April 09, 2007
Sick Squiggy Cat
Bad news today. We'd taken Squiggy to the Anacapa Animal Hospital, where Dr. Burner was treating him for his recent bout with thyroid cancer. All had seemed well, except that Squigs wasn't gaining the expected weight after his thyroid function returned to normal.
Dr. Burner ran some tests; the ultrasound revealed what looks like a big tumor (or series of tumors) along his intestine, with some indications that it has spread to his liver. We're weighing our options, trying to figure ought what we ought to do; the next step is a needle biopsy, to see what kind of cancer we're dealing with, which will also tell us what the best course of treatment will be.
The animals in our house are a constant source of joy and amusement, each with very distinctive personalities. Although a dog guy, Squiggy and Pepper have grown on me over the last couple of years, and I'm taken aback by my concern for the critter. Bogie spends all day in the house with Squigs, and they've become pals, often lying next to each other on the rug, a closeness the finicky feline won't permit with other cats.
I have a friend who won't own pets; watching a loved companion die was so painful that he's unwilling to experience it again.
Yet the unconditional love these animals give us is so complete, their trust so total, that the worry over their welfare seems a small price to pay for the years of happiness they've brought into our house.
Life and death are impossible to unravel; we begin dying the moment we begin living, yet we reject the knowledge that the end is always in sight. Moments like this, when the doctor -- or vet -- gives us the bad news, simply shines a bright light on the approaching terminus, reminds us that no matter how mightily we struggle, we will all arrive at the same destination.
Although I'd prefer a substantial delay in my scheduled departure. And, if there's any way I can arrange it, Squiggy's departure, too.
Posted by Mike Lief at April 9, 2007 11:25 PM
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Comments
Hey Squigs: We're pulling for you to stick around and torment Bogie for a long time! Sorry to hear the bad news after thinking things would only be getting better.
Posted by: Thin Ice, Sr. at April 10, 2007 06:04 AM