I took Tiger-boo in for a second opinion from a new vet and – SURPRISE! – he does not have cancer after all. At least, there is no indication of cancer at this time. His blood and urine show no anomalies, which they would if he had cancer because it apparently affects all sort of other things, like kidney and liver function. All of the tests came back perfectly normal and healthy and, dear god, they tested for everything. I have the vet bill to prove it.
The new vet could not feel the mass and does not think the funny looking area on the x-ray indicates cancer. It could just be a cross-section of poop in the bowel. He showed me some other areas on the x-ray that are, in fact, poop in the bowel and – hey! – they look suspiciously like the “cancer” area. Add the prior vet’s notes describing the alleged mass in one part of Tiger’s kitty abdomen a month ago and a completely different part a week ago and, well, I am still trying to wrap my mind around his bee-line to a 30-day mortality diagnosis.
I still have no explanation for Tiger’s rapid weight loss but it turns out he is not, in fact, underweight. He just looks super skinny to me because he was so fat before.
Now, could he still be sick and we just cannot see it? Yes, it is possible. He has been on prednisone for a week, which increases appetite and could have shrunk the mass, if there was one to begin with. The next step is to have new x-rays, though if the prednisone shrunk a tumor I am not sure what the x-rays can tell us at this point. I can have them taken before my vacation or, since the last ones were just a week ago, wait until I come back, which will put them at one month out from the last set of x-rays. Meanwhile, he stays on prednisone for 30 days, provided my house-sitter and kitty caretaker can get close enough to him to shove the pill down his throat once a day.
So, increase my comfort level by an immeasurable amount and my vet bill by another $220 before I leave for vacation or wait until I get back?
To make him docile while they drew blood and urine samples, the vet gave Tiger happy gas which had not completely worn off by the time we got home. He careened around like a drunken sailor before curling up in a corner to sleep it off. I expect he did not like the feeling much but it was funny as hell to watch.
I informed Tiger he has to live at least 450 more days to repay his $450-to-date vet bills with uninhibited kitty loving valued at $1 per day.
What? There are no kitty unions. It is a totally fair repayment schedule.
