Sally, sending good thoughts to Cinnamon and you. Keeping fingers crossed that the surgery goes well.

Ann

Positive energy and healing thoguhts to you and Cinnamon. I hope the surgery goes well.

Linda

I hope that everything goes well. Please keep us posted.

Bless her little heart...and yours!! Not too many people would go through the lengths that you have. She is a scaredy cat but a lucky cat.

Sally, I'm sending good thoughts for Cinnamon too, and some extra for you.

She might not know that you're doing this for her sake, but sometimes animals understand on some level that we're trying to help, so maybe, after surgery and recovery, she'll be back to head butting you without holding a grudge!

Annie

Thanks, everyone.

She's home, now, complete with her "cone of shame," aka buster collar. She's tucked in one of her safe places in our bedroom closet, with blankets surrounding her. That protective cone is going to be a challenge, though. She got if off at the vet's office, and she got it off again on the way home. They insist she wear it until her stitches are out. Anyhow, she came through the surgery well, and she even ate a little tonight, so I have hope. We'll get the results of the biopsy in 3 to 5 days. That means probably next week. Anyway, I appreciate everyone's well wishes and concern.

Sally

I am so glad! So how does this collar attach? My Keegan kitty had to have one and I made it so that it could be taken off occasionally to brush him. Really long fur. What they had couldn't handle being opened and closed constantly; I made it lace up instead. Using a hole punch and then lacing a ribbon through it, became the closure. I imagine, if the collar was tight enough, without being too tight, kitty couldn't untie it. Maybe? Certainly seemed more secure.

The collar was off by mid-day, yesterday, when I came home from work to check on her. She hasn't been bothering her sutures as far as I can tell, so I'm leaving it off of her. She's just way too stressed with it on. I don't think that contributes to healing at all. They had it on with gauze laced through the loops that formed the collar. A friend gave me a couple of other options - one a soft cone shaped collar, and the other an inflatable tube, which goes around the neck, but doesn't obstruct the face. I haven't tried yet putting those on her. I will if she starts messing with her stitches.

She's doing fairly well now. She's eating a tiny bit, but only if I hold the bowl for her. How spoiled can she get?!

Sally

Totally cool that she trusts you! Glad kitty is getting better. You're a good mommy.

Well, maybe she is going to hold la grudge and just make you wait on her hand and foot until she's better, LOL.

I'm glad she's doing well and I'll keep my fingers crossed until her biopsy comes back.

Annie

Thanks, Annie.

Just as she's starting to trust me again, she has to go back to the vet today to have her stitches checked, and the drain tube removed. Oh, well, over time she might start to like me again, lol.

Sally

Aw, Sally, I'm glad she's doing good. You know cats, they like to make us suffer for a while. Smiles. I agree, those cones are sometimes.. meaning most times, more stress and trouble than their worth. The tube ones do a bit better. Sometimes you can stuff a sock with more socks and make a tube with that if a cat is bothering stitches. Tie ends with whatever. Same with dogs, a homemade tube often works better. The inflatables are really good, as long as they don't get punctured. Hope she continues to let you spoil her..lol. Poor gals, both of you. Btw, I have quite a few tame ferals my own self. They're a challenge come time when they need vet care.

Sending you both hugs!

Thanks!

Well, yesterday didn't go so well. I didn't have the kitty door blocked, becuase I THOUGHT I had the bedroom door closed. It sticks, due to house shifting, so it doesn't close easily. Well, guess what - in a matter of about 30 seconds, she escaped from my arms as I was trying to lift her gently, got the door open, flew out the kitty door and ran across the back yard under the shed. I was devasted, as I knew she was so scared, and so stubborn, she wouldn't come out, and would probably rather die under the shed than come out into "harms way." Our temperature was heading to above 100 degrees again. I had to go to work and open the store, so I couldn't stick around. DH had to go to work, also. There was just nothing I could do at that time to get her out. We tried spraying the hose under the shed, but that didn't work She wouldn't budge. All we could do was put a bowl of water out for her.

So, I called the vet and told them what happened. The receptionist actually laughed about it. I was in no mood to be laughed at - even though I knew she wasn't laughing at me, but at the situation. Anyway, after a long day at work, and testing my patience once I got home, I crossed my fingers and started the dinner time ritual. Yeah, she came back home, came back inside the house, and let me know how proud she was to have pulled that one off.

We blocked the kitty door and felt that she'd be inside from now on. Or so I thought. We block it with my grandson's toy kitchen, and I put some hand weights against it, but did that work? I just discovered the kitchen moved out from the wall just enough for a cat to get through. Well, all I can do is hope for the best that she'll once again come in tonight for dinner, and doesn't get too over heated.

Sorry for the long story. This is just getting so frustrating.

Sally

Wow Sally, you've sure been through it. Bad kitty. Not that you can blame her but still.. geez... they are pretty darn good escape artists when they want to be. Sure hope she came in for dinner tonight.

She did come in, and I was able to take her to the vet this morning to get her stitches checked and her tube removed. The good new is all that looked good. The bad new is that the test results showed malignant mammary cancer. It has spread to her lymph nodes and her vascular system. No surprise, but the vet (and me, of course) was hoping for a different outcome, the name of which I don't remember. Anyway, all we can do now is to keep her as comfortable as possible as she lives out her life. She'll let me know when she's tired of it all. For now, she actually acts and seems quite healthy.

Thanks for to all for your concern and good wishes.

Sally

Oh Sally. I am sorry. Not what I was hoping for. If you have a picture, I'd love to see her. If not, that's ok.

((Sally))

Thanks, Rob. I'll see if I can post a picture tonight. The pictures I have of her are not that good. She's a pretty cat (aren't they all?), but I have trouble getting a good picuure of her.

Sally

I understand. Don't go to any trouble. Yes, they're all beautiful.

:)

Oh Sally, I'm sorry. My own Dead Cat from Hell just left on July 3 and never came home. Sigh. They sure are good at escaping, that's for sure.

Annie

Aw, Sally. I'm very sorry that she has cancer. I'm sure you'll take good care of her and make her remaining time the best it can be. I hope she has no suffering and you still have some good times left with each other.

Thanks, all. I really appreciate your kind words.

Sally

Sally, next lifetime I'm going to be a cat in your household.

Annie, nooooooo not DCFH! I think I actually got to pet the creature. Sigh.

Sally, I'm really sorry to read this. You have given her food and love and just the best life a feral kitty could have.

Sending good and loving thoughts to all of you,

Lee

So sorry to hear about kitty, and my thoughts are with you. I agree with Lee that you are giving her the best life she could have, and I hope that this give both of you some comfort. I love all cats as well.

Lars

Annie, I was so obsessed with my kitty, I let your news about your cat whoosh right over my head. It's so frustrating and gut wrenching and sad when a pet goes missing, even when it's a dead cat from hell.

Jesse, I've often thought that a cat's life is the definition of luxury and spoildom.

Thanks, Lars and Lee. I appreciate your kind thoughts and words. She's actually perking up quite a bit.

Sally