Tomorrow morning, I will be taking Twirl over to Ben for her surgery. He has said he is going to remove both of her ear flaps down to almost her head because the cancer has slowly been encroaching lower and lower so the pinna (ear flaps) have to be removed.
The squamous cell carcinoma if not stemmed will then have the option of invading the nasal and mouth cavities and work down into the lymph nodes. Once that happens, it is basically all over.
This little girl deserved so much better than she got before arriving here. I watch her when she is downstairs with the other cats and she is aggressive in a cautious way. I believe her aggression is a result of the pain she has to endure with her ears. I accidentally bumped her ear one time a few weeks ago. I was feeding her, as I lowered my hand to scoop food into her bowl she raised up to head bump me. Before I could draw back, I hit her ear. She cowered, then she struck. She went straight up my arm, grabbed my shoulder, tore the skin and leaped off onto a shelf. She spent three hours there, growling and hissing everytime I approached her.
Her movements are jerky, her behavior is unpredictable. I know that following the surgery, she is going to have to deal with a different type of pain. I am going to request pain patches, because medicating her any other way would be virtually impossible.
I’m hoping she comes back home tomorrow. But, until she is under and he sees if the cancer has been as aggressive as she is at times, her returning remains in question. I have told him that if he sees she is riddled with cancer, to just let her sleep. Let her have peace so her torment doesn’t continue.
Awww, my heart goes out to Twirl. I’m wishing her the best of luck at the vet’s and am hoping for a good outcome. Bless you for what you are doing for her.