Muffin 12th July 1994 - 22nd September 2010

MUFFIN

On the 22^nd September I lost another great friend.  Muffin was a wonderful (sometimes naughty) tortie.  She gave me many years of pleasure and it came as a shock about three weeks previously when I was at home talking to a friend and Muffin suddenly appeared and staggered across the floor.  She recovered just as quickly and started to eat like nothing had ever happened.  I thought maybe she had had a mini stroke, and started to keep a close eye on her, but thankfully there was no reoccurrence. 

The week before she died as she came to join me I noticed her mouth was at a funny angle.  It was always a bit odd as she has had so many teeth out, but this was different.  I looked inside her mouth and was shocked to see her upper gum on one side was swollen.  I thought she had an infection and off to the vets we went, taking Syddy with us as he was a bit snuffly.  He was fine, although he was indignant at having a thermometer inserted into a very private place! 

The vet asked if she could take Muffin to see another vet as she wanted a second opinion.  When they returned, I was shocked to the core to be told that it was, in fact, a cancerous tumour and that she had only days to live. 

The vet said Muffin could come home as I would know when the time came but she said it would be very quick.  She gave Muffin antibiotics and Metacam.  We returned home; me in a state of shock but Muffin seemed quite happy and eating and taking notice of everything around her. 

‘Maybe it is a mistake,’ that little voice inside me said. 

We got through a couple of days.  Her appetite waned and she found eating biscuits difficult.  I bought mountains of chicken breast and baby food (from her kitten days she was always a fussy feeder and baby food was all she would eat as a kitten). 

‘Yum, yum,’ the others said, on seeing all this lovely chicken. I had to be on hand to make sure that Muffin got her share as she took time to eat and the others would steal from her. Eventually I just sat with her for about an hour and half each time whilst she ate.  She would eat for a time and then want to stop and then start again, and so it went on.  I was doing this three times a day, but I did not mind as long as she was eating.  She loved her Whiskas milk and was drinking water. 

On Tuesday 21^st September, she ate a very good breakfast and I was happy she would remain comfortable until my return from work.  She asked for food when I got home but to my dismay was unable to eat.  I gave her more Metacam but to no avail.  She asked for food but just could not manage anything, not even her milk.  In herself she was still taking great interest in everything and looked very well with clear bright eyes. 

Wednesday morning brought no improvement, and so I knew I had to let go. 

It was just as hard and difficult making that call to the vet to say that the time had arrived, even though I had had the time to prepare myself.  I saw my usual vet and she took the time to explain to me that I still had some options - surgery which she said she would not recommend on such an old cat.  I said that even if I did go down that route wasn't there every chance the cancer would have spread through her head.  The vet confirmed that this was very likely and they would not undertake surgery without specialist x-rays first. 

My vet said it involved surgically reconstructing the cat's face and was very painful and in lots of cases not successful.  I said I could not put Muffin through all that.  She said she could give me more Metacam and see if she would eat.  I said she had been having Metacam and still couldn't eat. 

My vet said realistically the tumour was very invasive and had spread rapidly in a very short space of time.  It now occupied more than half her mouth and had covered her front gums which explained why she could not eat.  Her gums were so swollen that she could not pick food up.  The decision was made that for the sake of Muffin there was only one route that we could go down.  I stayed and cuddled her throughout, and it happened very peacefully. I thought how peaceful she looked (through my tears). That last night the rest of the cats kept watch over her, taking it in turns it seemed, to make sure she was alright. 

On Wednesday, 23^rd September we made the journey to Dignity my local pet crematorium and Muffin was entrusted to their care.  I know them and I have thoroughly inspected the entire premises to make sure the cremations are individual and carried out exactly to your requirements, which they are.  The lady at Dignity also said how peaceful Muffin looked and that she just seemed to be asleep.  She returned home on Saturday and will never have to leave her home again. 

RIP my sweet girl.  There is a big hole in my heart which can never be filled. 

Lots of love from Mummy,

Sonic, Syddy. Tymmy, Dympy, Mischief, Butty, Flash, Socks, Twinkle and Tilly xxx 

* Muffin is one of Sue Fallon's many wonderful cats who've written their stories in the Mewsers' Mewsings section of the website. To read Muffin's story, click here:

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