How to Outsmart a Cat

[bunchofgrapes]

Got Sophie to the vet today but not without some effort. She was out and about and all lovey and purrific but then when the time approached, she hid in her spot. I tried everything to coax her out but she wouldn't come out and I can't go after her (it's behind the bed and the bed cannot be moved. So I called the vet office and told them I would at least be running late however, while I was sitting at my desk and on the phone, she came out. I've noticed that whenever I'm on a conference or work call, she always comes out and meows at me to pet her.

Well, she doesn't know the difference--just that I'm on the phone and in the work chair. Pretty normal for a Monday. I hang up with the vet thinking I can keep talking and grab her but the minute I start talking to the dead air on the phone, she heads into hiding. I call a friend who also has cats and understands the mind games one must play with them. I know she would let me ramble on until she came out of hiding but she's not home. I call the vet back and as I'm talking to her, Sophie comes out again. This time, I grab her, hang up the phone, and stuff her into the carrier. We were only 11 minutes late. Cats are very smart. And evil.

Now to the reason I took Sophie to the vet. She has a growth on her tail. I noticed it when I was petting her tail a couple of weeks ago and thought maybe Harry bit her while they were playing. When I first found it, she wasn't very happy when I touched it but this past week, she was much better about it. I wanted to have the Dr. take a look at it and I'm glad I did. Not sure what it is yet but it could be a basel cell tumor or melanoma. The vet spoke to the surgeon today and no matter what it is, the surgeon wants to remove the growth. The good news is it's towards the end of her tail, where there's really only skin and bone. The bad news (which is sort of good, bad news) is that if it is malignant, they will have to take off part of her tail. They took blood today so they can compare to the bloodwork they took back in November. I should know tomorrow if anything's off. However, now she has to go back to the vet for surgery to remove the growth. I always get nervous when a furkid has to be anesthetized and yeah, I admit it, Sophie is my baby so I worry about her even more.

Comments

[la-dame-du-lac.livejournal.com]

That's absolutely hilarious! Your Sophie is indeed an evil furbaby, definitely very clever!

I hope she's all right, it's good that you brought her in ASAP, these things tend to grow fast if they're malignant. And I totally understand what you mean about the anesthetic. My 15 year-old overweight boy needs his teeth looked at/cleaned and... well... you understand why we're hesitating.

Ah, cats! :)

[laura27md.livejournal.com]

I think it happened before I met you (and certainly before we were friends on lj), so you probably don't know that I went through the same thing with my cat (Nikko). About 3 years ago while petting him I noticed a lump on his leg. I took him to the vet, who casually said "growths on cats are never good..." (implying that they're much less likely to be benign than they are in dogs) Long story short, it was biopsied and found to be malignant (can't remember the exact type right now), and I made the decision to have his leg amputated. From everything I read, it was most likely that it would come back if I chose to only have the tumor removed. He's fine now. :)

Hopefully Sophie's will turn out to be OK, but even if it's not, at least it's in a place that can be removed without much impact on her life. Also, animal anesthetics have come a long way and are a good bit safer now than they were even 10 years ago. I worried like mad about my boy because he was 10 at the time of the surgery, but the vet assured me that adverse reactions are becoming more and more infrequent. :)

[mingsmommy.livejournal.com]

*hugs you* *hugs sophie*

I know it's awful to worry about a furkid. At least you found it and got her to the vet.

And laura27md is right...veterinary anesthesia has improved tremendously over the last two decades.

I will keep you and Sophie in my prayers.

[insanityonline1.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I'm sure she's going to be just fine.

[wintergreen126.livejournal.com]

but the minute I start talking to the dead air on the phone, she heads into hiding.

she knows the difference between actually talking to a person and just talking into the receiver, i love it. definitely smart!

i hope that all goes okay with sophie, though, and i'll keep you guys in my thoughts.

[(Anonymous)]

Dogs are so much easier to get to the Vet. They just think they are going for a ride in the truck. It's not until we turn towards the direction of the Vet, that they start to panic. Then, getting them through the door of the Vet's office is a battle. Sophie is one smart girl. Love her hiding spot.

Fingers are crossed and I'll be hoping that all goes well for her and for you.

N.

[vr-trakowski.livejournal.com]

Sending good thoughts Sophie's way! May her tail wave long and proud.

[inamberclad.livejournal.com]

Haha, that's hilarious.

I hope everything turns out okay for Sophie.

[snowydragon1776.livejournal.com]

*hugs* to you and sophie

and that was hilarious :)