Pansy is Having a Bake Sale!!

The kind folks of IAR care so much about my mental well-being that they've agreed to pay for Pansy to have chest x-rays done. The results are hard to read (because of her weight) but there are no signs of lung cancer, or any other large tumors that should frighten us in the night. So, that is a huge relief!
However, x-rays cost money, and IAR has a limited amount of money to spend. So, our sweet Miss Pansy Pie is having a bake sale devoted especially to her! The bake sale will be Sept 27-28 at Petco on 15-501. So, come by and shop! The goodies at the bake sales are always fantastic, and cheap.
Now, on the scarier side, since last week, P has not really been interested in eating. I've had to beg and plead with her to get her to eat anything, and she's probably getting about half of what she'd normally eat. I took a half a can of food with her this morning to the vet, so we'll see how that goes.
I believe that Miss P is not considered adoptable, and Lindsay and I agreed to care for her for the rest of her life, even though she will remain an IAR cat. So, I'm not entirely sure about the future of this blog. However, I think I will continue keeping it, just because P has so many fans! I'd hate to deprive them of updates. Plus, I can advertise bake sales! ;)

Don't forget: Setp 27-28th. Petco on 15-501 (by Target). Yummyness.
See you all there!

The Results are In

So, the tumor was cancerous. We don't know what that means for all the little lumps up and down her abdominal region, but we have to assume they are cancerous, too. I'm not sure what IAR will want to do. It sounds like our two options are to remove all of her mammary-related everything, or to just remove lumps as they get big. The good doc has explained that the cat's life-span will be similar with either option, so I have a hunch we'll go with the second one.

It's a pretty sad day for me. P wasn't eating this morning when I left for work. Perhaps she knew the bad news that was on the way. But, that scares me almost as much as the C-word!

But, she's strong. She's such a bright, determined girl. While I feel emotionally kicked by life, I know that she doesn't care what her chances are, or how bad it could be. She's going to go on just like she always has. Isn't it funny that the people with the cancer always seem so much stronger than those of us who just have to watch their struggle?

New Video

Gray from TCH bought Miss P this wonderful new toy--and she is crazy about it! I wanted to share with you all just how much she loves her Hot Tamale. Sorry about the crappy cinematography! About two-thirds of the way through, I show you her incision, so if you have an uneasy stomach, look away. She's recovering from her surgery, and hates taking her pills and pain meds.



Watching some of the older videos--can you believe this is the same cat? She's jumping up to get the toy! She used to barely reach for it!

Biopsy

The biopsy went well, and Miss P is at home, well-fed (we made an exception on her diet, since everyone should get a free-day if they have surgery!) and resting.

Good News/Bad News

So, at weigh-in today, Pansy came in at 17.1 lb! It's so exciting to be getting into numbers so low. It didn't really hit me until today that she's almost down to 17 pounds! I've started to wonder what our long-term goal is (besides getting her adopted, of course!)

Now, for the bad news. As Pansy's been losing weight, I've noticed a lump under one of her nipples. I thought it was scar tissue from a benign mammary tumor she'd had removed back in '06 (I believe that was the year) but Dr. Kirch said we aren't that lucky. Tomorrow they are removing it in order to do a biopsy on it. In order to keep her spirits up, we're telling Miss P that she's just getting a tummy tuck, since she's lost so much weight and has so much skin left over!

I've got a picture of it, but it's not a great one. It's about the size of a gum drop.

So, cross your fingers for our girl, and if you'd like to help with any medical expenses, you can donate at animalrescue.net. I believe there's a field where you can designate that it's for Miss Pansy Pie's surgery. Or, I'm sure The Cat Hospital of Durham and Chapel Hill will take money. I feel bad even mentioning it, but it seems to have been the year for medical expenses, and I hate to think of the medical fund drying up while cats still need help.

I'll let you know as soon as I find anything out.

Summer Slimdown!

I've spent a good deal of time out-of-town this month, but Miss P has been in excellent hands. Such good hands, in fact, that she's lost over 3/4 of a pound! She is 17.18 pounds today. She has adjusted well to her smaller diet, and I must say, it has made her a favorite among her foster siblings. (Of course they love her for who she is, not just what she provides for them!)


Less weight means more activity. Miss P has come upstairs twice in the last week, and we saw her run! I believe that she is to the point where she would be treat-motivated to exercise, if all her foster-siblings wouldn't beat her to the treat.

An Entire Month?!

It must have been a month that has slipped by since I last posted. I know because sweet Miss Pansy Pie has decided, yet again, to take matters into her own hands:

Oh, our sweet pie! She got tired trying to figure out how to get into blogger, and took a nap.

In other news, she has plateaued at 18 pounds, so we have had to cut her food again. She's not a fan of it, but her foster-siblings that get her extra food don't mind!