In memory of Tigre...

...I dedicate this post to a sweet little cat's tale and his adoptive Mum Louise, from Dublin, who has kindly agreed to Tigre's story being retranscribed here. We are both hoping that this will help and inspire other cat carers in providing a more gentle and natural palliative (potentially/temporarily healing) treatment for their cancer-diagnosed pet, thus at the very least allowing their furry sprog a few more precious months or years without unnecessary suffering for the cat--goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway as there are some people who may want to prolong their animal's life at all costs mainly because they are not emotionally ready to let go and this regardless of the pet enduring unbearable pain and discomfort. This isn't what I or Louise would advocate, I'd like to make that quite clear from the start : the cat's quality of life is paramount here.

Anyway, here comes Tigre's story, written by Louise :

" Tigre was brought to be euthanased as he had suspected cancer of the mouth. He had not undergone biopsy or full oral cavity exam prior to that, he had simply gone off his food and was quite malnourished. Aside from that he was in good spirits and appeared to be doing well. Having discussed the situation with the vet (and previous owner) it was decided that we could undertake the commitment to take him home and give him as much quality time as we could. I would not be the type of person to keep an animal alive if it was suffering but at the same point we did not think it appropriate to play God when we did not know how much more Tigre could get from life. Having worked with the DSPCA and Blue Cross I have seen far too many unnecessary euthanasias.

We took Tigre home with us and booked him in for a biopsy with the wonderful Carey and Keane in Kilmainham. They decided to remove entire tumour while he was under to save a second op, and he came around well. We had him on painkillers afterwards and he underwent a course of liquid antibiotics (Betamox) in case of infection. We put him onto alfalfa 30c in order to stimulate his appetite and he began eating properly within 1-2 days of the op. His diet was as follows:


· Grilled trout

· Chicken “stew” made with grilled, shredded chicken, chicken stock from carcass and pureed veg – it is important not to give them onions

· Chopped raw steak

· Chopped kidneys (gross but he loved them!!) and they are a wonderful source of iron for a recovering animal

· Filtered water

· Essiac (5-10ml per day)

· Whiskas “oh so meaty” pouches as an occasional treat


People have different opinions on the Essiac tea but we believe it to be beneficial as a general immune support. It’s main ingredients – sheep sorrel leaves and burdock root have been thought (but not proved) to be effective in helping the body fight cancer. It is quite expensive, around €40 per bottle. There is a cheaper alternative where you can buy the dried form and dilute at home but care must be taken not to use metal/stainless steel containers and only pure water so to be honest it’s as easy to spend a little extra on the “ready” form. Any good health food store will stock this. As a support for cancer sufferers, it is given on a daily basis but it can also be used in healthy animals to boost immune system if given for one or two three week periods a year.

One thing I found with Tigre and it may or may not have been related to his disease was that he preferred to eat little and often. I could feed him up to 6 times a day and he would eat small amounts each time.

He thrived for a few months and seemed quite happy. He ruled the house and had his favourite sun spots on various windowsills etc as well as sleeping on my pillow at night. A little extra care had to be taken to help him groom himself but I think the daily brushing sessions were therapeutic and he really enjoyed them.

After a few months the cancer returned. We turned to homeopathy because we did not want to put him through more surgery. There is a very good veterinary homeopath in Finglas called JJ Fox so we took him there. He prescribed stem cells (RNA/DNA) to be given on a daily basis. We also used Mercurius Corrosivus 200c for ulceration. Later we used Hydrastis in tincture form to alleviate pressure pain from ulcers. We also used Nitric Acid in 1M to treat the carcinoma.

Amazingly, one evening, I was preparing his food in the kitchen and the tumour appeared to have shrunk in size quite significantly. He continued to do well for a few months. He had the occasional set back with inflammation where we were required to treat with flagyl but aside from that he was fine and continued to do well. When he had his setbacks he would sleep for up to 20 hours a day and then after a few days come out of them and eat like a horse to compensate. There were a few times we thought it might be kinder to have him put to sleep but then he would always bounce back as if to say “hey I know what you’re planning!”

Shortly before Christmas, the cancer returned and I think at that stage we knew the end was near. We did the best we could for him, ensuring that he was still eating, and was on prescriptive pain meds. The homeopathic treatment protocol that seemed to work so well the first time had no effect any more. I don’t understand the way it works. It’s so hard to match the energy of the disease with the potencies, but it definitely allowed us to buy him precious time.

In mid January, we came home after being out for an hour and he appeared to be lifeless in his little armchair. I picked him up and it seemed he had had some form of stroke. I made sure to give him another dose of painkillers (metacalm), and we administered Phosphorous and Arsenicum which are meant to alleviate fear of death. He slipped in and out of consciousness for an hour or two so I wrapped him in his blanket and placed him between us on the bed where he passed away early the next morning.

I will be honest and say it was a horrendous experience and one that we had fooled ourselves into thinking we would never have to go through but I would do it all again if it meant giving an animal an extra few months. Life is precious! I believe that without the essiac and homeopathy he probably would have died 8-10 months sooner…it’s hard to say, but we both feel that it really did help him to fight.

Anyway hope this wasn’t too long. Please God you will never have to use the advice here, but at least it may be of some help.

Cheers

Louise"




Prior to this, another e-mail from Louise :

"Hi

It was squamous cell carcinoma in the oral cavity (under the tongue to be specific) so the biggest battle we had to fight was keeping him nourished. We did use a certain amount of conventional treatment initially (he had the tumour removed) and also at the end (he was on pain medication) but for the most part we focused on homeopathic treatment and diet (no cat food was allowed pass our door!) I will write out our protocol later and send to you tomorrow. It’s always nice to see people who do not rely solely on conventional med (especially with veterinary medicine where often euthanasia is the only option presented to owners)

Louise"



and another e-mail prior to this one from Louise:


"Hi

It has been a while (he passed away in January) so I will need to check with my partner this evening re the different potencies we used. A few of the remedies stick out in my mind such as alfalfa for stimulating his appetite, Mercurius Corrosivus for ulceration and also potentised stem cells which we obtained from a homeopathic vet in Finglas. I will get back to you tomorrow with more specific information and potencies. When we rescued him he was middle-late stage but I would love to be of help to other cats who may fall victim to this horrible disease in the future

Many thanks

Louise"


Dear Louise, thank you so much for the effort and contribution you have put into the writing of Tigre's story, from me and on behalf of all who may find your experience helpful and enlightening.
I myself have learned a lot from this, especially in regard to diet issues, which definitely play a much bigger part in cats' future as well as present state of health than i had previously appreciated.
Today, I have found and inserted yet another (disturbing)video about commercial petfood so that more pet carers can be better informed..