Hello, all. Sorry I've been MIA the last few days, but as you know, we've been in the middle of kitten drama. We were able to visit him in the kitty hospital last night, and he was discharged into our care while we waited for the results of some cell samples they took from his colon, which was thickened. The concern was/is that it was/is a tumor which was/is the result of lymphoma. Of course, John and I were pretty much inconsolable at that possibility, but we are determined to do what we can to get Hammy feeling better. Another main concern of the vets' was his lack of interest in, and thus lack of intake of, food. He hadn't eaten a real meal since Friday night's dinner, which he vomited up Saturday morning. But he ate pretty well yesterday afternoon while still in the vets' care, and he nibbled some kibble while we visited him. Once we got him home, he perked up and we saw that immediately he was more comfortable and happier. His tail, which had been down and apprehensive popped up like a little periscope--he was curious. And boy was he ready to eat! He gobbled a regular-sized meal of mixed dry and wet food. His personality was pretty much back, though he was sleepy from the anesthesia he had while they were doing the abdominal ultrasound.
So we were very happy to have him home, but also nervous. We are sure to watch him closely, and we have to give him some medicines, an antibiotic as well as an appetite stimulant.
This afternoon Mom came to visit and keep me a little saner, and while we were in Bed Bath and Beyond, I got a call from one of his doctors and she said she had just gotten the lab results from the pathologist and couldn't wait to call me. She said, as suspected, the fine needle asperit test didn't yield very many cells, but it was enough to make a pretty good preliminary call. She said based on what they saw, it doesn't look like lymphoma, but rather a bad inflammation. She said, of course, something more serious can't be ruled out cuz it was a small sample from an isolated part of the colon. But his behavior at home is very encouraging, and he'll have a follow-up exam and new ultrasound in two weeks to see if he's improved, worsened or stayed the same and we'll figure out the next step(s) from there. Some exploratory surgery may still be recommended based on how that goes, and that would include a full-thickness biopsy of the colon, which means major (read: expensive and scary) surgery. So we're just taking it one hurdle at a time and helping our little guy to feel better.
He's currently curled up with me on the couch, snug as a bug in a rug. He snuggled us all night last night, and we can just tell he's overjoyed to be home with him mommy and daddy.
So keep sending good thoughts our way, and hopefully Hammy will keep on the path to recovery. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for all your love, support, and well wishes,
Maureen, John, and Hamlet
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