It’s been exactly a year since J.B. (Jason Berry of Vacuum Tree Head) posted the very first Mensa Cats comic strip. Here it is:
Looking forward to many more scenes from the Mensa Cats universe in the future.
Cats
World Cat Day, and Update on Luna
August 8th is World Cat Day. As described on the Cat Blogosphere, it’s an “annual event to simply recognize the beauty,
majesty, humor and fun of cats”. And we at CatSynth love all cats! But this year is tinged with mixed feelings on this day as we continue to worry about the cat we love most.
Luna continues to recover from her surgery and rest comfortably. She is eating well and communicative, but a bit lethargic and depressed. That is not uncommon after major surgery, for cats or humans. But the cone is particular source of misery. So we’re giving her a bit more cone-free time under supervision.
When liberated from the cone, she perks right up and even displayers her “happy tail.”
We haven’t heard any lab results yet, so that is leaving us still quite anxious about what comes next.
CatSynth video: Dreadbox Erebus
Titled “how to unbox a greek synthesizer (Dreadbox Erebus)” by Neoplasma on YouTube, via matrixsynth. You can guess where the cat ends up at the end of the video 😉
You can see more related Dreadbox Erebus videos in the original Matrixsynth post.
Luna is home
Luna has come home after her surgery. Basically, she had a full mastectomy and removal of a lymph node that was a likely target for spreading. She recovered well during her overnight stay at the hospital, and indeed was quite energetic and charmed the staff with her sweet and affectionate nature. She will have to wear the cone of shame for a while, but somehow she manages to still look good with it.
She’s going to need quite a bit of care and support over the next few days as she heals, including pain medication and comfort. And we are anxiously waiting for the oncology report from the removed lymph node later this week. This will determine our next steps, and right now we’re holding onto hope for a good result. So far she has been quite resilient through this ordeal, and hoping that will be a good sign.
As always, thank you all for your purrs and thoughts, and please keep them coming!
-Luna and Amanda
An Update on Luna
I want to share an update on Luna’s condition with everyone.
On Wednesday, Luna and I visited the oncologist to discuss her situation and the next steps. He pretty much confirmed what we already knew from the diagnosis: that this is a very aggressive mammary cancer and that one of the tumors had compromised a blood vessel. The latter is particularly concerning because it may indicate spreading. It is a pretty dire prognosis, but not one without steps to take. A “cure” is unfortunately very unlikely at this point, but there are things we can do give her a longer life and better quality of life than letting the disease run its course, which would be fatal.
It’s particularly hard to comprehend for me, as Luna is still young, and so full of life. Since we were cleared to remove the cone she is back to her normal self, with normal “senior kitty” energy but her exceptional affection. Indeed, she continues to be the one who comforts me with purrs and love as I process what has been an emotionally crushing experience.
Right now, the best thing I can do is focus on the next steps and not look beyond that. The next step, and indeed most important one for treating her, is surgery. In all likelihood, that will happen this Saturday as the sooner we do this the better. Then it’s some time to heal, and then evaluation on the next steps, most likely two rounds of chemo. From there, the path is uncertain, and it’s best for me not to dwell on it (no small task). In this instance, I do envy the ability of cats like Luna to live in the moment and focus on the love and happiness they are feeling in that moment. For my end, all I can do is promise to get her the best care and give her the best quality of life I can for as long as we can have.
Thank you to everyone who has provided purrs, healing vibes, prayers and good wishes! It means a great deal to us.
CatSynth pic: Cat atop Synthesizer for Luna
More pictures of cats and synthesizers coming in to support Luna. This one is from @KIPKUBIN on Twitter.
@catsynth I hope Luna feels better soon. Take care of yourself as well. Meow.
Meow indeed. And thank you!
CatSynth pic: Paws and Wires crossed for Luna
We have been blessed to receive so many warm wishes for Luna over the past few days, including a few in the form of CatSynth Pics. Here is one Merce (@merce_the_cat) via CatSynth.
@catsynth hang in there, Luna! I’m keeping my paws and wires crossed for you
An Update on Luna
Dear friends, it is time to bring you all up to date on what has been happening with Luna. It’s not the best of news, but she is most definitely still with us and still the same cat we know and love.
A little over a week ago at Luna’s annual checkup, our vet found some rather concerning lumps on Luna’s belly, essentially on her nipples/mammary organs. It was pretty clear that was some sort of tumor, mammary cancer being fairly common for cats. But it wasn’t clear exactly what kind, what it’s status was, and what would be the best course of action. So last Wednesday, we went back for a biopsy, which is itself quite an ordeal. An preliminary X-ray suggested no obvious growths in her chest or lungs, which was a huge relief. So the focus stayed on the two original lumps. The biopsy procedure went well, and Luna came home that evening, albeit with a “cone of shame.”
Cone aside, she remained in relatively good spirits, and has been as sweet and affectionate as ever – she knows I need her comfort as much as she needs mine. The cone has been a source of distress for her, and she hasn’t been eating much. And she is staying near the bed, sofa or other places that we use for resting or cuddling. I have been removing the periodically and bringing her food over the resting areas, which she devours with aplomb.
We anxiously awaited results from he biopsy. And on Friday evening, we received them, and it wasn’t good. Not the worst, but not good. Basically, they are an aggressive form of feline breast cancer. They can easily be removed with surgery, but one of them may have already attacked a blood vessel, which puts lymph nodes at risk. So at this point, the situation is quite serious.
Our next step is to see the cancer specialist this next week and decide what is the appropriate course of treatment. Regular readers of this site know just how precious Luna is, and have promised both her and myself that she will get the best care I can provide and will do what it takes to give her a good quality of life. There isn’t much to do until the appointment next Wednesday except wait, spend time together, and continue with the myriad other things that are happening in my world right now. Wednesday isn’t that far away when life is so busy, but it seems like an eternity at the moment.
Please keep Luna in your thoughts and purrs.
CatSynth pic: Tiger and Oberheim OB-8
Tiger the cat does sound design on an Oberheim OB-8 synthesizer. From Tony Cappellini via our Facebook page.
“Tiger helps me avoid too much oscillator drift”
