Dept. of Well, Damn

[kaffy_r]

Because Of Course Nothing Goes As Expected

So, almost as soon as I'd posted my last more or less positive comments about Phil, we got a call from the surgeon. She got the biopsy results from the growth a bit faster than I'd expected.

It's a tumor. 

Of course, the surgeon (who really is quite a nice person, don't get me wrong) emphasized that the tumor might not be anything but benign. 

However, she said, she advised that we undertake the operation to remove Phil's left ear canal, to prevent any possibility of non-benign tumer growth. 

And of course we're going to, although we told her we wanted to talk about it over the weekend. 

We'll do it. A lot of my retirement money is going to go into taking care of Phil. And I'm a selfish enough old broad that I'm begrudging those dollars. 

But it's Phil; it's our little kitty, and it's only a month or so since we lost one of our other beloved kitties. 

Poor Phil; he's not in for a good time. 

But I'm hoping that this will help him live beyond his current 8 or 9 years. Had he already been 14? Perhaps the decision would have been different. 

But he's not 14, he's only 8 or 9. So we'll fork out the retirement funds, and pay for something that will, I hope, make him ultimately feel better. 

Fuck. 

On a scale of 1 to Las Vegas, this is, of course, not a big thing. 

But, fuck. What a fucking way to end the week. 

Comments

[the_rck]

Sympathy. ::hugs:: if wanted. I really hope that all goes well.

[kaffy_r]

Thanks for the hugs; they're always wanted, especially in cases like this.

[lilacsigil]

Well, that sucks for everybody. I hope the operation helps Phil, even if it's not going to help your retirement fund.

[kaffy_r]

I very much hope it helps him. He's not been a completely happy kitty for a while. Ultimately, the money isn't the issue; it's just an annoyance for a frugal Scots Canadian like me.

[st_aurafina]

Poor kitty, poor little kitty. I totally understand why you're spending the money, I would do the same. (We did, with the snake bite. We call him the million dollar kitty.)

I hope he comes through easily and recovers well and is not much put out by the process.

[kaffy_r]

We call him the million dollar kitty.

Heh, yeah, that's going to be Phil. He's such a sweet cat that he's forgiven us almost everything, but I keep wondering what's going to be the moment when he says, "That's it; no more Mr. Nice Cat."

[editrx]

My beloved cat-of-my-heart, Fielder, had cancer. Did Fielder get chemo? Of course he did. A great deal of my savings went into Fielder's treatment, which stretched his life another couple of years, but it was another couple of years of love and cuddles and him sleeping under the covers with me with his head on my pillow. God, I miss Fielder to this day.

[kaffy_r]

cat-of-my-heart

Aww, that's such a beautiful expression, and one that I use in connection with a young woman who I wish could be my daughter; I call her the daughter of my heart.

I'd have done the same thing. And of course you still miss him. They're part of our families and when they're gone, it hurts.

[clocketpatch]

*Hugs* Poor kitty. And I feel you on those dollars. Vet care is the opposite of cheap, and feeling guilty because you have to balance best possible care with your own well-being, and then feeling guilty either way, is fucking awful.

[kaffy_r]

Yeah, the "feeling guilty" part is hard to deal with, but I think about him not being happy and I feel far less guilty about dipping into the funds.

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, I'm really sorry - for both you and Phil!

[kaffy_r]

Thanks - he's sleeping right now, curled up on one of his favorite blankets, and that's just fine with me. He's going to get coddled a lot, both before and after the surgery. (Seriously - removing an entire ear canal? Weird, creepy, and something I'd never heard of before now.)

[sarren]

Gah, sorry for your retirement fund and for poor Phil. I totally hear you on the resenting the cost of treatment, we love them, and they are worth it and I also believe its a responsibility we undertake, but yeah, your retirement money, sheesh.

Hope Phil recovers fully and has another dozen healthy years with you.

[kaffy_r]

I'm such a skinflint, that spending money on anything (except fannish stuff, ahem) is hard for me. But Phil is my particularly beloved kitty, so he comes first.

[liadt]

I'm sorry to hear of the effect Phil's ear has had on your finances and him:(

[kaffy_r]

Thanks - it's the effect on him that I'm ultimately more worried about. I'm a bit of a skinflint about money, but this is a situation for which I'm glad I have the funds.

[sallymn]

Poor Phil and poor you! It's a hard decision, but if you're like we were there was that certain knowledge we'd never forgive ourselves if we counted the cost.

[kaffy_r]

A delayed response - you're absolutely right. I still regret the way we handled one of our late beloved kitties' health problems, and this is years ago, back when we had much less in the bank, when we were actually counting every penny. To have the wherewithal, and not to do something would be wrong.

[heliopausa]

I had only just commented happily on your previous post - about what looked like pretty good news about Phil, and then I read this one. Such an unhappy business in all of its aspects - I'm sorry, and I hope the treatment gives him a good long run of happy life with you.

[kaffy_r]

Another delayed response; it is indeed an unhappy business, but it isn't a hopeless business. As long as he is relatively comfortable (and doesn't to wear the cone of shame, or at least not wear it too long) then I am perfectly satisfied at this point to have the surgery done. I, too, hope that this gives him a better life. Since we did more or less confirm late last week that the growth taken from his ear was probably malignant, it's far better to be safe than sorry.

[lokifan]

Poor boy. I'm so sorry to hear that.