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| Hpathy Ezine - Jan., 2004 | ||||
Isis - From Liver Cancer to Life-- Nancy Siciliana |
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5 years ago, my gruff, "tough guy" uncle had a beloved pet named Isis. Isis was a 12 year old Egyptian Mau cat, who had borne 2 litters of 2 kittens each. My uncle was so attached to these little animals that he had difficulty giving them away to the homes to which they were promised...which essentially ended his interest in breeding his pet. She was fixed after the second litter was placed and she enjoyed a life filled with many of the pleasures allotted to the felines who live among us--plenty of cat toys, the best home-made foods for her diet, warm fire places to lie near and sleeping beds placed close to the special humans in her life, plus a great big yard and garden, populated by songbirds and mice to keep her busy when things got boring indoors. My uncle doted on this pet, and except for the few visits she made to the vet which my uncle called "totally unnecessary", and a limp she acquired from "jumping up after a bird", she was a sprightly, affectionate and fun loving cat who ate just a little too much now and again. I often visited and stayed with my uncle during the year in which I was planning my wedding, and had many opportunities to visit Isis during my stays. On one visit in particular, I found my uncle very upset and anxious because Isis wasn't responding to his calls for her, she wouldn't eat when she was fed, and she had been found hiding in spaces she had never been found in before. I knew from my own experience with cats that this is the kind of behaviour they exhibit when they are in the process of dying, so when I told my uncle this he became distressed. I promised him I would take a look at Isis to see if I could find what was wrong, then take her to the vet immediately. Other than appearing to be completely unresponsive to touch, or food, or any other stimuli, she crouched and stared out, occasionally meowing in pain when she was picked up or moved. She did not strike out or bite, but her breath did have a "metallic", coppery scent. and she did seem to find touch on the left side of her body to be a little painful (she would flinch and meow when it was touched). I found no bites or cuts or other marks on her, but I did notice that her colouring seemed "a bit off", especially in her eyes and in her ears. I did notice that If stroked her head, this would allow Isis the ability to close her eyes; it was small comfort. My cousin, who is trained as a Shiatsu masseuse, affirmed that Isis' favourite thing whenever she had pain was a massage. She enjoyed them so much, she would often approach my cousin for a "massage" even if nothing was wrong with her. It was part of their interaction with each other. When we got to the vet's office, and I gave the vet my uncle's name and address, he exclaimed, "I know this cat...I've seen her before!" He showed me the cat's computer record, which had 3 different entries marking previous visits during which the cat was given steroid shots for asthma. Isis had a history of difficulty breathing, and on three previous occasions she was rushed into the vet's office for this shot. The vet had actually argued with my uncle before, as my uncle had insisted the shot be given, while the vet insisted that the cat's asthma required more intensified treatment measures. The Doctor's impatience with my uncle was clear, he had a hard time understanding my uncle's urgency about his cat. He actually warned my uncle in the past that his insistence on these shots would lead to the cat's premature death! With a good deal of anger in his words, he told me he would examine the cat to see what was wrong "this time" and tell me what he found. When he returned with Isis, his diagnosis was cancer of the liver. He told me it was cruel to allow Isis to continue to suffer, as she was in a great deal of pain and needed to be put down. I asked him to explain why he believed this, and he demonstrated to me how he came to his conclusion. First, the cat was suffering from Jaundice--the usual gold colour of her eyes looked "off" to me because what would normally be the white sclera had turned yellow. Her gums, paws, and insides of her ears, normally a pink colour, had also turned yellow. Isis lay still and unresponsive as he pressed and prodded at her sides, until she began to whine to be let go. He told me his diagnosis was based on just the physical exam--but he could be more thorough and take some tests if I wanted him to take the time to do this for her. I agreed this was a good idea, as it would give me the opportunity to tell my uncle about the diagnosis. I asked him to tell me a bit more about her history of asthma, and he said all he could say was that she was rushed in in the past, and he had to deal with my uncle's insistence on the steroid shots, as well as my uncle's displeasure at their cost. I could tell I was dealing with a Vet who was not very happy with my uncle -- and I worried if his insistence that the cat be destroyed now wasn't partly related to his sustained anger. I told him I was a student of homeopathy, and I wanted to administer a remedy to the cat, just in case it might have some effect. His response was to tell me to "dose away, do whatever I wanted to do"...but warned me to consider the amount of pain the cat was in, and remember that she could not, at this point, be helped. I left the cat with him for further examination, and went off to consult my books to find a remedy, feeling like I was up against some pretty big odds if she really did have an advanced liver cancer. |
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