.
On November 4, 2004 I made the decision to put her to rest. I could not just let my chubby little girl waste away to nothing, and did not want to prolong her pain. That is the hardest part...knowing when. I gave her a very good life, and she gave me happiness as well. She will always be in my heart.
Therese
