Lora Lee 
Towards the end of October, a mass was felt by the vet in Emmet’s GI tract. An ultrasound confirmed the mass and I schedule an appointment for surgery to get a sample for a biopsy and to, hopefully, remove the mass. Unfortunately, the mass was attached to his small intestine in a way that the vet was unable to remove it. We sent off the sample with hopes that the results would come back as the “good” lymphoma. That was 2 weeks ago, and the results that we received have baffled all of us. Which is not surprising with Emmet for he has turned into quite the enigma. Always keeping me on my toes.
Not Cancer, But What Is It?
This past Monday, Emmet spent the day at the vet’s office to have his staples removed. When I picked him up, the vet wanted to speak to me. I figured that she just wanted to tell me what to keep an eye on with his incision area. Boy was I wrong. When she came in, she informed me that she had his biopsy results. I instantly started to pray for the “good” lymphoma. When I heard the words “Emmet does not have cancer”, I was sure I had misunderstood her. After she repeated the words, I wasn’t sure how to feel. Yay, he doesn’t have cancer, but what is that mass? The huge mass attached to his small intestine that cannot be removed. Her response? We don’t know. Um, ok. So, what now?
We decided to do a stain to see if we could figure out exactly what is the mass. There were some possibilities. It could be viral or bacterial mass. It could be a foreign object that he had ingested and did not pass so the body started to absorb it. I am almost positive that it is not a foreign object. I cat-proof my home better than most moms baby-proof their homes. So, I was very interested in hearing what the results would show. We received the results today. It is not viral or bacterial. It could still, potentially, be a foreign object. However, no matter, it is a mass that still cannot be removed. So, what now?
Next Steps
After a lot of discussion, we decided to put Emmet on daily steroids for the next 4 weeks. Steroids are used to reduce inflammation. Our hopes are that the steroids will shrink the mass. After the 4 weeks, we will do an x-ray to see if and how much the mass has shrunk. Next steps will be based on those results. Hopefully, we will see the results that we want. After thinking about putting him back on steroids, I started to make some connections.
If you have been following and reading my articles (Thank You!), you have read about Emmet’s story and his potential FIP story. In Emmet’s Cancer Diagnosis, I wrote about the ups and downs we have had this year, mainly the past few months. When I started thinking about the timeline of things, I realized that Emmet started thriving after being on steroids for a while. So much so, that we made the decision to wean him off them. It was a few months that he started to backslide. the backslide continued which led to the mass being felt and where we are now.
My Theory
My theory is that the mass has been there all along. However, in the beginning, it wasn’t big enough to be felt. His regime of steroids then proceeded to keep the mass at bay. Weaning him off allowed the mass to grow to the point where it could be felt. Leading us to where we are today. Back on steroids. Now, this is my theory, and I am certainly not a vet. I am, however, very observant of my cats and also document major incidents with them (no surprises, I am sure). So, I am very interested to see how he, and the mass, responds to this round of steroids.
In additions to the steroids, Emmet will continue to take his supplements from The-Two-Crazy-Cat-Ladies. I have also started him on Pet Wellbeing’s Lifegold and Mushroom Immune Gold. Both of these have amazing reviews showing high success in shrinking tumors. Holistic approaches will be utilized as well. Color therapy, herb gardens and a chakra cleanse from Naturally Cats are must. I know enough now to know that a lot of physical issues stem from emotional issues. As I said when we received Emmet’s “cancer diagnosis”, I am prepared to help Emmet in any way I can. He is a fighter, and I am not a quitter. Together, we will overcome whatever this is.
“If I had a dollar for every time my cat made me smile,I would be the world’s richest person by now.”~Ernest Hemingway
