Oh my sweet Connie, I'm so sorry honey.  This is never easy, letting go when we want them to stay.  It reminds me of when my beloved chocolate lab, KoKoa was ill for the last part of his life.  My time was consumed by taking care ofhim and that was the way I wanted it, because I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could.

He died at the ripe old age of 17...very long time for a lab.

If you want to talk, PM me and I'll answer.  If there is anything I can do, please let me know.

HUGS

Deb

:crying: :crying:  :crying: :crying: :crying:

Just heart breaking hon.  I'm truly saddened to hear this news. 

HUGZ and KISSES to you and your sweet little one there!!   As Jeff mentions, make sure and spend every moment you can with her.  Made me cry when you mentioned despite all she's going through she was laying there purring.  Oh my goddess, there I go again......  :crying:

Oh Connie! I'm so sorry!  

=,(

Damm, so sorry to hear about your kitty. Well one good thing is that she is not in any pain. I really hoped that she was going to get better. Prayers are with you at this time.

Bert.

I'm so sorry about your kitty... :(

:: sending warm hugs to both of you ::

my heart goes out to you both, my thoughts are with you and Tigger, i know you will grieve but remember Tigger has had a very safe, loving and kind home with you and loves you in return.
give poor Bubba lots of love and attention in the next few weeks, he will need it as much as you will need to give it because he will miss his sister as much as you will.

i don't pray, but hope there is something up there looking down and guarding you both.

lots of very saddened hugs

andy

Thank You so very much everyone.

I know it's probably futile, but I have a tiniest glimmer of hope today. Tigger seems to be doing pretty good without being overloaded with food. he even wants to eat a little bit on her own, and lets me know when she's hungry. Her poop has gotten a lot darker (not like blood), but the way it's supposed to when the bile is draining out. Maybe te exams and the ultrasound and all that jarred the tumor a bit to let some of it pass through. Or maybe less food made more room in her tummy.

Today she actually livened up a tad, enough to crawl from her overnight corner bed, to the one next to my pillow. I thought she needed to pee, but she didn't care for the litterbox. Which means she was hungry. (Normally, before the illness, she would come from her overnight bed to the pillow to paw at my face when she's hungry).

I fed her and she relaxed for about 10 minutes. Then she crawled out again, and sat on my hand, and started purring and snuggling. She hasn't done that since she got ill. Her head is perking up a lot today when she sees or hears me. I haven't seen that in about a week.

She had another feeding this afternoon, just before I started writing. I fed Bubba, and sh got all interested. Even had a lick of his food. Waiting for her to need to pee, I'm not sure how that is going to unfold. My honey went to the store yesterday, and got me a pack of diapers which I tailored to be able to cup her little bum into it if she needs to go. She still tries to make it to the litter box, so hopefully I won't misinterpret it today.

She's napping how after the feeding, looking so beautiful and peaceful in her snuggly bed.

Here's how well trained her and Bubba are... Bubba gets to go outside in the yard for few hours during the day. Yesterday afternoon, I whistle for Bubba to come in the house, and as usual, he somes running in... and then promptly goes to pee inside the litterbox. He won't even pee outside!!!! 

We're hanging in there today.

Quote - Thank You so very much everyone.

I know it's probably futile, but I have a tiniest glimmer of hope today. Tigger seems to be doing pretty good without being overloaded with food. he even wants to eat a little bit on her own, and lets me know when she's hungry. Her poop has gotten a lot darker (not like blood), but the way it's supposed to when the bile is draining out. Maybe te exams and the ultrasound and all that jarred the tumor a bit to let some of it pass through. Or maybe less food made more room in her tummy.

Today she actually livened up a tad, enough to crawl from her overnight corner bed, to the one next to my pillow. I thought she needed to pee, but she didn't care for the litterbox. Which means she was hungry. (Normally, before the illness, she would come from her overnight bed to the pillow to paw at my face when she's hungry).

I fed her and she relaxed for about 10 minutes. Then she crawled out again, and sat on my hand, and started purring and snuggling. She hasn't done that since she got ill. Her head is perking up a lot today when she sees or hears me. I haven't seen that in about a week.

She had another feeding this afternoon, just before I started writing. I fed Bubba, and sh got all interested. Even had a lick of his food. Waiting for her to need to pee, I'm not sure how that is going to unfold. My honey went to the store yesterday, and got me a pack of diapers which I tailored to be able to cup her little bum into it if she needs to go. She still tries to make it to the litter box, so hopefully I won't misinterpret it today.

She's napping how after the feeding, looking so beautiful and peaceful in her snuggly bed.

Here's how well trained her and Bubba are... Bubba gets to go outside in the yard for few hours during the day. Yesterday afternoon, I whistle for Bubba to come in the house, and as usual, he somes running in... and then promptly goes to pee inside the litterbox. He won't even pee outside!!!! 

We're hanging in there today.

Sorry, I didn't notice I was logged in under my BadKittehCo merchant account before posting...

Glad to hear today was better.
We have 3 furries, and we thought we were going to lose 18 year old Fred just before Christmas.
He seemed to be really weak, not eating, and losing power in his back legs.
Because he wasn't eating I tried a can of tuna and he ate some.
Long story short - the tuna seemed to do the trick for him - he's still curling up on my lap and can even bounce up on the bed now.
Hope tigger keeps bouncin' too.
Hang in there Connie

Great to hear that tigger is doing better. I would take her in to see another vet. With all the knocking around, and unblocking of her ducts, ie poop. I would really look into it. Maybe a
shunt or chemo or something. You never know. I'll light a prayer candle for her. Hang in there.

Oh, I saw something on the net on the liver, bile ducts (unblocking). I put stars around it.
Getting her to take the stuff below would be a challenge.

Yes, many supplements can be burdensome for the liver.  Not only that, but according to alternative cancer pioneer Max Gerson, cancer only occurs in the presence of an impaired liver to begin with and any effective treatment, mainstream or otherwise, which destroys cancer cells will result in the release of toxins that further burden the liver. Chemo is also particularly hard on the liver.

Because of the importance of the role and health of the liver, before addressing which supplements may best help your pancreatic cancer (and there are at least two which are very promising), you should consider taking steps to protect and regenerate your liver as well as protect and keep the bile ducts open so that toxins can be efficiently processed and removed from the body (a primary function of the liver).

Yucky as it sounds, coffee enemas have been found to be very effective in opening the bile duct. Coconut oil helps keep the bile ducts open also and beet juice is good for protecting the bile duct and regulating bile flow.

For the liver itself, milk thistle (silymarin) is the most effective supplement for both protecting and regenerating the liver and has been approved as effective at both by the German E Commission (their equivalent of the FDA when it comes to herbs).  Lecithin with choline is wonderful for liver health and these herbs are also effective at protecting the liver:  alpha lipoic acid, selenium and turmeric.

It should be noted that milk thistle, alpha lipoic acid and selenium are the three anti-oxidants which were used in the limited Berkson clinical trial where three women who were facing either chemo or liver transplants had their livers restored to normal functions with those anti-oxidants and healthy lifestyle changes.  Furthermore, milk thistle, alpha-lipoic acid, selenium and turmeric are all regarded as cancer fighting supplements.

(Tho tigger would rend you from head to toe if you tried the coffee thing. Talk about one ticked off kitty)

Bert.
 

it's really amazing what they'll tolerate when they know you're trying to save their lives though..  smart little ones they are.

Well, my little Tigger-Lilly is hanging in there. Doing better then the Vet said she would. Her poopies are still dark brown, not red-brown, but yellow-brown which I'm hoping is the bile. She seems to have a bit more energy too. Walked/wobbled out into the back yard on her own today and sat in the sun for a while, then walked a bit again.
She ate couple treats on her own too while I was mixing her feeding in the morning. I have her on Milk Thistle, and a mix of vitamins recommended for Bile therapy.

She seems to have picked up a bit of strength, and is definately strong willed, as usual. Few days ago she seemed so weak that her hind legs were mostly dragging and tripping (when she would try to pick them up). In last couple of days, it's starting to resemble walk.  She's also starting to purr a bit more.

I'm pretty darn sure the tumor is a benign one, and not cancerous, because she has three other bumps on her, that are benign. They all look like the one on her liver, round, well defined, like little cysts.

So, hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope hope I HOPE!

Ohh... I hope with you!  Too many furbabies lost this year already..  you know we lost one of ours and my husband's coworker's house burned down and they lost all 4 of theirs.  Really really sad... enough already...  yours needs to live.

Still hoping and praying, Connie! Hang in there! :)

A LOT of hope with you Connie!!!

I just found this thread. I really hope your kitty pulls through! A few years ago I lost my two Siamese litter mates.Six months apart, but I had to take a couple of weeks vacation each time. They're family members, plus in my case and perhaps yours also surrogate children.

I'm still hopin' and prayin'!

Our prayers and thoughts are with you.

C'mon Tigger!!
Glad to hear she's still doing better.
Hope you're taking care of Conniekat as well...

I hope Tiger gets better

It looks like last couple days she gave me everything she had, as my honey says.

Today she is very very weak, and I'm starting to see some neurologic toxicity signs (little twitches here and there).  The doc said when those start, we're on last couple of days. Her beautiful eyes are still alert.
:crying: :crying: :crying: :m_heart:

Her first daddy, my ex, is coming to see her today, before he has to leave on business tomorrow morning.

Oh Connie, very very sad to hear this.  Like so many here I was holding out hope that the improvement was a sign of good things.  Big HUG  :O(

Connie, I'm sorry to hear that it is starting to take a turn for the worse. 

Oh, no.  Connie, I'm so sorry.  I was hoping for a miracle for you guys.  I will hold you in my thoughts.

Thanks guys!

I think my hoping that things may be improving last couple of days was mostly grasping for straws.

At least she still looks comfortable and alert.

Not grasping at straws sweetie,  it is hope, nothing wrong with that, because you just never know, right?

HUGS

Deb

Quote - Not grasping at straws sweetie,  it is hope, nothing wrong with that, because you just never know, right?
HUGS
Deb

Thank You Deb [weak smile]
This is so incredibly hard.
I'd give anything to have mommy's precious little snuggle bunny well again.

Yes, I know, I know.....I have felt that also with our beloved babies.... and gotten down on my knees many nights and prayed for it.  But you are doing all you can and she knows that she is loved and cherished and whatever the road ahead is for her, she has that and it does really help her and you need to hold onto that thought.  It will give you strength in the days ahead :)

HUGS

Strength and hugs for you Connie.
LadyElf is right.

We're still thinking and praying for Tigger you and your family.  No words can express it but we send you all waves of love and sympathy.

Little hug

Oh damm prayers and hugs for you and tigger both.

Bert.

Oh Conniecat , I'm so sorry to hear such bad news :(
My Chat Moche had a tumor too - under the skin - and he had surgery for that . I've heard that shark liver oil -  also called "squalene"   can help fighting against tumors( but do not confound with cartilage which is useless in our case ) .I gave it to my cat after the surgery and he is fine now - 1 1/2 year after the sugery .I don't know the efficiency due to the squalene but it worth trying , it's not very expensive -I've paid around 0.5 euro/cap- and quite easy to find   .I gave him 1 cap 500mg/ day - you pierce the cap and put the oil on his fur ,if he has the strength to lick it  .
Hope it's not too late for him .
Hugz
Alizea

Thanks everyone!

We're hanging in there. My honey was able to cancel a business trip (Swim meet coaching) this weekend to stay with us here... He was worried leaving me alone wthout emotional support.

Tigger is hanging in there. Perked up a little today compared to last couple of days. She had energy for a long purr and snuggle this morning. Doting on her every need it actually pretty therapeutic for me.

Spoke to the Vet couple of days ago, and he's supportive of letting her hang in there. She's still very alert and knows what's going on around her, and able to participate. The Vet sayd it's possible that some of that toxic bilirubin has found a way past the tumor out of her liver. I'm awaiting a poop, so when I see it's color, I'll know more.

Definitely hoping and praying for that miracle.

:: moving this back up so it doesnt get lost :: There's a lot of concerned people, myself included, and I dont want this thread getting knocked back to page 3.

Thanks Sean!

We're still hanging in there.  Poop yesterday, she actually went outside for the poop, then we hung out in the sun for about an hour.

Puke and a pee today. I'm pretty sure I caused the puke, by handling her too much this morning. She's mad at me at the moment and giving me a stink eye, since I had to wash her little bum after a pee. I think that's going to exhaust her for the rest of the day.

While she is weak, she's not fading. Compred to few days ago, she seems a tad stronger. Holding her head up, walking a little.

Whatever it is on her liver, maybe something good is happening with it. The Vet was quick to call it cancerous tumor. I'm not exactly buying it. She has couple other benign cysts on her... and the ultrasound shows a well defined round thing - more like a cyst then cancer.

Watching for signs of pain. Thought I saw some couple days ago, but it was the day she was trying to poop. After the poop she started acting comfortable again.

Tiggers is being such a trooper, and is definately not giving up. I'm trying to think positive.

HUGS to you Connie :)

They are amazing, aren't they?  Things that would make us quiver and howl and whine and complain they just seem to have the attitude of "well, so this is how I feel today" and then just deal with it.

I'm sure your love and care is helping her so much...as well as your faith.

Hang in there mom :)

hang in there Connie, but try not to get your hopes up. i am glad Tigger is still there with you and seems to be pain free. just remember that we are all here for you and Tigger. i know that you will grieve when she is gone, but when it is your time, it is your time. be comforted in the fact that you and Tigger have loved and comforted each other all the time you have been together, and she could not have had a better life than with someone like you, a warm ,caring wonderful, human being.
my first 3 furry friends never made it past 2years(1 got cancer from being kicked by a local lowlife[he suffered many little probs with his car for many years after] and 2 were knocked down by cars) Sammy was with me for 6 wonderful years. Demelza is coming up for 3 and i hope she is with me for many years, my aunt had a cat (Ginger) who made it to the grand old age of 23 before she was killed by a car.
lots of hugs
andy

 Aww. Coming in wayy late for this, I wish Tigger all good. 

Kitties are just kids with fur! And as such we do care about them, of course. 11½ isn't OLD for a cat, I've had cats that turned 17 and 18 (almost 19) so there's hopefully still a lot of mileage in Tigger!

I'm not into praying but I'll send good wishes nontherless!

I'll keep holding you and Tigger in my thoughts and prayers. Good wishes from my dog and cat, too.  :o)

You give Tigger a hug and stroke from us, we've had cats who were fighters too!  Just live each day with Tigger to the full and enjoy every minute of it, even when you have to clean her bottom.  You and Tigger are very much in our thoughts.

@Thanks Sean :)

We had a rough night. Tiggers was puking bout once every two hours, even when there was nothing to puke out :(  By about 8 AM that quited down down, and she's holding some food in her tummy.

My ex was nice to go pick up some more medication for her this morning, and bring it. The Vet is by his house, Tigger and I are about 30 miles away. I didn't want to leave her alone for couple of hours to go pick up the meds.

I gave her her first shot of pain medicine. That settled her down, and we both got some sleep this afternoon. If she continues to feel miserable, well, I'm not going to let her suffer.  :crying:

Oh Connie,  :O(

Big HUG!

Another BIG HUG.

---and another,  Connie----Jan

Thank you guys.
Sorry I suck at dealing with this.

Not at all, you're doing the best you can, and much more. Big HUGS!