I’m going to keep this short and sweet. My understanding is that when you need a miracle, you should ask for one. And then take the actions necessary to carry it out on your own as best you can.
Well, I found out last weekend that one of my kitties, Buddha, has cancer.
Then I cycled swiftly through all of the stages of grief. But underneath it all, I have to tell you, I always had a feeling that this would happen to him one day.
Not that it really helps.
Buddha is twelve already so we’re not going down the let’s-just-cut-off-pieces-of-him-until-we-get-it-all path because up until now, he’s had a pretty sweet life. I’m not going to make him suffer. Not even for one day.
But cancer is cancer, as you know, and right now I’m pretty sure it intends on winning. We’re going to try a laser treatment in the New Year that may stimulate his immune system to fight the cancer, but I have to tell you, even with this slim hope, I’m not feeling too optimistic for the poor little guy.
He already seems to be slowing down and giving in and we can’t start the treatments until the New Year.
So, what do you do when you need a miracle? You ask your friends.
I know everyone is very busy with holiday preparation and travel and parties and all. And I certainly don’t want to be a big downer or lean on anyone unnecessarily.
So if this is the kind of thing that throws you out of your process, just click away and don’t even worry about it.
I know and trust that there are plenty of people out there who have felt the power of prayer and intention. And I’d like those people, who have a little extra minute and a modicum of faith, to help me set a clear intention for a happy end of life for my little guy.
Buddha is very precious. He’s the softest cat you ever touched. White with black spots even inside his mouth.
When I got Buddha, he was a kitten and he was so tiny that he couldn’t even meow. All he could say was, “Meeeeep!”
I thought he was so cute, so I picked him up with one hand and brought him up to my face and said something like coochy-coochy-coo…and he flashed his baby claws and dug them into my cheek.
Now Buddha is an old, ornery codger, as fat as Garfield. But underneath under all that attitude and all that blubber and all that, I guess, cancer, he’s still my precious little kitten.
And of all of our four cats, he’s the only one who will come and sit on your lap and let you brush his fur.
Another funny cat thing that Buddha does is lie on his back and spread out all of his legs so that his fluffy white belly is totally exposed. But if you try to touch or rub his belly, forget it. Show over.
So. Anyway. I could use help keeping Buddha going until after the New Year, so he can get his laser treatments and we can see if he can turn things around.
Maybe if everyone prays for him, I’ll start to believe that it’s possible that he can make it. But I’m also prepared for the worst.
Even if this were the end for him, as I said, he’s had a really wonderful life.
I know I said I would keep this short. Sorry that didn’t really work out.
Thanks for praying for Buddha. Here he is:
Thanks in advance for your good wishes for him. π
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So sorry you and Buddha are going through this, I know how tough it it. Best wishes.
I just found last week that one of my four has diabetes, so I feel your pain. He looks like such a sweet boy. Saying a prayer for you both.
Prayers for your Buddha have been lifted up. I have 5 kitty’s and 2 of them are 13 yrs old. Cats do make our lives better. Your Buddha reminds me of our Wally which is a shorthair tuxedo, it looks like a hershey’s kiss drop fell on his nose too.
Sending thoughts, prayers and healing Reiki to your darling Buddha and all connected to him.
I’m sending healing thoughts his way. I’m so sorry…but you are a good friend in choosing to avoid extreme measures that will only likely cause more suffering.
I’m sorry to hear about your cat. My dog Max died a year ago 1/8/09 of Canine Cancer. I can tell you from experience that it seemed as though that all I did was pray for Max. Anytime he came through my mind, whatever time of day… I prayed for him. We’re never to far if you need us “prayer warriors”!
My heart goes out to you. π We just had to put down our sweet border collie, Holly, and the grief is terrible. I will be praying for a miracle for Buddha. I love his beautiful face. π
Will definitely send prayers for him, whatever his future may bring. I’m sorry this is happening. Knowing a loved one is in pain is difficult enough, but dealing with the thought of losing him is even worse. He looks like an amazing old soul, so he may just have the strength to pull through! *hugs*
Buddha, you are at the top of my list tonight.
Oh, Christina – thinking good thoughts for your sweet kitten and also for you as a family – and wisdom in helping your daughter through this, too.
He sounds like a lovely cat. Sending you both good vibes.
Adding mine…
I am so sorry! Pets are like one of the family and it is so hard to see them suffer. I will absolutely pray; my heart goes out to you both today.
I will be praying for your kitty…I love the black spot on the bridge of his nose! Thank you for sharing your stories about him. Very sweet! My family has a new kitty this year, which is as soft as a fluffy cloud, and we all love her. Even my husband. I have been through tough times with my dogs, and I know how hard it can be. Well wishes!
Oh dear, I’m so so sorry to hear about this. I’ve been there, and it’s devastating but thank you for sharing so we can add our prayers, too.
This breaks my heart. I remember when you got Buddha. I am praying for him.
Aw, what a sweetie. I love that spotted cats have spots inside their mouths, too. Here’s hoping you get a lot more time to spend together…
I just saw this post, I found your link on the WAHM forum, and I wanted to try and offer you some hope. Firstly, I will be praying for you and your kitty. Second, I have been there. I worked at a veterinarian’s office and a lady did a good deed and brought in a scruffy old black cat that looked like he had been living on the streets for a good month, and he was declawed. I took pity on him, and brought him into our home. He had terrible diarrhea, and would not gain weight. An exploratory surgery, and multiple other tests later, we found out he had small cell lymphoma in his small intestine. The vet’s offered little hope, unless we could take him to St. Louis for chemo. We live in Oklahoma, and there was no way we could afford it on such a crappy salary. So, we did the next best thing, we did prednisone therapy with the vet, and we started Chapel on our own cancer therapy at home. The prognosis was 2 months on the pred. We started with a raw diet, we used ground chicken and turkey, and feline instincts for all the vitamins and minerals he needed. That helped him termendously. His stools firmed up, so we knew he was getting some kind of nutrition from his food. The next thing we did was added Transfer Factor (the human kind) to his diet. At two months, he was doing fine, and was hungry all the time (thank you prednisone), he even ate a can of fish food that we had in his room. Our vet didn’t believe in the TF, but at the 2 month check-up he was still alive and kicking, without too much side effect. But 6 months later, the diarrhea came back, and we knew that the cancer was starting to spread. We hadn’t had him even a year, but we did all that we could to give him a good end of his life. It was hard to put him down, and I still get sad, but there are things you can do to prolong life without putting your pet through misery, especially if you are going to try treatment after the first of the year. If a cancer diet can work for human’s, there is no reason it can’t work for animals too. Keep the faith, I’ll be praying for you.
No prayer is sent in vain. Every prayer is heard. So we pray with you.
Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for your concern. Thanks too for sharing your story. Sounds like you did everything you could. It’s all we can do.
Thanks, Jessica. So far, so good!
Thanks, Jeanette. π
Thanks, Rebecca. π
Thanks, Kristen! π
Thanks, Hallie. I feel like all the prayers are helping. π
Thanks, dear. Happy New Year!
Thanks, Therese. π
Thanks, dear. π
Aw, thanks, Emily. π
Thank you, Julie. π
Sorry to hear this, Amy. Take good care. Appreciate your support for Buddha. π
Thanks, Andrea. I appreciate it!
Thanks, Michele. π
Thanks, Jan. π
Thanks so much. This rascal has definitely enriched our lives. π
Thanks, Kristen. Good luck with the diabetes.
Thanks, Rachel. π
Christina, I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty’s battle with cancer. I know you guys are doing the best thing possible by trying treatments to make him feel better, since quality of life is so much more important than length of life. I’m not sure if I mentioned this during our Dream Team last spring, but we had to put our dog down under similar circumstances. Harley had been suffering from what we thought was epilepsy (in the end, we think it was probably a brain tumor) for well over a year at that point. By January of 2010, it had gotten worse and worse. We’d maxed out the therapeutic levels of the primary med they give to treat epilepsy, and added on another medication after he had a major seizure that lasted an hour and miraculously didn’t kill him.
By the time March rolled around, Harley was constantly hungry from the meds, to the point where he would break into the garbage for food. In addition, we were so worried he’d have another grand mal seizure that would kill him, and that he would have to die feeling scared. Eventually, my husband decided to put him down, and scheduled a date a few weeks out. The timing was right, as it turns out, because the week before the appointment, Harley had figured out that he was sick and dying, and his whole personality just dampened. The night before the appointment, we spoiled him with his favorite foods, gave him a lot of attention, and it was a good way to say good-bye. We felt like we were able to give him a great time in his last weeks with us (just as we had given him a loving home five years earlier), and he passed peacefully with my husband holding him, instead of dying, terrified, from a massive seizure on our kitchen floor.
I’m not religious, but I will be sending my best wishes for Buddha’s quality of life to last as long as possible. From recent experience with my father’s lymphoma, I know that cancer and its treatment can often impact one’s quality of life quickly. I think that your family’s attitude about Buddha’s cancer is the best possible one to have, since you’ve accepted that you can’t cure it, and the treatment process can be brutal in itself (I saw the after effects on my father after his radiation treatment ten years ago, and the toll it took on his body for the rest of his life).
Enjoy the next months with your sweet kitty, and I hope his remaining time is filled with all the things he loves and enjoys. I’m saddened that you have to go through this experience, but I’m glad to know that Buddha has so many people who care about his quality of life.