More Kitty Sadness

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After losing two of our cats this year we had to amputate Cosmo's leg yesterday. Had a fibrous sarcoma that was too invasive. These are "injection site" tumors caused by vaccines.

We got him back when we lived in Massachusetts and they have a law that requires pets to get rabies vaccinations regardless of whether they are indoor cats or not. Those vaccines are horrible.

I had another cat die of cancer that I swear was caused by that vaccine. He was a healthy, vibrant cat that I rescued. Brought him in for a checkup around three years old and they told me that the law now required him to get a rabies vaccine. He was never the same after that. The next day he was all listless and cried when I tried to pat him. Shortly thereafter he had lumps all over his body.

We tried chometherapy but the cancer was so aggressive that he was dead within a few months.

Strangely enough the vaccine law was backed by the company that makes the vaccine. NH has a similar law but you can opt out by signing a declaration that your pet is indoors-only.
 
Ah man that sucks. We rescued our cat when we lived in Virginia, luckily any vaccine weirdness happened before we ever met him, and was apparently not too long in effect. He's now a Florida cat, part time in the house, part time outside (though apparently mostly at my neighbors house sleeping on their bed?!?). When the vet asked if he was an indoor or outdoor cat, one of my boys replied "he's an inside out cat".

My tween boys would be pretty crushed in the setting you just described, their parents would likely not do much better. Hopefully the surgery took care of the sarcoma- definitely not a tumor you want to mess around with.

All the best with a tough situation-
 
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Damn. That's heartbreaking.

As someone who has no human children, our dogs fill that role. We've gone through similar losses on the canine side (2006 was a particularly bad year, lost 2 to cancer and 1 to old age and giving up after her mate died from cancer), so I can definitely relate.

Hang in there.
 
Bummer. Some people say, "Pets are like family" but I disagree. Pets are family. Sorry to hear about your cat-tastrophy Cliff.
 
Sorry to hear this news. My oldest Sheltie turns 15 this year, so I know what's coming sooner than later. Been there many times before, and it never gets easier...
 
Ugh, I'm so sorry to hear that Cliff. I have rescued 3 kitties myself and I wouldn't know what to do with myself in that situation. Thanks for the heads up about the vaccine. When I got mine the tips of the ears were snipped which I found out means they were picked up strays, vaccinated and neutered, and dropped back off where they found them... That company sounds like Monsanto for Kitties...
 
Sorry to see this, Cliff. Hopefully the surgeons handled the cancer issue and your cat can adapt quickly to its new situation.
 
I really does suck to loose your pet. My cat, "Crook" (he was born with his tail bent in a 90 degree angle and had other issues too), just disappeared. He was an indoor/outdoor cat and he was the runt. All the other kittens had been picked and no one wanted him. I was so happy when he finally caught a chipmunk! Not that I have anything against chipmunks, I actually like them fine and would never consider harming one. Cats like'm too ...and that's just what a cat does. He never wondered far from the house and I searched everywhere. Its hard to believe someone would steal him because he required shots for his immune system and was kind of puny. Without the shots his hair would fall out. I haven't seen any dogs running around. We do have some raccoons that would come up and eat his food at night but he gave them plenty of leeway and we actually got kind of friendly with them. I would just get another, but as you know Cliff, there ain't another "Crook" ; or Cosmo. Here's hoping that Cosmo recovers and has a long and happy life.
 
Yuck. No fun.

I hope Cosmo makes a quick recovery and adapts quickly to the three-legged life.
 
That sucks. I have 4 cats and many more over the years. We never had any issues with any of the shots. Are they experimenting in your state? Law or not...screw that!
 
I feel for you. I miss my cats quite a bit. Looking forward to getting back into our own place so we can have cats again. And maybe a dog too.
 
Sorry to hear that. We have two "Black Fur Babies" that we rescued from the Shipyard the wife and I work at here in Virginia. Their names are: Syk (ShipYardKat) and Sys (ShipYardSister). We've had them in our lives approx. 10 years and it will be a very sad day for us when they are not around...Condolences to you and your family...
 
So sorry to hear this Cliff. I had 2 dogs die from cancer. When I asked what causes something like this, the vet couldn't give me an answer. Personally, I suspect the food. You have to me a chemist to understand an ingredients label, for both pets and people.
 
So sorry to hear and my heartfelt sympathies. Unfortunately I can relate, we had two cats and a dog die within a year and a half. The dog was the roughest, she died in my arms, basically suffocated from a diaphragmatic hernia. It's been hard to think about having any more pets so I salute and thank you, as well as the others here, who continue to rescue animals.
 
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